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'.