Perspectives on knowledge management capabilities in universities: A qualitative identification of organisational factors

Prior research has had a limited approach to identifying organisational factors related to knowledge management (KM) practices of higher education institutions (HEIs), the centre for knowledge creation. This qualitative study explored such factors affecting KM capabilities from the perspectives of 30 full-time academics in public universities, and identified the dimensions of the KM capabilities framework. Results revealed that physical conditions, budget, human and technological resource management, division of labour, workload, time management, communication, bureaucracy, structural differentiation, motivation, individualism, and organisational behaviour affect KM infrastructure capabilities; bureaucracy, KM teams, institutional platforms, organisational structure, knowledge maps, vision, individual attitudes, academic collaboration, process management, budget, decision-making processes, sustainable academic KM, transparency, labour force, knowledge security, organisational culture, accessibility, and archiving affect KM process capabilities. These results contribute to identifying the organisational factors influencing KM that are critical to guiding practitioners and administrators of HEIs in developing more effective KM strategies and practices.     

The Role of the University Head of Department

Abstract

The head of department occupies a key institutional position yet the role is a complex and demanding one which is subject to pressures, conflicts and uncertainties. This paper examines aspects of the role of the head of department through the proceedings of a day conference for heads of department at one university. It highlights issues and concerns, and analyses them in terms of the cultural and organisational characteristics of universities as institutions. Among the key issues identified are: the nature of institutional management structures; relationships with the administrative centre; and the nature and definition of the head of department's role.     

Institutional mergers and access: The case of North-West University

Abstract

This article examines how faculty and administrators of the newly merged institution, North-West University, understand issues of access and seek to foster an environment that enhances their achievement, given considerable reservations that are often associated with any organisational change process. In light of the reality that the merger between the two institutions – one historically white (advantaged), the pre-merger Potchefstroom University, and the other the historically black (disadvantaged), the pre-merger University of North West – is an involuntary arrangement ordered by the Minister of Education, how would the faculty and administrators of the newly merged organisation manage their competing, and in some cases conflicting, objectives to create a new institution whose mission aligns with national equity objectives? The perspectives illuminated by the participants in this study highlight the persistent tension between the historical values of these institutions and the national vision to attain access and equity. These tensions are evident in the three core themes that emerged from this study: 1) language and its impact on the culture of the post-merger institution; 2) the continuing impact of race in hiring decisions; and 3) access issues for students. While the government mandated this amalgamation in an effort to create an equitable, accessible post-merger university, three years into the merger process core elements of the pre-merger Potchefstroom University and University of North West (UNW) campuses are still firmly rooted. For all practical purposes, these are two campuses that share little beyond their common institutional name acquired after the merger and a common institutional executive administration team.     

Comparison of measures of organisational effectiveness in U.K. higher education

This paper is part of a program to study organisational effectiveness in higher educational institutions in the UK and Australia, and to compare the results with work conducted by Cameron (1981, 1986) in the USA. Cameron's work empirically derived and confirmed nine effectiveness dimensions and offered a typology of four institutional groups. In the UK, following surveys of the perceptions of senior academics and administrators concerning their own institutions, Lysons and Hatherly (1992, 1996) obtained results highly consistent with those of Cameron, and their analysis also supported a typology of four groups, namely classical redbrick universities, former polytechnics, former colleges of technology and 60's greenfield universities.An important further issue is the external validity of such effectiveness research particularly when discriminating between various categories of institutions. This paper uses data derived independently of the perceptual survey data to predict and confirm the taxonomy of four institutional groups already established in the prior UK research. These data come from the research ratings of the Universities Funding Council (UFC) and the Times Good University Guide. The Times data includes objective statistical data about each institution whilst the UFC ratings are based on the expert judgements of research assessment panels with representation from a range of institutions.The typology of four institutional groupings confirmed by the data analysed in this paper is consistent with the competing values explanations for organisational taxonomies (Quinn and Rohrbaugh 1983; Lysons 1993).     

The long road—how evolving institutional governance mechanisms are changing the face of quality in Portuguese higher education

While a lot has been written regarding the changing management and governance arrangements in higher education, less is known about how this progression relates to quality in higher education. The purpose of this article is to describe the context of governance in Portuguese higher education institutions and how institutional governance arrangements impact on quality and quality assurance mechanisms of higher education. The study is based on four institutional cases studies, comprising two universities and two polytechnic institutions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior managers, middle managers, academics and students from Arts and Engineering, and documentary analysis was undertaken. The main findings show that national and institutional features of governance and management may influence the implementation of quality policy and procedures, and indeed quality improvement. The different institutional actors seem to be aware of the dynamic nature of the equilibrium between positive and negative impacts and recognise the need for checks and balances in the governance and management structures of higher education institutions, especially between collegial and managerial facets.     

Institutional attention to European policy agendas: exploring the relevance of instrumental and neo-institutional explanations

This article addresses how European policy initiatives in higher education, research and innovation are diffused in the European higher education research and education area. Based on an instrumental and an institutional perspective, specific expectations are developed as to how policy diffusion might unfold, and, through an in-depth analysis of the strategic plans of 19 higher education institutions in Latvia and Norway, the article identifies factors that potentially mediate European policies into the strategic agenda of universities and colleges. The findings show that European Union membership and policy area seems to matter for the attention given to European policy initiatives, while administrative capacity at institutional level have less or quite mixed effects. The article concludes that both instrumental and institutional perspectives are of value in explaining how European policy diffusion takes place.

     

制度缺陷与制度安排:现行土地征用的制度经济学分析

现行土地征用制度改革必须明确公益性和非公益性的土地征用范围,弱化集体土地所有权、突出土地使用权,尝试建立片区价征地补偿制度,并逐步向市场化过渡。在"转权让利"的主渠道外,尝试保留集体土地所有权不变,直接进入市场参与国家建设的新路子,建立健全失地农民的社会保障制度,有计划、按步骤地进行土地征用相关制度的改革。     

The Rise and Fall of a Promotions Committee: some reflections on the interrelationship between micro and macro machinations of power

This paper is concerned with a case study regarding the ‘rise and fall’ of a promotions committee within an Australian College of Advanced Education. The paper considers the internal organisational factors involved with the abolition of promotion by merit as part of increasingly dominant managerialist practices. The paper attempts to contextualise these institutional developments in terms of the restructuring of the Australian economy and concomitant pressures upon state expenditure and consequent increasing pressures on tertiary education institutions to ‘pay their own way’. The study fits within the ‘imperialist strategy’ within organisational analyses where the study of organisations is “merged within a wider analytical framework geared to the examination of historical transformations in institutional structures and the principles which underlie these long‐term historical movements”. In the concluding section, some critical remarks are proffered regarding the way senior administrators within tertiary education institutions have responded to these privatisation pressures upon them.

     

Ambiguity,Conflict and Institutional Review

The main challenges in the institutional review process are conceptual and ethical and derive from the organisational and political context of the evaluation. Higher education institutions belong to a distinctive class of organisations whose predominant characteristics are ambiguity and conflict. The evaluation process is also subject to ambiguities and conflicts, and when applied formally to a university or its departments, which are highly politicised, becomes itself a highly political activity in that the process and outcomes inevitably affect the power relationships in the organisation. A set of conceptual and ethical guidelines for institutional evaluation are proposed which attempt to reflect these characteristics. The guidelines emphasise plurality in values and perspectives; the dispersion of power; and the need for the early negotiations about the purposes and control of the evaluation, the kinds of information to be collected, and the access to it.     

Mistrust in a multi-campus institutional context: a socio-spatial analysis

Higher education literature identifies mistrust as one of the prominent features of managerialism. Similarly, multi-campus institutional studies have interrogated mistrust in various ways. However, there is limited research on academics’ experiences of how mistrust relates to their understandings and values of their academic profession in multi-campus contexts. This article contributes knowledge to narrow this gap. It draws from a study that examined academics’ experiences of how space enables or constrains their practices towards academic identity construction in an open distance learning institution in South Africa. A total of 12 academics who work on satellite campuses of the institution were interviewed. The social production of space framed the analysis. Findings indicate that a multi-campus institutional context aggravates mistrust and impinges on academics’ interaction and prospects for development within a wider institutional space. Recommendations are made about how to reduce the influence of mistrust on academics’ practices in multi-campus contexts.     

Enhancing the Impact of Professional Administrators on Tertiary Education

This is the opening paper given at the Australasian Institute of Tertiary Education Administrators’ Annual Conference, Canberra, 20‐23 September 1990, to begin consideration of the Conference theme, which is the topic of the paper. It proposes notions of professional practice for tertiary education administrators. It draws on the work of organisation theorists and observers to point to the peculiar nature of higher education institutions, and the use of power and influence and the role of administrators within them; and to suggest some aspects of the practice of administration to which administrators ought give professional attention.     

论印度普通大学内部管理的特色

本文介绍了印度普通大学内部管理的特色.印度普通大学在高级管理人员方面实行官学结合,轮流任职;管理机构分工明确,参与主体多元化;学院管理多样化,以附属学院为主体.     

Claims and counterclaims: institutional arrangements and farmers’ response to the delivery and adoption of innovations in the Okavango Delta,Botswana

Purpose: This article examined how institutional factors influencing the promotion of two elephant crop-raiding deterrent innovations (ECDIs) introduced to farmers through a ministry-based extension system in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, have impacted farmers’ adoption behaviour. Methodology: A standardised interview schedule was used to elicit responses from 388 randomly sampled subsistence arable farmers on how institutions influenced the adoption of ECDIs in five communities in the study area. This was complemented by focus group discussions to obtain in-depth information on the subject-matter. Key informants interviews were also conducted with purposively selected extension agents, village project committee chairpersons and village dikgosi. Findings: Four institutional factors were found to be critical for the adoption of ECDIs. These include institutional relations, availability and/or supply of deterrent innovation inputs, farmers’ contact with extension agents and government support for extension services. Theoretical Implications: Immediate and widespread adoption of ECDIs in the ever-changing socio-economic and political environment can be enhanced by context-specific institutional arrangements in addressing social and organisational constraints to innovation adoption. Originality: This paper invoked organisational theory to contribute to the scholarly debate on how agricultural extension systems influence farming clientele’s behaviour and social change. It offers the first attempt in the investigation of the role of extension and associated institutions/organisations in promoting adoption of ECDIs among subsistence farmers in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Findings indicate that local farmers do not perceive extension agencies to hold monopoly of ideas and solutions to their unique problems.     

How are universities responding to demands for an improved learning environment?

Globally, universities are currently facing increased external demands to strengthen and develop their learning environments. The article examines how a sample of Norwegian universities responds to governmental demands concerning establishing good learning environments. Based on document analysis and interviews, the article demonstrates that the concept of the learning environment seems to be interpreted and implemented in a standardised way and that institutional work in this area might suffer from a decoupling between ‘administrative’ and ‘academic’ responsibilities. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the universities studied to a great extent seem to rely on copying and imitating understandings of the concept instead of using it to develop more specific and uniquely local practices. In conclusion, the article calls for more attention to the consequences of specific organisational solutions, and it is argued that more attention should be given to identifying factors that enable or constrain how universities handle external pressure for change.     

Institutional Level Student Engagement and Organisational Cultures

Driven by the growing presence of market forces within higher education worldwide, universities are changing the way they engage with students. This article explores how a university's internal culture relates to engagement with students and their views. It builds on wider research into student engagement and organisational cultures. The organisational cultures of two universities are mapped against a typology developed by McNay, which was extended by the author to include aspects of institutional engagement with students. It appears that corporate and bureaucratic institutional cultures that may respond well to external pressures on institutions (regulation, performance indicators, audits and policy pressure) are not conducive to engagement with student opinion. The stronger preference of students remains a collegial, partnership‐based approach for enhancement of the student experience. This study will be of interest to institutional managers, student (union) leaders, academics and practitioners who seek to improve the student experience through effective engagement with student views.     

Administrators in higher education: organizational expansion in a transforming institution

Recent European research has revealed growth in the number of administrators and professionals across different sections of universities—a long established trend in US universities. We build on this research by investigating the factors associated with variation in the proportion of administrators across 761 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 11 European countries. We argue that the enactment of expanded and diversified missions of HE is one of the main factors nurturing universities’ profesional and administrative bodies. Our findings support such an assertion; regardless of geographical and institutional differences, HEIs with high levels of “entrepreneurialism” (e.g. in service provision and external engagement) are characterized by a larger proportion of administrative staff. However, we find no empirical support for arguments citing structural pressures and demands on HEIs due to higher student enrolments, budget cuts or deregulation as engines driving such change. Instead, our results point towards, as argued by neo-institutionalists, the diffusion of formal organization as a model of institutional identity and purpose, which is especially prevalent at high levels of external connectedness.     

Action research in the context of a school–university partnership: its value,problems, issues and benefits

The focus of the article is on action research in a school–university partnership, its problems, use and the value of the work from the viewpoint of a professor (university teacher-educator)[1] and two deans. The authors collaborate to first define a partnership. Secondly, they discuss the role and use of action research in the context of a partnership programme aimed at changing and improving kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) schooling and teacher education. Thirdly, they identify the problems, issues and benefits associated with such work. A ‘tool,’ consisting of 10 questions is presented by the collaborators for university faculty and administrators to use to chart their initiation and institutional participation in action research in a school–university partnership. Selected problems and issues focused on university faculty productivity, and a college or university's reward system for tenure and promotion are discussed, together with the benefits and the ultimate value of the work.     

Factors Influencing Positive Interactions Across Race for African American, Asian American, Latino, and White College Students

This study explores the various factors that promote positive interactions across race for African American, Asian American, Latino, and White college students. A longitudinal survey was administered to all incoming students at nine public institutions (with a follow-up survey given at the end of their second year), examining activities related to cross-racial interaction and outcomes. This knowledge will be useful for college administrators, institutional researchers, and faculty as they work to meet the challenge of preparing students for a pluralistic society. The results of this study begin to delineate the conditions under which positive intergroup relations can be fostered in college and the key factors that inhibit or restrain the benefits such interactions bring to the development of students for a diverse workplace and pluralistic democracy.     

’Loosely Coupled’ Schools: a structuralist critique

The ascendant model of the school in the specialist administrative and organisational literature is the ‘loosely coupled’ system. There are, however, ambiguities in the way this model has been applied, whether as a research tool or as a theoretical device to mark out institutions such as hospitals, schools and prisons where the elements of functional analysis (goals, technology, structure) have no predictive interdependence. The irony that a model which derives from biological and cybernetic thinking should become a tool of demystification of orthodox functional theory is interesting in itself and perhaps points to a major conceptual weakness in its formulation and application. It is argued that ambiguities in the model can be addressed by a structuralist approach which distinguishes the surface features of looseness from the more determining patterns of the inter‐relationship between rules and rituals within either the institutional or the technical ‘core’ of school organisation.