The role of academic Deanship in the transforming higher education of Kazakhstan

• In Event: Structural changes in higher education

Proposal

The changing institutional landscape of Kazakhstani higher education has redefined academic deanship (AD). The latter evolved into more executive powers such as human resources management, strategic planning, budgetary issues and fundraising, and external stakeholder relationship management (Allan, 1999; De Boer & Goedegebuure, 2009; Scott, Coates, & Anderson, 2008). The business-like behavior of academic deans allowed them to evolve into “manager-academics” who negotiate amidst diverse networks of professional and power relations (Deem & Brehony, 2005). These relations encompass the “superiors (administrators and boards of regents/trustees), constituents (faculty and students), and the benefactors (taxpayers, legislators, and endowers)” (Rhoades, 2000). This delicate position in the organizational hierarchy makes deans be “synchronistically both master and slave” who often serve opposing demands and expectations of superiors and constituents (Lapp & Carr, 2006, p. 656). Therefore, this study seeks to answer the following research questions:
1. What roles do contemporary academic deans play in Kazakhstani higher education based on Mintzberg’s theory? What is their current experience of the managerial roles (interpersonal, information exchange, and decisional) and the perceived balance among them?
2. How do academic deans perceive role conflict and ambiguity working with various stakeholders (senior administrators, faculty, students, external stakeholders) and navigating between academic issues and managerial duties?
To answer the research questions, the study employs two theoretical frameworks. The theory of the executive roles signifies that any manager has a variety of interpersonal relationships that lead to information transfer and exchange before decision-making (Mintzberg, 1973, 1989). Despite the theory was utilized on the corporate managers, a number of researchers proved the usefulness of the theory in academic settings (Anderson, Murray, & Olivarez, 2002; Mech, 1997; Muma, Smith, & Somers, 2006). Therefore, this study will use Mintzberg’s theory to find out which roles academic deans play nowadays with various on and off campus groups. Mintzberg grouped ten managerial roles under three role categories: interpersonal relations (figurehead, liaison, and leader); informational relations (monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson); and decisional relations (entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator) to describe the roles of a manager (Mintzberg, 1973, 1989). Further, the role conflict and ambiguity theory will be applied to reveal the complexity of AD in Kazakhstan due to performance of the diverse and complex tasks and functions common to the position. Again, the theory on role conflict and ambiguity was utilized in corporate world (Biddle, 1986; Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, & Rosenthal, 1964b, 1964a; Rizzo, House, & Lirtzman, 1970). However, the theory was successfully tested in academia by a number of organizational researchers (Montez & Wolverton, 2000; Montez, Wolverton, & Gmelch, 2002; Wolverton, Wolverton, & Gmelch, 1999).
A multiple case study approach is selected using individual interviews and critical incident technique (CIT). The interviews will explain the current experience and the perceived balance of the dean’s roles in institutions of higher education. CIT will reveal any challenges in the contemporary work of academic deans, as well as which stakeholder reveals greater role conflict and ambiguity in AD. Ten deans will be recruited for the study from three public universities listed in the State Program for Innovative-Industrial Development for 2015-2019 (SPIID-2). It is assumed that SPIID-2 will trigger role conflict and ambiguity in AD because they are tasked to establish university-industry collaboration.
The study will shed the light on the contemporary academic deanship in the transforming higher education of Kazakhstan. Further, the study will test Mintzberg’s managerial roles and the role conflict and ambiguity theory for their applicability to uncover AD in Kazakhstani context.

Author

• Altynay Mustafina, Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education