Abstract
This chapter investigates the changes in the role of Italian middle-level university management in the light of the new managerialist orientations prevailing in most Western countries. The present role and perspectives of middle-level managers, and in particular deans, are explored through the lenses of the disciplines, the specialisation of the university and the public or private status of the institution. A brief comparison with France highlights the presence of a growing managerial component in the dean’s role in the Italian case in response to reform; and, while the deans still have a major reference to academic values and practices, they are pushed to acquire and exert some management capabilities. It seems quite improbable that in the Italian context the weight of academic values, norms and routines will be substantially taken over by new managerial values and practices – rather, a hybrid model is quite likely to emerge.
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Boffo, S. (2010). Middle-Level University Managers in Italy: An Ambiguous Transition. In: Meek, V., Goedegebuure, L., Santiago, R., Carvalho, T. (eds) The Changing Dynamics of Higher Education Middle Management. Higher Education Dynamics, vol 33. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9163-5_6
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