How does collegiality survive managerially led universities? Evidence from a European Survey

Today's universities are, accordingly to Clark's entrepreneurial model, sustained by
managerialism, whereas collegialism may remain in contrast or work in a different
way. More recent literature suggests the clash such as the potential for coexistence
between managerialism and collegialism. The study analyses data from a survey of
26 universities in 8 European countries, focusing on middle managers (MMs). The
results show that at the level of the individual institutions, there are notable positive
correlations between the presence of collegial and of managerial cultures.
Multilevel regressions at institutional level are analysed, to 'predict' collegiality
in light of the universities' managerial culture and other factors affecting
organizational change: accountability; distribution of discretional power;
funding; impact of quality assurance (QA) and evaluation. The results illustrate
that in more managerial universities, collegial culture increases above all when
MMs believe that distance-steering tools (QA and evaluation) have had positive
impacts. We find that collegiality can indeed thrive, even when 'managerially led'.