Value Conflicts Embedded in Service-Oriented Academic Professions

Abstract

<jats:p> The academic profession traditionally consists of three roles: teaching, research and service. The service role includes not only university–industry and university–society relationships, but also academic professionals' obligations to their internal stakeholders, such as administrators and colleagues. This paper argues that the paradigm shift in universities in favour of the service role has generated several value conflicts for academic employees. Using a case study methodology, focus group interviews with academic employees of a public university in Estonia revealed numerous value conflicts regarding the service role. It is argued that such conflicts cause job stress and dissatisfaction and impede necessary changes being made by the organization. The authors discuss possible strategies for coping with these value conflicts. </jats:p>

Trick or Treat: Academic Buy-in to Third Stream Activities

“…Whilst these pressures to publish were not readily identifiable in the majority of Post-92 universities, these establishments were faced with diminished operating budgets, which resulted in increased -and often maximum -workload allocations. As noted by Reino and Jaakson (2014), many academics feel that they are struggling to keep on top of their first stream commitments; and some of our respondents openly stated that third stream activities were a 'low priority' at best.…”

“…However, there was agreement amongst our respondents that many academics felt they lacked encouragement from senior managers to participate in third stream activities. As Reino and Jaakson (2014) also found, many were unable to contemplate participating in third stream activities given their first and second stream pressures. The situation was exacerbated by ineffective support systems (such as covering teaching sessions and providing the necessary subsistence whilst working on third stream initiatives).…”

“…Vice-Chancellors now refer to universities as 'businesses' (Reino and Jaakson, 2014) and recognize that sufficient resources need to be dedicated to the third stream agenda in order to maximize sustained economic growth and the third stream financial contribution (Ratinho and Henriques, 2010;Parker, 2013). As a result, third stream missions are being revised (Murdock et al, 2013) with the aim of achieving a transition from existence as an 'ivory tower' to that of an 'entrepreneurial university' (Landau et al, 2014).…”

“…Russell Group respondents saw third stream as the 'poor relation' and focused their attentions on research first and then teaching, whilst those from the Post-92 universities focused primarily on first stream activities. There is real 'mission confusion' (Reino and Jaakson, 2014); as Jongbloed et al (2008) stated it, a 'ship without a rudder'.…”

“…Institutions need to audit their current systems to assess whether they are fit for purpose and, as noted by Ratinho and Henriques (2010), to seek academic views on how to improve the current situation. Failure to do so will, it has been argued, reinforce the current culture of scepticism (Reino and Jaakson, 2014). Senior managers need to become proactive and ensure that improvement initiatives maintain their 'teeth' and that they do not become what Whitchurch (2009) referred to as 'academic talking shops'.…”