Research Managers Uncovered: Changing Roles and ‘Shifting Arenas’ in the Academy

Abstract

This paper draws on findings from a study that explored the changing roles and career experience of research managers and research administrators in English universities. It explores how research support has evolved during a period when the higher education sector was responding to changing science and higher education policy. These changes have impacted on research managers and research administrators roles, altered the occupational group and moved field boundaries.The paper draws on Bourdieu's theory of social practice to understand these changes and identifies a shared space of tension, the 'shifting arena,' where the research manager field crosses into the academic field. It is suggested that an increased understanding of this space will enhance the collaborative working of all those involved in research and help maximise research activity.This paper aims to provide a deeper understanding and knowledge of research support in universities by exploring change in the academy through the experiences of research managers and research administrators (RMAs). Recent changes in science and higher education policy have had cultural and institutional consequences for research, yet the management and administration of research is an under-researched area. The general area of university management was first explored by Fielden (1975), who considered the decline of the professor and the rise of the register in the academy, and was developed by investigations into the changing university by, among others, McNay (1999), Schuller (1995 and Cuthbert (1996). The interface of academic and administrative work in academia and associated territorial issues has been shown to be problematic (Dobson

Occupational Sub-Cultures, Jurisdictional Struggle and Third Space: Theorising Professional Service Responses to Research Data Management

“…Status is uncertain, career paths are complex, and relationships may be challenging. Shelley (2010) defines this "shifting arena" as "a shared space of tension".…”

“…This is caused either by their close involvement with research, or by their own academic backgrounds. Shelley (2010) points out that a difference with academics is that they value research capital primarily within the framework of their institution's research, whereas researchers themselves value it as individuals rather than associating it with their institutions.…”

Competencies for bibliometrics

“…Librarianship is a well-organized profession that works collaboratively across the sector to define its role. Research administration is a newer, less formally defined group (Green and Langley, 2009;Langley, 2012;Shelley, 2010). Nevertheless, the differences are perhaps less than expected.…”

“…Anecdotally it is clear that this happens, but we have no systematic data about how the role is performed. The growing literature on research management, for example, does not yet discuss roles in bibliometrics (Green and Langley, 2009;Langley, 2012;Shelley, 2010 However, this is a very high-level summary. There are also some useful practitioner descriptions of typical activities (Delasalle, 2011).…”

Blurring Boundaries and Changing University Staff: The Case of the University of Hong Kong

“…In the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and several other European countries, researchers explore dynamics of new university missions and changing non-academic staff, often focusing on their relationship to academic staff (e.g., McInnis, 1998;Gornall, 1999;Berman & Pitman, 2010;Shelley, 2010;Krücken, Blümel, & Kloke, 2013). The significance of these shifts has also been recognized in policy dimensions.…”