Conclusions – The Institutional and Organisational Layers of Finnish Higher Education

Abstract

The concluding chapter of the book discusses contemporary Finnish universities from the perspective of historical layers, which have accumulated over time and have laid the foundation on which new ideas, processes, and structures have been built and which they have also sought to challenge. According to the author, multiple historical layers can be found in teaching, research, and institutional decision-making and administration. He shows how in academic contexts, different historical layers easily support each other, whereas in organisational decision-making, management, and administration, different mentalities, practices, processes, and goals often lead to tensions.