Quality in Higher Education: Navigating the Academic Business Nexus

Abstract

Universities are powerhouses of knowledge and innovation where staff are hailed as their greatest assets. Engaging the commitment and innovation of staff is a stated aim of higher education management. However, universities are increasingly challenged by the need to serve many masters, and in particular, to bridge the academic and business culture aspects of the organization. Tensions emerge between the perceptions of staff role groups, the goals of academic endeavor and the business needs of the organization. Organizational and cultural ambiguity can hinder rather than enhance academic quality. This chapter explores the Academic Business nexus, the resulting perceptions and tensions between “tribes and territories” in a higher education institution. The chapter provides insights into orientations towards quality assurance in higher education, with examples from different countries and how they are navigating the Academic Business nexus. The chapter explores the question of the importance of organization culture, values and attitudes as drivers of quality in higher education. Cognizant of the diversity of university profiles, organization structures and culture, the chapter explores changing staff and management views on university quality. The chapter moves beyond the existing focus on management, professional and academic tribes, to address the changing models of universities that bridge the Academic Business nexus and cultivate quality through different approaches.