The Changing Nature of the Academic Deanship

Abstract

The university as an organization is changing, incorporating elements of private sector management in an academic setting. In these transforming universities middle management has changed as well. In this contribution changes in the role and position of the academic deanship are analysed in more detail. On the basis of a literature review, a description of the deanship is provided, including the main challenges this position entails. It is argued that the deanship has become more demanding, more senior, more strategic, more complex and more managerial in nature, though within the overall context of academe. We illustrate both the complexity and changing nature of the deanship by drawing on two empirical studies. Since research on middle management in universities is still rather thin, more research is welcome. Therefore we conclude with some suggestions for further research to enhance our understanding of what we see as a key management position within today's universities.

Lions or lambs? : how deans lead and manage their faculties at Indonesian university

“…Wolverton et al 2001;De Boer and Goedegebuure 2009;Thomas and Fragueiro 2011) on the deanship have observed behaviour that substantiates our conclusion that Indonesian deans perform many behaviours and roles. As reported in Chapter 5, deans are expected to perform many contrasting activities and have many different responsibilities.…”

“…In contemporary Indonesian universities, deans now have a comprehensive work portfolio in which traditional and new responsibilities are combined. This development has been described in the international literature as a move from being the housekeeper of the faculty to being an executive manager (Wolverton et al 2001;DiFronzo 2002;De Boer and Goedegebuure 2009;Thomas and Fragueiro 2011). Their new role includes responsibility for:  identifying new sources of revenue (due to less state support), attracting (more) external funds and, consequently, more collaboration with multinationals, national, and private corporations (Ahmad 2008;Wimbarti 2008);  developing research programmes (Warsa 2003;Ahmad 2008);  developing and implementing (new) academic teaching programmes;  cultivating opportunities for research and student learning (Warsa 2003;Ahmad 2008);  attracting more students in the global market place as one of the sources of funding (e.g.…”

“…Indonesian higher education institutions need to shift their role from conventional learning institutions to entrepreneurial research-based institutions (De Boer and Goedegebuure 2009). In such a complex and dynamic context, the autonomous universities are encouraged to establish corporate-style governance structures.…”

“…The multitudinous activities of deans at Indonesian universities reflect the greater responsibilities and multifaceted roles found worldwide (Wolverton et al 2001;DiFronzo 2002;De Boer and Goedegebuure 2009;Thomas and Fragueiro 2011). Exhibiting behaviours to deal with markets, clans, hierarchies and adhocracies has also been observed in universities in other countries.…”

Revenue generation strategies in Sub-Saharan African universities

“…This may offer a good starting point for looking at the internal governance of universities. Based on Clark's triangle of coordination, namely, the state, the market, and the academic oligarchy, four alternative models of institutional governance can be identified: collegial, bureaucratic, market, and entrepreneurial models (Clark, 1979;Clark, 1998;McNay, 1999;Mintzberg, 1979;de Boer & Goedegebuure, 2009). These models depict the degree to which the authority, power and responsibility for decision-making are diffused within a university (Neave, 1998;Bauer et al, 2006).…”