A Fish out of Water? Management Consultants in Academia

Autor/in	Serrano-Velarde, Kathia
Titel	A Fish out of Water? Management Consultants in Academia
Quelle	In: Minerva: A Review of Science, Learning and Policy, 48 (2010) 2, S.125-144 (20 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0026-4695
DOI	10.1007/s11024-010-9148-9
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Higher Education; College Administration; Consultants; Administrator Attitudes; Conflict; Role; College Planning; Perspective Taking; Educational Change; Power Structure; College Environment; Germany + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; College administrators; Hochschulverwaltung; Consultant; Berater; Konflikt; Rollen; Studienplanung; Zukunftsperspektive; Bildungsreform; Hochschulumwelt; Deutschland
Abstract	What happens when management consultants enter the academic arena and offer their services to universities? In the following article, we examine this question by drawing on findings from a qualitative study based on a series of 30 interviews with senior management consultants and academic managers in Germany. The aim of this explorative study is, first of all, to provide theoretically informed observations about the working mechanisms of management consulting in academia. A second, and related objective, is to contribute to the ongoing debate on the changing nature, role, and implications of managerial expertise and authority in higher education institutions. We begin our study by providing an overview of the literature on the changing nature of university management. Although these studies show a shift in the power constellation of universities from professional to managerial authority, we argue that they remain suspiciously vague as concerns the way academics and managers actually deal with this conflicting situation. By drawing on the insights of consulting studies, we then explore the stakes of consultancy in academic change projects and determine the analytical factors that will guide our qualitative analysis. Finally, we present and discuss the findings before concluding with more general remarks on the nature of academic management in German universities. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10