Transcript PowerPoint-presentasjon

Agnete Vabø
23-25 November 2012
Changes in the Nordic academic
profession in the global context
CEP Seminar Subotica
Changes in the Nordic academic profession in the global
context
Brief presentation of NIFU
Academics studying academics
Academic profession - a sociological concept
Spesific features of the academic profession in the Nordic region
Changes and challenges;
Social characteristics
working conditions
relation to other groups/
power and influence
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Nordic Institute for Studies in innovation, Research, and
Education (NIFU)
NIFU is the leading Norwegian research institute for studies in
innovation, research, and education. The mission of this independent
social science research institute is to provide theoretical and practical
insight into the dynamics of these activities, while contributing to relevant
policy development.
NIFU is financed by assignments and receives a core grant from The
Research Council of Norway.
The institute undertakes research and analysis for a number of
Norwegian and international agencies and organisations.
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”Academics studying academics”
Globalization and internationalization: academic work from a
comparative perspective, patterns of mobility and cooperation,
Reforms: NPM, excellence initiatives, institutional mergers, training
needs of management
Dissemination: scientific and public communication, research
productivity, commercialisation, differences between fields of science,
gender imbalances
”Academics studying academics”
Changing career structures:
–
–
Becoming an academic: new modes of doctoral training, Postdocs,
Changing nature of academic work: more career pathways, more regulations, job
satisfaction and motivation, habitus of academics, how academics perceive leadership
Work life balance, NPM, Academic Time and Gender inequality
NIFUs study of the academic profession:
–
Databases (statistics, monitoring), Mobility patterns, recruitment, career trajectories
(women in science, the career of PhDs),
–
Career structure (doctoral schools, post-docs),
–
Bibliometric studies (research productivity),
–
Reform and change in research and HE
Scientific activity of NIFU is organised in five thematic areas:
Statistics and Indicators
Indicators for innovation and research and the use of relevant statistics
Primary and Secondary Education
Studies of primary and secondary education
Higher Education
Studies of higher education
Students and the Academic Work Force
Studies of educational choice, skills, competencies and employability
Research and Innovation Studies
Studies of research and innovation
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CAP Changing Academic Profession
Worldwide participation: America, Asia, Europe, South Africa
Changing modes of governance and how it affects the working
conditions of the academic profession – such as the increasing power of
administrators and institutional management
The growing social importance and quest for relevance: Academic
profession as ”mediators ” of many different structures and relations;
external pressure for change
Effects of globalization and internationalisation
Norway: Well over 1800 researchers participated in the survey (nov. 07 –
jan. 08). From universities, scientific university colleges and in the sector
of institutes
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An academic profession?
Scientific employees are not united in the same sense as established
professions like medicine and law, ideal type professions which are
holders of monopolistic control over their own work and knowledge base,
common education, training and standards (Freidson 2001, Vabø 2007).
Important factors of differentiation within the academic profession with
respect to power, status and self understanding (Clark 1983).
– Particular institutions
– Disciplines
– Formal position
– National context
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Affiliation to particular disciplines
It is a widespread perception that the discipline
represents the very core with respect to the
organization of academic work and that membership to
this unit therefore is essential to identification with the
group (Henkel 2000/2005)
Values linking across boundaries?
A genuine interest in seeking the truth
Research, writing, publishing and teaching
Autonomy yo control their own work
Contribute to society
Intellectual honesty and integrity
The students should be treated objectively
(Merton 1973)
The Nordic region
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Nordic HE system/contextual factors academic identity
HE systems differs in terms of tradition, history and structural features
such as positional hierarchy or how much is invested in R&D and the
extent to which it is allocated from public or private sources.
Universities are generally owned by the state, i.e Norway: Small private
sector, 86 percent students enrolled in public
Few distinct elite institution – informal social and intellectual hierarchy
between segments
A central role in the fulfilling of the goals of the welfare state; democratic
values of equality, inclusion, openess
State as a garantor of academic autonomy and quality; personal
autonomy
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Number of awarded doctoral degrees
3,000
2,500
2,000
Denmark
Finland
1,500
Iceland
1,000
Norway
Sweden
500
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
0
Source: NORBAL
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Trends: Nordic higher education
Significant changes in governance since 1995 in almost all countries
New national higher education acts
New study structure/system (Bologna)
Systems of quality assurance and accreditation
Enhancement of institutional, political and financial autonomy – a gradual
decoupling from state control. Performance based funding.
Rationalization of formal governing structure
–
–
Strategic management methods
Elitist turn, i.e Aalto University
A new organisational landscape:
New sectors has been further developed colleges/applied sciences
Since1990s the sector has been characterised by many institutional
mergers, and we expect more to come also between reserach institutes
and HE institutions (like Denmark)
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Changing academic profession
Changing career trajectories
– New funding patterns
– Short term and/ or part term contracts
A new sociological generation
– New demographic and social characteristics
– Feminization
– Dual career couple
- Aging
– Globalization and internationalisation i.e number of foreign
academics are rising (i.e Norway from 18% in 2001 to 25% in
2009).
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What is at stake? Continuous time
Increasing production of study points as well as reseach publications
Academics find themselves committed to increasing the number of tasks,
experiencing increased workloads, fragmentation of time.
Academics have less continuous time for research than before the
“Bologna process” (Michelsen & Aamodt 2006)
Several studies of time use among academics:
– differences in working conditions between men and women,
– Relationship work / life,
– Working time distribution of day
– Coping strategies, disturbance and time-thieves
– Real vs. Stipulated time
– Different time cultures between disciplines
– Management and time
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Time
Low degree of satisfaction expressed about the availability of secretaries,
teaching and research support staff
Use of time varies considerably between countries - reflecting the
distinctive traditions of the respective country's academic system
In the most pronounced hierarchical systems professors teach less and
manage more. Otherwise greatest similarity between time spent between
professors across the countries. (Kyvik&Bentley 2012)
Sector criticized for investing in too much administrative personnel at the
expense of academic activities
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«Bureaucratisation» The administrative corps - Norway
Antall
10,000
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
1999
2001
2003
Administrative stillinger
Høyere tekniske stillinger
Kilde: NIFU/Forskerpersonalregisteret
2005
2007
2009
2011
Vitenskapelige stillinger
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The rise of third space professionals Withchurch 2012
Increasing number of students and staff, reforms public sector and HE,
increasing differentiation education/research
= Growht administrative staff
New modes of governance
–
–
Specialised structures between basic units and central management
New leadership roles
Administrative corps have changed in terms of social characteristics .i.e
formal training, level/type of education, roles/functiones (Gornitzka
2009/11)
Increasingly administrative staff work in the interface between
management and science, i.e in developing research networks- and
applications, in relation to processes of knowledge transfer, regional
cooperation and development of partnerships, and in implementing
institutional strategies
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Academics view on institutional management (CAP).
Questioning whether the top level administrators are perceived to be
providing competent leadership, in the Norwegian case 37 %of the
respondents agree, while ca. 30 % disagree.
Furthermore about 40 % state that they are well informed about events in
the institution, while 30 % state the opposite.
On whether there is good communication between management and
academics, 35 % agree, while 33 % disagree. (Vabø 2011)
These findings indicate tensions between management and academy –
although not to the same extent in– Norway and Finland- as in systems
like the UK and Australia – systems where strategic management has
had more far reaching consequences (Locke, Cummings, Fisher 2011,
Brennan et. Al 2007, Harman & Meek 2007).
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Changing academic profession; what is at stake?
Changing career trajectories and nature of academic work
Continous time to do research in general and Work life balance in
particular
Changing modes of governance = state does no longer act as a
quarantor of academic quality and autonomy - increasing power of the
administrators and institutional management, consumers such as
students and other stakeholders
The academic profession in transition from being the group defining the
mission of the institution to becoming one of many different interest
groups
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