Influences on strategic functioning of the public universities of Sri Lanka: challenges and ground realities

Abstract

It is considered that the university system of Sri Lanka is less efficient in providing degree programs to suit contemporary societal, economic, and political needs and fails to face the current dynamic environmental changes precipitated by issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers have realised that the recent pandemic highly affects the execution of universities in Sri Lanka. Simultaneously, experts have noted the severe lack of focus on identifying the causes of university administration failures. Amidst these claims, this study, as its primary objective, strives to explore the factors that affect the implementation of the strategic initiatives made by public universities in Sri Lanka, adopting a qualitative approach with a multimethod sequential design under a thematic model developed based on a detailed literature review. Accordingly, the first qualitative phase of the study was conducted using archival sources, and the second phase used in-depth interviews. The purposive sampling method was used to conduct the seven interviews with the Registrars and Strategic Directors of selected universities. As a result, the study explores and confirms sixteen factors that affect the implementation of strategic initiatives by public universities in Sri Lanka. The theoretical contribution expected from this exercise is to explore new factors that affect the strategic functioning of public universities, with the support of the Open System Theory (OST) and Resource-Based Theory (RBT) that have monetary value in institutional analysis mechanisms, and help to streamline the universities’ decision-making processes with a focus on enhancing the strategic management practices.