Professionalisation of management on German universities:EAIR Forum the research liaisonCopenhagen 24. - 27. August 2008 Professionalisation of Management

Professionalisation of management on German universities: EAIR Forumthe research liaison Copenhagen

24. - 27. August 2008

Professionalisation of Management at German Universities:

the Research Liaison Officers

Wolfgang Adamczak and Nadine Merkator

University of Kassel and University of Trier, Germany


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Situation

Growing importance of new professions in higher education institutions

Increasing number of staff in this specific area

Science management does not exist as a homogenous field


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Professions in Higher Education

”Old” professions:public relations offices, international offices, transfer agencies and research liaison offices

New ones:higher education marketing, fund raising, alumni relations, accreditation of new courses of study, faculty assistants etc.


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Triangulationin order to create a systematic relation between different perspectives

standardised web-based

online survey(complete census)

Guided interviews with experts (research

liaison officers)

Guided interviews with experts (registrars)


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The standardised web-based online survey I

Employment and integration into structures of HEIs

Fields of activitiesProfiles of qualificationRequirements for qualification


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The standardised web-based online survey II

Methods of selection for employmentMembership/participation in job-related

organisationsSelf-assessment of role, function and influenceCareer chances and satisfactionDemography and gender aspects


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85 universities and 164 colleges (so-called ”Fachhochschulen”) in Germany

Standardised web-based online survey (92 persons)

– 66 were working at universities– 22 at colleges– 4 at other institutions

Population and Sample


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Job Satisfaction

Research liaison officers are highly content with their work situation

Only 5.4% answered the question about job satisfaction with ”rather not satisfied”

The mean value of the scale (ranging from 1=”not satisfied” to 4=”satisfied”) was 3.5


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Career chances

Generally rather low

Mean value of 2 on a scale of 1=”low” to 4=”high”


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Reasons for High Satisfaction In defiance of low career chances?

1. Research liaison officers are specialists,

work is highly valued by scientists as well as the administration

2. Big scope of action

3. No competition for topics and resources

4. Work situation is quite multifaceted

5. Good work contacts to different levels of the HEIs

Nadine Merkator

hört sich komisch an, ist das die richtige Formulierung???


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Organisational Features

Hired for an unlimited period with fulltime employment

Position is created from the employment plan

Engaged in the operational business of research funding

but

Integration into the structure of the HEI is very different


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Integration into the structures of HEIs Frequency Percent separate office 23 25 research department 23 25 other 21 23 part of administration 18 20 planning staff 5 5 don’t know 1 1


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Fields of activities of RLOs

Tasks percentage

of cases

Research funding 96 Information 92 Counselling 86 Help with applications 82 Development of strategic concepts for research 62 Evaluation of research at the own HEI 65 Help with contracts 61 Help with project management 50 Promoting of junior scientists 82 Information 73 Counselling 66 Help with applications 59 Research reporting 77 EU funding 76 Information 74 Counselling 62 Help with applications 61 Contribution to regional or supra-regional networks 66 Transfer activities 59


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Qualifikations

Academic degree 95 %(half of with doctoral degree)• natural sciences 37 %• engineering 11 %• humanities + social sciences 52 %


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Professional Training

Professional training as a higher education manager is not part of the requirement profile at the moment

“This specific knowledge about ”How does higher education work? How does research in HEI or non higher education research institutions work?” [...], this knowledge you only get through ”learning by doing”.”


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Incomplete Knowledge of Further Training Offers

”I have sent one of the employees to such an extra occupational training programme which runs to my knowledge six times for one week each. This was financed by the university. Occasionally, I notice that the demand from the employees themselves isn’t that high and that I always have to push them and say: ”Come on, do this!”.”


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Reason for not Participating in Further Education:

“no time”, may be caused by High specialisation of tasks Incomplete integration into the science

administration

Officers act as "local agents", Nobody could stand in for them and they consider

themselves invaluable

The ”Indispensability Syndrome”


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Figures 1–2: Difference Between Male and Female RLOs (Age)

year of birth (female)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

194

0

19

45

195

0

195

5

19

60

19

65

197

0

19

75

19

80

fre

qu

en

cy

Nadine Merkator

würde nur die Folien des Eintrittsjahres nehmen und zu dem Alter nur mündlich Anmerkungen machen


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Figures 1–2: Difference Between Male and Female RLOs (Age)

year of birth (male)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

194

0

19

45

195

0

195

5

19

60

19

65

197

0

197

5

19

80

fre

qu

en

zy

Nadine Merkator

Alter nur mündlich Anmerken, ohne Folie


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Figures 1-2: Differences Between Male and Female RLOs (Start of Employment)

year of employment (female)

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10

19

80

19

85

19

90

19

95

20

00

20

05

freq

ue

nc

y


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Figures 1-2: Differences Between Male and Female RLOs (Start of Employment)

year of employment (male)

0

2

4

6

8

10

19

80

19

85

19

90

19

95

20

00

20

05

fre

qu

en

cy


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Compatibility of Work and Child Rearing

No gender difference in compatibility of work and child rearing. But a closer look showed:

20 of the women and 28 of the men have children

41 women and 31 men were answering

Obviously, for women compatibility of work and family is a much more pressing matter than for men.


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Professionalisation I

Scientifictraining to make the profession more academic

Fixation of the job description and the training in a clear profile

Exclusive occupational association, whose members are highly renowned by society

Binding the occupational group the a codified job ethos


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Professionalisation II

Acceptance of a wide-reaching self-control of the occupational group through its

occupational association

Monopoly of the work field of the profession through its members by law.

High autonomy of the profession's members.


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Research liaison officers as a profession? I

Positive

Abstract and specialised knowledge, to solve problems for clients

Problem-solving advice without guarantee for success

Asymmetric relation between client and research liaison officer

Minor topic and resource competition

Elude performance monitoring (no evaluation)


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Research liaison officers as a profession? IINegative

Work is important for the organisation ”university” but not for society in general

No unified academic training

o rigid access regulation

No complete autonomy

No professional association

No special work ethos


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Conclusion I

Due to the small sample there cannot be professional associations for each and every field of activity of new professions to strengthen the professional autonomy and the position of power.


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Conclusion II The simultaneous creation of a unified study course "science management" with several core topics (e.g. with a specialisation in research funding) would be a possibility.

This would allow for a professionalisation of the various fields of activitiy through homogenisation with simultaneous specialisation.


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Two main recommendations are arising from the survey:

1. Integration into the organisation of the HEI should overcome unique selling point, that only a research liaison officer is able to do special things (the ”indispensability syndrome”)

2. A career model has to be developed, which crosses the border of only one HEI. New higher education professions should become ”cosmopolitans” instead of ”locals”


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Further recommendations I:

Integration into the organisation of the HEI, which allows better substitution through other persons

Better integration of operational and strategic business in the research field of the HEI. The know-how of research liaison officers should be used for the strategic business too

Looking to qualification needs contracts should be made for further education starting the job at a HEI


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Further recommendations II:

Internships at research funding organisations or ministries should be offered vice versa for persons of new higher education professions

Family planning and child rearing should be discussed starting the job at a HEI

Persons of new professions in science management should look for representation of their interests


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Outlook:

Further survey on the new science management is necessary

Looking to Europe will be helpful


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Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft for funding the project.

Special thanks to Ellen Krause (University of Bern, Switzerland) and Robert Debusmann (University of Bayreuth, Germany) for hard and fruitful discussions and work as co-authors and friends.

Documents

Professionalisation of management on German universities:EAIR Forum the research liaisonCopenhagen 24. - 27. August 2008 Professionalisation of Management