Governance, Management and the Academic Profession: Themes and Concluding Observations.

Abstract

Drawing on data from the Academic Profession in the Knowledge-based Society project, an international collaborative research study involving the administration of a common survey to faculty in more than twenty countries, this volume explored important issues of governance and management in relation to, and frequently from the perspective of, the academic profession. This chapter provides an overview and analysis of the key findings emerging from this collection of original empirical studies. These studies reinforce the importance of recognizing the complex histories and national contexts that underscore system and institutional reforms and illuminate key nuances within the complex relationships between decision-processes and the realities and perceptions of academics. Increasing managerialism is a common theme, and contributors analyze the multi-faceted implications of this shift for universities and the academic profession, including issues of gender, shifts in faculty perceptions of influence on academic decisions, and the importance of communication and institutional leadership.