The new meanings of leadership in autonomous universities: Between expectations and realisations

1. Ulrike Felt, Leuven 5.12.2003 The new meanings of leadership in autonomous universities:Between expectations and realisations Univ. Prof. Dr. Ulrike FELT Department for Philosophy of Science and Social Studies of Science University of Vienna Ulrike.Felt@univie.ac.at http://www.univie.ac.at/wissenschaftstheorie/virusss Workshop: Governance & Leadership: Developing New Policies and Skills

2. Ulrike Felt, Leuven, EUA Workshop, 05.12.2003 Debate on the changing boundary conditions for the university system in Europe • Changing relation to the „outside world“: • withdrawal of the state as the financier of the university system • scientific and economic systems become ever closer intertwined (knowledge economy) • new actors claim the right to participate in the shaping of the universities • Revisit the tasks of the university • shift in the expectations expressed by society with regard to teaching (the 3% BIP goal and ist impact for human ressource production) • adaptation of the knowledge production system to this new socio-economic role (transdisciplinary knowledge production, patenting, etc.) • Universities should become stragegic partners in different knowledge production contexts • New form of competitiveness between universities on the national and international level

3. Ulrike Felt, Leuven, EUA Workshop, 05.12.2003 Internal reorganisation of universities and the consequences for the concept of leadership #1/3 • Shift from „collegial decision making“ to „executive systems“ • need for leadership as a consequence of increased autonomy • leadership in the university is not linked anymore to the fact of being member of the academic community • Engagement with a variety of new actors in the shaping of universities • students participate in many cases as consumers • entering different stakeholder relationships • Societal presence in „internal“ government structures • Creation of boards on the highest level of decision making including „external“ representatives (different national models)

4. Ulrike Felt, Leuven, EUA Workshop, 05.12.2003 Internal reorganisation of universities and the consequences for the concept of leadership #2/3 • Financing of the universities:new procedures and structures • Financing through contracts (result bound) • Multiplying the sources where funding comes from • New internal distribution structures • Enlargening the categories of academic staff and increasing staff „flexibility“ • Reforms of the contract policies with regard to academic staff (tenure vs. non-tenure) • Doctoral students and post-docs as a new academic workforce • inclusion of practitioneers on a part-time basis • Staff development/HR management becomes a central issue for universities

5. Ulrike Felt, Leuven, EUA Workshop, 05.12.2003 Internal reorganisation of universities and the consequences for the concept of leadership #3/3 • Quality assurance mechanisms play a more central role than ever in the academic domain • extension of the peer group • more academia-external criteria enter the evaluation (patents, research money acquired, etc.) • time-scale of evaluation gets shorter

6. Ulrike Felt, Leuven, EUA Workshop, 05.12.2003 Central roles of leadership • leadership and power distribution (task identification and sharing) within the institution become central factors that shape the ways in which organisations change and can change in the presence of external expectations and new demands; • Providing a clear vision of the internal structures and creating a shared aim is the necessary prerequisite to enable to position the institution within society and to exercise leadership also toward the “world outside” universities; • actors within universities actively interact with elements/structures in their environment in order to shape and control their relations of dependencies; strategic choice are made within the limits imposed by their environment ,but the potential radius of action can be widened when creative and adaptative internal institutional environments are provided;

7. Ulrike Felt, Leuven, EUA Workshop, 05.12.2003 Potential tensions encountered • Potential tensions appear between individual, societal and institutional interests • Societal/economic interests – sustainable knowledge production • individual creative development – institutional commitment • academic freedom – institutional efficiency • protection of the person – flexibility of the institution • Assuring compatability between academic institutions – implementing difference • Medium-term planning – grasping short term occasions

8. Ulrike Felt, Leuven, EUA Workshop, 05.12.2003 Central „battle fields“ to implement new governance structures • Develop procedures that allow collective goal negotiation/production accross different disciplinary fields and constellation of interests -> central to the positioning process • implement a clear model of shared responsibilities (not blind delegation) within each institution • shape a clear vision of what result oriented working means and how this can be formulated on a contractual basis • Investigate new and adaptative concepts of humanressource management and development on all different levels • Invest in the improvement of the administrative structures in order to be able to realise the „new universities“ • Create structures which allow for internal transparency in distribution and decision making procedures