Understanding the Process of Decision-Making in Universities in a Vuca-World

Abstract

Making decisions in higher education institutions is realized in the context of the VUCA-world-that is, in the conditions of instability, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, which are significant markers of today's social, cultural, and organizational reality. The article is a case study of designing and implementing a new educational program in one Russian university. The analysis is shaped in a chain of interconnected decisions revealing the specifics of management decisions in modern universities. The study is based on mixed research methods, including five in-depth interviews with the most important actors involved; observation of the situation development stages; interviews with other actors involved; analysis of state regulatory documents and standards; analysis of university regulatory documents and standards. The case is studied via organized anarchy theory, power and authority in organization theory, risk avoidance and bounded rationality perspectives were used. The analysis of the case has identified the involved parties' power boundaries blurring, the uncertainty of the «game rules», the exclusion of some important stakeholders from the decision-making process, the experience and expertise partially lacking in new decision-making situations, the ambiguity of several demanded organizational procedures. There are presented a number of strategies that can potentially reduce the level of uncertainty and improve the quality of decisions taken at universities. These include decomposing a problem situation, using techniques for analyzing complex decisions, increasing the role of participation and involvement, managing the distribution of information flows, preventing the phenomenon of group thinking. The article proposes measures of organizing political negotiations, improving the quality of communication, applying the principles of self-learning organization. The article contains a new and weakly presented in Russian scientific literature analysis of the theory and practice of decision-making management. The described strategies are designed to create solid background for mostly mature management decisions in universities.

Criteria for the effectiveness of teaching technologies in modern practices of professional training of teachers

“…Asipova [17] and E.A. Drugova and O. N. Kalachikova [18], believe that the effectiveness of teaching in a pedagogical university depends on the use of methods for organizing real practical activities of students. An interested employer should participate in the learning process as a provider of complex practical problems, the solution of which in the learning process provides the student with the opportunity to cope with similar tasks in the future.…”

Risk Management for Public Universities: Why and How? (A Conceptual Analysis)

“…Decision Making. Drugova and Kalachikova (2019) highlighted that decision-making in higher education institutions occurs under conditions of instability, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. They recommend strategies to reduce uncertainty and improve decision quality, including decomposing problems and managing information flow distribution.…”

“…Increased satisfaction with the risk management process can be achieved with effective communication and appropriate benchmarking. d. Uncertainty in Decision Making, Drugova and Kalachikova (2019) suggest strategies to reduce uncertainty and improve decision quality, including problem situation decomposition and information flow distribution management. Higher education institutions often face problems related to uncertainty in the decisionmaking process, resulting in late decisions.…”