The Changing Roles of Academic Leaders: Decision-Making, Power, and Performance

Abstract

Major reforms in the Nordic countries have increased the formal autonomy of higher education institutions (HEIs) to make decisions over their own activities, both academic core tasks and managerial/administrative activities. The issue addressed in this chapter is how these changes have affected the role of the academic leader. Across the four countries, we see clear signs of change regarding academic leadership comprising a mix of institutional logics in the interviews: the professional, collegial traditional academic leadership, which is based on rotating systems, election among peers, and collegial decision-making, has been complemented with, and in some places replaced by, a managerial logic with top-down order-giving, performance measurement and appointed managers as a new academic profession. Another related general trend is the greater focus on individual managers. The analysis also shows that Denmark and Finland are the countries that lead the way when it comes to increasing the formal authority of managers. The introduction of appointed managers rather than elected ones has altered the way HEIs operate in these two countries. However, as this chapter has shed light on, management reform has not been implemented in the same depth and with the same pace across and within universities.

Academic Leadership and Governance of Professional Autonomy in Swedish Higher Education

“…The increased institutional autonomy has contributed to strengthening line management organisation, which, in addition to more managers, has increased the powers of strategic and administrative coordinators and expanded bureaucratic processes in many HEIs (Widmalm et al, 2016). A similar development is apparent in Scandinavian countries where managerial logic has either come to replace or complement traditional collegial decision-making and professional logics (Geschwind et al, 2018). The managerialistic turn implies a loyalty to new institutional objectives relating to cost efficiency, budget responsibilities, assessments and, accordingly, new institutional strategies that are developed.…”

“…Overall, among the participants, the importance of protecting traditional norms and scientific values, which in the study are referred to as Humboldtian ideals, is emphasised (Pallas, 2017, p. 288). But also emphasised is that these were just general ideals that were necessary to adapt to the organisational reality within which they were now operating (see also Geschwind et al, 2018). Accordingly, this creates a contradictory adaptation when key concepts such as versatility or democratic ideals are to be combined with a utility-oriented rationality of keeping up with the times.…”

Emergence and early institutionalization of competition in higher education: evidence from Finnish business schools

“…The agency of the strategic apex maintains that management can influence HEIs' strategic direction, processes, and offerings (Geschwind et al, 2019). Organizations and their competitors must be internally cohesive (legal) entities subject to rational design (Ramirez, 2010) and thus manageable.…”

It is still about bureaucracy in German faculties

“…Furthermore, professional managers should replace scientists in management positions (Pechar, 2010). The classic rotating system, where scholars elected colleagues as leaders, should be changed to an organization with line management (Geschwind et al, 2019).…”