Organizational culture in contemporary Chinese universities: Cultural dynamics of compliance and contestation

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Rethinking Education with A Reflexive ‘Double-Negation’ of Western-centrism and Nationalism: China and Beyond

Proposal

Organizational culture consists of an organization’s shared values, symbols, behaviors and assumptions (Schein, 1992). It concerns decisions, actions and communication both on an instrumental and a symbolic level. Studying particular interconnected webs of significance within an organizational setting and cultural dynamics of educational institutions equips us to understand and, hopefully, reduce adversarial relationships (Tierney, 1988).
Drawing upon the data analysis of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 28 Chinese academics, this qualitative study investigated the organizational culture in 16 Chinese universities and revealed cultural dynamics of compliance and contestation. This study was guided by two research questions: 1. How do senior academics and educational leaders perceive organizational culture in Chinese higher education institutions? 2. To what extent does the nation state influence the system of higher education and organizational culture of higher education institutions in China?

In recent years, the Chinese central government has intensified their efforts to strengthen quality control and develop a higher education system with the unique Chinese characteristics to serve the nation’s strategic development. These measures have led to increased scrutiny and regulations of higher education sector and created challenges for universities attempting to maintain their autonomy in governance. The ‘great power’ narrative and ‘national rejuvenation’ receive great attention in the construction of cultural nationalism in official discourses.

This study is informed by Ian McNay’s (1995) four types of institutional culture in universities, Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn’s (2011) Competing Values Framework, Groysberg, Lee, Price, and Cheng’s (2018) framework of eight organizational cultures. The researcher acknowledges that cultural styles co-exist in organizations and every cultural style has strengths and weakness.

The findings reveal that in the Chinese universities under study, the organizational culture was primarily characterized by a drive for results followed by authority and safety. They are dominated by results culture and authority culture. Results culture is characterized by achievement and winning. Work environments are goal focused, outcome-oriented and merit-based. There is a weak caring culture as strong emphasis on competitiveness and evaluation leads to a higher level of stress and anxiety of academics. Interviewees commented on tight policy and operational control, and dominance of senior management. Universities use annual performance evaluation and resource allocation to motivate academics. Transactional leadership and utilitarian approach are widely adopted, and cash reward and punishment become prevalent practice.

Authority culture is defined by strength, decisiveness, and boldness. Interviewees acknowledged that ‘national will’ and ‘national strategy’ drive universities’ international competitiveness, global ranking and domestic educational reforms. The nation state as a key player tightly controls the ideology, governance and funding of higher education institutions. It significantly shapes organizational cultures and practices of higher education institutions. Resource allocation is the most prevalent strategy to align national will with institutional goals and academics pursuit. On an institutional level, the governments use fundings and grants to motivate universities. Further research about cultural dynamics and the nation state’s influence on the system of higher education and institutional culture appears warranted.

Author

• Ting Wang, University of Canberra