Strategic Management in Universities: A Conceptual Framework Based on Ibero-American Higher Education Systems

Abstract

This article based on the exploration of different case studies in higher education institutions located in diverse Ibero-American countries proposes a redesigned conceptual framework to steer and refl ect on the formulation and implementation of the institutional strategy. This conceptual framework is based on conceiving the strategy as a set of objectives and lines of action oriented towards the future, amid the many factors that infl uence its evolution. It is aimed at promoting a dialogue that leads to a well-constructed, coherent proposal that serves as the basis for an effective new model of strategic management for HEIs in specifi c contexts. Keywords Strategic management • Higher education • Strategizing • Governance models IntroductionAround the world, fi nancial constraints, the boom in information and communication technologies (ICT) and the gradual professionalization of university administration constitute a set of challenges that are leading institutions of higher education (HEIs) to make major changes, in terms of both internal organization and external projection. However, given that the administration of HEIs is closely related to their formal structures, the decision-making process and the implementation of procedures at both the governmental and institutional levels demonstrate that the progress that Similarly, a number of international trends have affected the structure, governance and organization of institutions of higher education in many contexts; these trends include the increasing number of students, the range of activities that are supposed to be carried out, changes to the regulatory mechanisms for allocating public funds to institutions and rules that underpin the process of governance in universities (Rossi 2010 ). A brief review of the literature on strategic management applied to higher education illustrates the progress made in recent decades and explores the changes, problems and challenges of the university systems in different contexts (Hellstrom 2004 ;Henkel 2005 ;Jarvis 2000 ;Llinàs-Audet et al. 2011 ;Margolis 2004 ;Taylor et al. 2008 ).Of particular interest in this regard are the studies focusing on how university administration seeks to provide answers to some of these challenges (Bryman 2007 ;Buckland 2009 ;Clark 2003 ;Martinez and Wolverton 2009 ). Likewise, some studies have taken steps towards recognizing the infl uence of culture and context in university administration (Gioia et al. 1994 ;Jarzabkowski and Wilson 2002 ).At the same time, the market concept is framed by the vocabulary of HEI managers at various levels, along with the acknowledgement that higher education may be subject to market forces, although in some way moderated by the state. Thus, universities have been forced to compete for public and private research funding while trying to increase revenues from state funds and resources derived from their students. In this context, issues such as university rankings, the systems for accreditation of quality, reputation and excellence have become key ...

Incidence of sustainability in university performance: evidence of stakeholders’ perceptions at Colombian private higher education institutions

“…Strategy-and-Structure had the highest effect on the structural model amongst the administrative subsystem. Nevertheless, sustainability management could be introduced in the conceptual framework of university management in Ibero-America, as proposed by Gomez and Girotto (2015). It should comprise the strategy's formulation, design, implementation, communication, alignment, periodical assessment and review.…”

“…This election is supported by the fact that private universities offer high quality in their processes manifested, among others, in accreditations and their position in rankings that measure their performance. Thus, benchmarking is part of the private university strategy’s formulation, design, implementation, communication, alignment and assessment-and-review processes (Gomez and Girotto, 2015). Among these benchmarks are the commitment and implementation of sustainability in their operations, especially in the Green Metric ranking as a differential factor that could attract students and funding.…”