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Higher education institutions are now operating in a rapidly changing environment, as economic, societal and technological developments such as cost containment and lifelong learning force them to adopt flexible structures that can adapt quickly to market demands. Adaptive University Structures examines the level of adaptability in universities in Europe and the United States, drawing out the lessons learnt for policy makers and managers to develop such structures, and help their institutions survive and embrace change. The author draws on three studies of universities which are identified as comparatively adaptive and innovative- New York University, University of Michigan, and the University of California at Berkeley- and in contrast three European institutions which are trying to improve their adaptive capacity- Universita Bocconi, Universitat St. Gallen and Wirtschafts universitat Wien.The book presents an overview of difference disciplines within the universities and their views on adaptation. It examines the importance of an institution's environment and its dynamics for adaptive capacity, and concludes that an ideal academic organization is open to change, with collegial governance structures that provide faculty support for adaptation. The author highlights in particular the role of institutional leaders in encouraging adaptation and a professional management and entrepreneurial spirit. The book concludes with an overview of different adaptation theories, and proposes a new theory to help university management to understand their institutional adaptive capacity better and develop strategies for the future.
List of contents
The changing nature of the university environment; theories of organizational and higher education adaptation; design of empirical studies of university adaptation; case studies of US and European universities; towards a theory of adaptation in higher education.
About the author
Barbara Sporn is Associate Professor at Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration in Austria. Her research concentrates on issues of university management, institutional adaptation, and changing environments for universities from an international and comparative perspective
Summary
This book examines adaptability in universities in Europe and the US, drawing out the lessons learnt for policy makers and managers to develop such structures, and help their institutions survive change. It looks at three US universities identified as adaptive and three European institutions which are trying to improve their adaptive capacity.
