Danske studieledere står ved en kritisk skillevej

Abstract

Denne artikel sætter fokus på studielederne ved de danske universiteter. Artiklen tager udgangspunkt i de seneste 20-30 års universitetsreformer, hvor man finder et gennemgående ønske om, at studielederne – lige som den øvrige ledelse ved universiteterne – skal ”styrkes” på forskellig vis. De studieledere, der blev interviewet ifbm. ph.d.-projektet (Harboe 2013), er imidlertid ikke de veldefinerede ledere, som universitetsreformerne angiveligt lægger op til. Tværtimod tegnes et billede af studieledere, der står i en mere indirekte og forhandlingspræget kobling til deres omgivelser. Studielederne er på den anden side ikke i tvivl om, at universiteterne i stigende grad er domineret af NPM-reformer. Konsekvensen er, at studielederne står ved en kritisk skillevej mellem traditionel kollegial ledelseskultur og en NPM-inspireret virksomhedspræget ledelseskultur..

In this paper we focus on an investigation of heads of study at Danish universities. Over the past 20-30 years, reforms at Danish universities have called for "strengthened" educational leadership. However, the results of this PhD project reveal that the role of study head is often still not well defined and that many heads lack an authoritative leadership style (Harboe 2013). I found negotiation was preferred over more direct management, even if the approach did not seem suited to the situation. As negotiators, heads of study tend to manage indirectly. This means that they are unable to issue commands and constantly try to communicate in a pleasant and respectful manner. Although, negotiation is still the preferred management style for heads of study at Danish universities, most are aware of what the New Public Management (NPM) reforms mean for their position. It is, therefore, my conclusion that Danish university study heads are currently at a critical juncture between traditional collegial management culture and NPM-inspired business-like managerial practice.