1. |
- Klenk, T., et al.
(author)
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Taking women on boards : a comparative analysis of public policies in higher education
- 2022
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In: Policy Reviews in Higher Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2332-2969 .- 2332-2950. ; 6:2, s. 128-152
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is growing interest in the underlying mechanisms affecting female leaders in Higher Education (HE). This article compares four countries–Germany, Norway, Poland and Sweden to identify key structural conditions (enablers and barriers) for female representation in academia by studying the regulative framework of government policy. Two research questions are guiding the analysis: first, what (if any) policy instruments are chosen to increase the number of female leaders in HE? Second, to what extent does this choice of instruments mirror either sectorial logic (HE) or national policy styles? The empirical results of the article show that while processes of policy diffusion are observable at the sectoral level, gender equality policies and instrument choice differ considerably in the four countries under consideration. The article thus concludes that national policy styles need to be understood as enabling and disabling policy factors for gender equality in HE shaping the process of translating diffused models decisively.
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2. |
- Söderlind, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Making sense of academic work : the influence of performance measurement in Swedish universities
- 2019
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In: Policy Reviews in Higher Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2332-2969 .- 2332-2950. ; , s. 75-93
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Based on data from interviews conducted with 14 academic managers at two Swedish universities, this article investigates the consequences of the increasing prevalence of performance measurement in the higher education sector. The study contributes to the discussion of how performance measurement impacts academic work, focusing specifically on its influence on how meaning is created and recreated by academic managers. By applying the sensemaking perspective, as proposed by Weick ([1995. Sensemaking in Organizations. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications]), the article explores seven properties of the sensemaking process. The study results demonstrate the influence of metrics on the process by which managers give meaning to academic work. Performance measures are interpreted by academic managers as important in acquiring resources, supporting decision-making, and enhancing organisational legitimacy. They also reinforce social scripts of competition and success, although they are often understood as being unable to indicate scientific quality. The consequence for sensemaking in teaching and research activities is that measurable performance is understood to be increasingly important. However, a notable finding from the study is that the managers are aware of how metrics promote specific forms of academic work and often attempt to balance these incentives by acknowledging the values and priorities that these metrics are unable to assess. This finding highlights the important role of academic managers as they counteract some of the pressure caused by various performance measures.
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