Abstract
In recent times autonomy and competition have exerted a strong influence on the governing systems of the universities. New organisational models have been developed including a passage from an administrative to a managerial organisation of teaching and research activities. At the same time, globalization and internationalisation have generalised a debate about the functions of teaching-learning structures and knowledge producers through the increased application of neo-liberal thought as the “New Public Management” theory. The traditional ways of interpreting the relation between university and society have been affected as well.
In this framework, themes tied to governing universities and the characteristics needed for university leadership become crucial. Different ways of perceiving university require/imply different kind of leadership. Its relevance justifies the diffusion of the term “governance” which incorporates a system of rules and also the way in which the system works.
New modalities of consensus need to be developed in the top-down decisional process from the rector (vice-chancellor/president) to the level of deans/heads of department and from there to the teaching/research staff. Thus, the role of the middle management became crucial for the delicate task of transmission in the two senses of requests and decisions.
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Notes
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In contrast “management” consists in reaching the established goals by attributing responsibility and resources as well as monitoring their efficiency and efficacy; While “administration” can be understood as the process of interpreting and pursuing the objectives of the organization, in line with the established policies and procedures (Gallagher 2001; Meek 2003, 12).
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Moscati, R. (2012). University Governance in Changing European Systems of Higher Education. In: Curaj, A., Scott, P., Vlasceanu, L., Wilson, L. (eds) European Higher Education at the Crossroads. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3937-6_32
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