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Managing excellence and identities: Challenges in academic careers at Swiss universities
Type
dissertation project
Start Date
2015
Status
ongoing
Keywords
Higher education management
junior scientists career management
discourse theory
Description
Increasing competition in the academic landscape (Titscher et al.; 2000:34; Kopp, 2004: 313) has led to a change process within academia in general and also within the Swiss university sector. For a long time, universities have been considered „Republics of Scholars“ (Stensaker, 2012:4). Since the 90ties and the rise of New Public Management (NPM), universities are continuously transformed into entrepreneurial (Clark, 1988) and managed organizations with a growing emphasis on entrepreneurial spirit and economic benefit (Chandler, Barry & Clark, 2002 Deem, Hillyard & Reed, 2008). Thus, universities become pluralistic organizations (Schedler 2003, 2012; 2013;) in which different discourses are being negotiated. Purely scientific discourses do not seem to be underrated any longer and are being supplemented with economical discourses when striving to survive within the „Olympus of excellent universities“. These developments have led to the fact that the economic discourse has become important not only for the university’s governance, but also for junior scientists’ career development.
This research project scrutinizes three distinctive research questions. The first research issue deals with the different concepts of excellence that are made relevant within Swiss higher education in order to identify the challenges in academic career management. As universities are pluralistic organizations, there is not just one, but multiple understandings of what excellence could be. Hence it is important to empirically investigate how excellence is conceptualized and what its specific effects are. Based on the findings with regard to this first research question, the second research question determines the effects these excellence discourses have on the junior scientists: How do these excellence discourses generate junior scientist subjectivities? The aim is to understand in what respects excellence discourses have a subjectifying effect, and how junior scientists position themselves against these different kinds of excellency discourses. The goal is to use these two analytical steps to analyze what challenges arise from the two above questions for the university management in order to facilitate the creation of a career management for junior scientists.
This research project scrutinizes three distinctive research questions. The first research issue deals with the different concepts of excellence that are made relevant within Swiss higher education in order to identify the challenges in academic career management. As universities are pluralistic organizations, there is not just one, but multiple understandings of what excellence could be. Hence it is important to empirically investigate how excellence is conceptualized and what its specific effects are. Based on the findings with regard to this first research question, the second research question determines the effects these excellence discourses have on the junior scientists: How do these excellence discourses generate junior scientist subjectivities? The aim is to understand in what respects excellence discourses have a subjectifying effect, and how junior scientists position themselves against these different kinds of excellency discourses. The goal is to use these two analytical steps to analyze what challenges arise from the two above questions for the university management in order to facilitate the creation of a career management for junior scientists.
Member contributor(s)
Topic(s)
Managing excellence and identities in the Swiss higher education system
Method(s)
Diskursanalyse
Notes
Literaturverzeichnis:
Battilana, J./Dorado S. (2010). Building sustainable hybrid organizations: the case of commercial microfinance organizations, in: Academy of Management Journal 53 (6), 1419-1440.
Bogumil, J. ( 2003): Politische Rationalität im Modernisierungsprozess, In: K. Schedler & D. Kettiger (Hrsg.), Modernisieren mit der Politik (pp. 15-42), Bern/Stuttgart/Wien: Paul Haupt.
Chandler, J., Barry, J., Clark, H. (2002). ’Stressing academe: The wear and tear of the New Public Management’. Journal of Human Relations 55 (9), pp.1051-1069.
Clark, Burton R. (1998). Creating Entrepreneurial Universities: Organizational Pathways of Transformation. Oxford: Pergamon.
Deem, R.; Hillyard, S. & Reed, M. (2008). Knowledge, higher education, and the new managerialism: The changing management of UK universities. London: Oxford University Press.
Keller, R.; Hirseland, A.; Schneider. S.; und Viehöfer, W. (2005). Die diskursive Konstruktion von Wirklichkeit. Einleitende Bemerkungen zum Verhältnis von Wissenssoziologie und Diskursforschung. In: Reiner Keller (Hrsg.), Die diskursive Konstruktion von Wirklichkeit. Zum Verhältnis von Wissenssoziologie und Diksursforschung: Konstanz: UVK, 7-22.
Nachold, F./ Bogumil, J. (1998). Modernisierung des Staates-New Public Management und Verwaltungsreform. Opladen: Leske+Budrich.
Kopp, D. (2004). New Public Management in der Schweizer Praxis: Was ist übrig geblieben? In Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik: Festschrift zum 65. Geburtstag von Prof. Dr. René L. Frey (p. 311). Zürich: Hochschulverlag.
Potter, J. und Wetherell, M. (1989). Discourse and social psychology. Beyond attitudes and behavior. London: Sage.
Schedler, K. (2003): „... and politics?” Public Management Developments in the Light of two
Rationalities, in: Public Management Review, 5(4), 533-550.
Schedler, K.(2012). Multirationales Management. Ansätze eines relativistischen Umgangs mit Rationalitäten in Organisationen. In: Zeitschrift für Public Policy, Recht und Management, 5 (2), 361-376.
Stensaker, B., Välimaa J., Sarrico C. S.; (2012). Managing Reforms in Universities. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Titscher, S., Winckler, G., Biedermann, H., Gatterbauer, H., Laske, S., Moser, R., … Wulz, H. (Eds.). (2000). Universitäten im Wettbewerb: Zur Neustrukturierung österreichischer Universitäten. Wien: Hampp.
Vincent-Jones, P. /Harries, A. (1996). Conflict and Co-operation in local Authority Quasi-Markets: The Hybrid Organisation of Internal Contracting under CCT. In: Local Government Studies, 22(4), 187-209.
Battilana, J./Dorado S. (2010). Building sustainable hybrid organizations: the case of commercial microfinance organizations, in: Academy of Management Journal 53 (6), 1419-1440.
Bogumil, J. ( 2003): Politische Rationalität im Modernisierungsprozess, In: K. Schedler & D. Kettiger (Hrsg.), Modernisieren mit der Politik (pp. 15-42), Bern/Stuttgart/Wien: Paul Haupt.
Chandler, J., Barry, J., Clark, H. (2002). ’Stressing academe: The wear and tear of the New Public Management’. Journal of Human Relations 55 (9), pp.1051-1069.
Clark, Burton R. (1998). Creating Entrepreneurial Universities: Organizational Pathways of Transformation. Oxford: Pergamon.
Deem, R.; Hillyard, S. & Reed, M. (2008). Knowledge, higher education, and the new managerialism: The changing management of UK universities. London: Oxford University Press.
Keller, R.; Hirseland, A.; Schneider. S.; und Viehöfer, W. (2005). Die diskursive Konstruktion von Wirklichkeit. Einleitende Bemerkungen zum Verhältnis von Wissenssoziologie und Diskursforschung. In: Reiner Keller (Hrsg.), Die diskursive Konstruktion von Wirklichkeit. Zum Verhältnis von Wissenssoziologie und Diksursforschung: Konstanz: UVK, 7-22.
Nachold, F./ Bogumil, J. (1998). Modernisierung des Staates-New Public Management und Verwaltungsreform. Opladen: Leske+Budrich.
Kopp, D. (2004). New Public Management in der Schweizer Praxis: Was ist übrig geblieben? In Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik: Festschrift zum 65. Geburtstag von Prof. Dr. René L. Frey (p. 311). Zürich: Hochschulverlag.
Potter, J. und Wetherell, M. (1989). Discourse and social psychology. Beyond attitudes and behavior. London: Sage.
Schedler, K. (2003): „... and politics?” Public Management Developments in the Light of two
Rationalities, in: Public Management Review, 5(4), 533-550.
Schedler, K.(2012). Multirationales Management. Ansätze eines relativistischen Umgangs mit Rationalitäten in Organisationen. In: Zeitschrift für Public Policy, Recht und Management, 5 (2), 361-376.
Stensaker, B., Välimaa J., Sarrico C. S.; (2012). Managing Reforms in Universities. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Titscher, S., Winckler, G., Biedermann, H., Gatterbauer, H., Laske, S., Moser, R., … Wulz, H. (Eds.). (2000). Universitäten im Wettbewerb: Zur Neustrukturierung österreichischer Universitäten. Wien: Hampp.
Vincent-Jones, P. /Harries, A. (1996). Conflict and Co-operation in local Authority Quasi-Markets: The Hybrid Organisation of Internal Contracting under CCT. In: Local Government Studies, 22(4), 187-209.
Range
Institute/School
Range (De)
Institut/School
Division(s)
Eprints ID
247213