Reinventing the university after 1989--managing a "double-loop" change process

Zoltán Abádi-NagyVice Rector University of DebrecenHUNGARY

Acknowledgement

Dr. György Nádas, Director, Department of Human Politics, provided valuable assistance

Dr. Edit Varga, Consultant, Quality Assurance Program and Krisztina Molnár, Head of Center for International Relations and University Advancement, lent conceptual and technical help

Dr. Agócsné Vilma Ádám, Head, Rector’s Office, Academic Affairs and Mrs. Ferencné Kiss, Head, Payroll Office, provided the statistical data. Mr. Tibor Tóth put his doctoral statistics tables at my disposal.

Introduction Submitted case study University perspective Multiple change process HRM: external/internal factors Approach: mainly descriptive Now: INSIDE the HRM program (some

aspects) Approach: analysis, evaluation and synthesis,

with lessons and tasks

Topics of Discussion

I. HRM implementation--tools, processes II. HRM and social change--economy and

legal environment III. HRM and integration IV. HRM and EU accession V. The “double loop” aspect VI. Lessons and tasks

I.1. Goal-setting

Accreditation Coordination Internal regulations Gifted education

I.2. Performance evaluation Academic staff (contract track, tenure

track) Academic development Balancing teaching Evaluation procedures Others: e.g., UD Medical and Health

Sciences Center Student teacher evaluation

Promotion and administrative appointment

University-level: compact system Quality assurance and accreditation The Social Council On-sight Rector’s Council sessions

I.3. Institutional performance

Funding system Research funding, indicators UD ranks first in Hungary in

2004

HR for R + D

University of Debrecen, 2003

I.) Totalnumber of

lecturers andresearchers

II.) Of I with doctoral(PhD) degree

III.) Of II with doctoraldegree awarded by theHungarian Academy of

Sciences

IV.) Of II members ofthe Hungarian

Academy of Sciences

C. Agr. 186 109 15 0

F. Arts 272 166 22 3

F.

Econ.33 13 3 0

MHSC 563 290 57 6

F. Sci. 267 215 42 9

Coll.

Edu.39 5 0 0

Coll.

Eng.77 12 0 0

CD 55 2 0 0

I. Law 49 25 1 0

Total 1541 827 140 18

Doctoral programs 1

University of Debrecen, 2003

Faculty Doctoral school Number ofstudents

Theoretical medicine 52Clinical medicine 14Health Sciences 6Pharmacy 13Multidisciplinary medicine 5

F. Med.

F. Med. total 90Literature 28Linguistics 20History 16Multidisciplinary humanities 24

F. Arts

F. Arts total 88Economics 5F. Econ.

F. Econ. total 5Multidisciplinar y social sciences 11Crop production and horticulture 16Animal husbandry 8Multidisciplinary agricultural sciences 9

F. Agr.

F. Agr. total 44Biology 10Environmental sciences 9Physics 14Earth sciences 12Chemistry 26Mathematics and computing 24

F. Sci.

F. Sci. total 95Grand total 322

University of Debrecen, 2003

Institution Based ondoctoral (PhD)

thesis

Based onequalization(CSc., DSc.)

Based onadaptation(Dr. univ.,

naturalization)

Total

Univ. ofAgricult.

28 26 8 62

Univ. ofMedicine

81 102 20 203

Kossuth Univ.– Faculty of

Arts57 43 95 195

Kossuth Univ.– Faculty of

Sciences84 110 114 308

before 31/12/1999.:

250 281 237 768

UD (2000-2001)

250 7 4 261

Grand total: 500 288 241 1029

Doctoral programs 2

I.4. Staff satisfaction

Indicator 1: staff numbers after integration

Indicator 2: staff fluctuation Monitoring staff satisfaction

Staff numbers of UD predecessor institutions before integration

1508

1268

1774

19 51112

35 72

354

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

1989 1995 1999

Core academic staff

Part-time academic staff

Contracted externalacademic staff

UD staff numbers after integration

1443 14801526 1546

365

9287

85135

167 175147

0

400

800

1200

1600

2000 2001 2002 2003

Core academic staff Part-time academic staff Contracted external academic staff

UD core faculty distribution, 2003

AGROECONOMICS & RURAL DEV.

4%HUMANITIESAND SOCIAL

SCIENCES17%

MUSIC3%

HEALTH COLLEGE6%

DENTISTRY2%

PHARMACY1%

EDUCATION3%

ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS 2%

ENGINEERING6%

AGRICULTURE7%

NATURALSCIENCES

16%

LAW3%

MEDICINE30%

FLUCTUATION

612

840

1008

787

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

2000 2001 2002 2003

I.5. HRM--Implementation Partial Reasons: economy, legal

environment, institutional integration, EU accession

Implementation overflow Reasons: “double-loop”

contradictions

II. 1. HRM and social change--the economy The post-1989 double trap: syphoning off vs

recruitment Staff cuts: needs of the economy, no task-

orientednesscold-meet HRM Recruiting Faculty from outside HE and research institutes of the Academy Further staff reduction--a budgetary

pressure

Tension between funding-driven student growth and HRM

Flying professors and affiliated departments

Compulsory retirement (62, 65, 70) (church institutions excepted)

II.2. HRM and social change--legal environment Some things are historically tainted From “personnel” to human

resource Balancing gains and losses The HE Act (even EUA Graz

Declaration)

III. HRM and institutional integration Existential threat Allegiance conflicts and the distrust

factor Complex-pressure Regression price paid for progress UD examples: habilitation, HE

management training center

Institutional management structure

Centralization and decentralization

Human resource redistribution (institutional, national)

IV. HRM and EU accession Massification of HE Open up job applications Bologna

V. 1. The “double-loop” aspect--inherited “single-loop” reflexes

Can we change underlying culture? Examples: democracy as

demagoguery; autonomy as demagoguery; chancellor or commissary?

Is it really “double-loop” or reprogrammed “single-loop”?

Example: Ph.D. and Dr. Univ. Formerly repressed, currently

drained majors

V.2. The “double-loop” aspect--its space

The totality of (inter)national HE strategy

Clashing value systems Danger: half-informed as

“double-loop”

Institutional space: university-level initiatives to initiate and accomplish change

cultural change concerning HRM UD examples: politics dispelled from

campus; rector’s mandate (tool for facilitating integration); HRM and internationalization

VI. Lessons and tasks

Reform funding system “Double-loop” approach to

change-furor Enforce existing internal

regulations

HRM strategy for the staff cuts vs accreditation dilemma

HRM strategy for the Bologna process

“Culture of risk”