Stalemates of University Managerialism

Abstract

This article presents a problematic characterization of the ideology of university managerialism as a method of managing higher education institutions in the conditions of the “quasi-market” of educational, research, innovative, and other services that have emerged in post-industrial society. The transfer of some rights to universities from organizations in the corporate sector of the economy has led to the stratification of the traditional university community into the salariat – the managerial elite tasked with implementing the founder’s will and directives in the utilization of state investments within the financial constraints of the severely limited funding model – and the “precarious layer” of the faculty. The novelty lies in the delineation and discussion of the fundamental tenets of university managerialism, the operational practices of its promotion, and its correlation with the academic traditions of the university community. The influence of the ideology of university managerialism on the transformation processes occurring in global and Russian higher education is discussed. Such ideologemes of university managerialism as striving for economic efficiency of the university, “the road without beginning or end” (Penrose stairs), instrumental thinking, reputation creation and management, and rules of behavior are highlighted and discussed. An analysis of the unintended risks generated by the application of managerial theory in university management is presented. The article may be of interest to senior executives in higher education and the Russian academic community.