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Institutional logics, responses to demands and paradoxes in the Finnish higher education field
Source publication
Purpose
This article studies the tensions between universities' accountability and autonomy in response to the demands of public steering mechanisms coordinating higher education institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
Demonstrating the tension between accountability and autonomy, the impact and relevance of public steering mechanisms coordinati...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... evaluation teams comprised members of upper management (vice-rectors and deans), professors and other teaching personnel and students of HEIs as well as working-life representatives. Evaluations conducted by the FINEEC are implemented according to the principles of enhancement-led evaluation (Pyykk€ o et al., 2020a). ...
Context 2
... observation JPBAFM led us to explore the dynamics of the paradox between the universities' autonomy and the universities' accountability to the state on one hand and the paradox between the universities' autonomy and the MECs coordination mechanisms on the other. As illustrated in Figure 2, there are three logics (institutional complexity) affecting the demands imposed on the universities, as follows: constitutional logic and quasi-market logic as the two variants of the state logic as well as professional logic (see Thornton et al., 2012). Figure 2 draws a wider picture of the Finnish higher education field from the perspective of institutional complexity and paradoxes. ...
Context 3
... illustrated in Figure 2, there are three logics (institutional complexity) affecting the demands imposed on the universities, as follows: constitutional logic and quasi-market logic as the two variants of the state logic as well as professional logic (see Thornton et al., 2012). Figure 2 draws a wider picture of the Finnish higher education field from the perspective of institutional complexity and paradoxes. In their operations and reactions, the three key actors -the universities, the MEC and the state -each follow different institutional logics. ...
Context 4
... even though the accountability versus autonomy tension between the state and the universities is paradoxical, it is, in the end, a synergistic paradox (Smith and Tracey, 2016). This is illustrated in Figure 2 by the solid two-way arrow. Balancing between accountability and autonomy Another type of tension exists between the MEC and the universities. ...
Context 5
... even though the freedom of science is secured by the Finnish constitution and the autonomy of universities is guaranteed by the Universities Act, the steering mechanisms applied by the MEC seem to undermine the universities' self-rule ( Kallio et al., 2020). The outcome is a dysfunctional paradox, which is illustrated by the broken two-way arrow in Figure 2. ...
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Citations
... Meritocratic principles are better equipped to make informed decisions, solve complex problems, and navigate challenges, which ultimately contributes to more efficient and effective governance (Pavone et al., 2024). Moreover, when individuals are recognized and rewarded for their competence, they are motivated to maintain high standards of performance, further reinforcing accountability within the organization (Kallio et al., 2022). taking into account the preceding reasoning, the study proposes the following hypothesis H2: Meritocracy has a Positive effect on accountability. ...
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... Dalam konteks ini, terdapat sejumlah literatur yang membahas pentingnya pengelolaan keuangan yang baik dalam sebuah organisasi (Nazaruddin & Putra, 2021;Probowulan & Martiana, 2021;Putra & Probowulan, 2024;Soule et al., 2015). Menurut beberapa studi, keterampilan dalam penyusunan anggaran dapat meningkatkan efisiensi dan efektivitas penggunaan dana, serta mendorong partisipasi aktif dari seluruh pihak terkait dalam pengambilan keputusan (Iacuzzi et al., 2020;Kallio et al., 2021;Seneviratne & Martino, 2021). Oleh karena itu, diperlukan pendekatan sistematis yang mencakup One Day Workshop dan asistensi bagi bendahara dalam menyusun RAPBM yang sesuai dengan ketentuan yang berlaku. ...
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... According to previous research, Finnish higher education is marked by policy and organizational reforms in line with academic capitalism (Kauppinen and Kaidesoja 2014;Poutanen 2023b). Policy and performance steering in the Finnish higher education system is considered exceptionally strong and has been criticized as excessive and a threat to the self-governance of universities and academics (Kallio et al. 2022;Kallio et al. 2020;Siltaloppi et al. 2022). Under acceleration, slower societal processes, like democratic-deliberative practices that form the basis of self-governance, become perceived as obstacles to reforms (Rosa 2015). ...
... Fleming 2021; Hall 2018). Finnish academics have complained that the PBF-based project economy and related steering mechanisms cause a "lack of predictability and long-term planning in the MEC's steering mechanisms" and increased associated time-consuming administrative burden (Kallio et al. 2022). Kallio et al. (2016) describe a conflict of academic ethos deriving from a new kind of performance-driven university ideal and academic subjectivity. ...
... Accelerating or decelerating, these temporal changes are imposed on individual time regimes. Policy-level demands for high performance and accountability clash with academic autonomy (Kallio et al. 2022). As the logic of academic capitalism expands, high performance requirements (and management) and externally imposed obligations combined with precarious career prospects create rising anxiety, which is made worse by organizational changes academics feel they have little control over. ...
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... Therefore, available funds are handled in cash. Financial accountability reporting at higher education institutions serves as a source of information for strategic decision-making and as a form of accountability to stakeholders (Kallio et al., 2022;Macheridis & Paulsson, 2021). The reporting process starts with the infrastructure department and goes to the Vice Dean 2. The routine process involves the infrastructure department submitting to Vice Dean 2, followed by registered vendors at the university. ...
This research aims to analyze the financial and asset management practices of universities transitioning to PTN-BH status. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews, documentation, and field observations, complemented by secondary data from relevant sources. The data analysis followed the Miles and Huberman model. The findings reveal that PTN-BH institutions successfully manage financial resources and investments through structured planning in their Annual Work and Budget Plans, aligning financial goals with faculty targets. Additionally, these institutions optimize asset utilization by engaging in economic activities such as facility leasing and renting out buildings, which significantly contribute to institutional income. This study underscores the importance of efficient financial and asset management practices, providing a reference model for universities undergoing the transition to PTN-BH status. The results also highlight the potential for future research to refine and expand these practices, ensuring continuous improvement in the management of PTN-BH institutions.
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The study aims to present a framework, a so-called Quality
Function Deployment (QFD) house, to enhance the service
quality of higher education institutions (HEIs), supporting the
institutional compliance management issues and processes.
To develop the compliance QFD, questionnaires and focus
group interviews were conducted to determine the service
quality attributes, while the compliance management
functions originated from a comprehensive literature review.
This research describes and correlates ten service quality
attributes at the institution level of HEIs and nine compliance
management functions. The QFD results present the priority
ranking of the examined compliance functions proposing
improvement criteria based on higher education institutions’
general compliance and service quality management areas.
These insights will be helpful to educational leaders to align
compliance activities for student-perceived quality and also
to leaders and policymakers in deriving a strategic plan on
compliance management to improve the service quality
offered to the stakeholders, primarily students.
... In recent decades, governance in higher education institutions has become increasingly important as expectations for transparency, accountability, and management effectiveness have increased (Beerkens, 2022;Kallio et al., 2021;. Faculties of education in universities, especially in the Arab region, have a significant responsibility in preparing a generation of competent and adaptive educators for global change (Giudice et al., 2021;Hamwy et al., 2023;Radzi et al., 2022). ...
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