414 - managing, facilitating and embracing

04 April 2012 Anne K. Craven1

Managing, Facilitating, Embracing Change:A Story about Re-structuring a Large Academic

School

Anne K. CravenDirector of Administration, Helsinki Theatre [email protected] April 2012


Focus of the Session:Management of Restructuring/Mergers

Concerns and opportunities:• Strategy• Operations


In This Session – Details

Strategic Management of Change UEL: Merger of Law and Social Sciences Sharing experiences Lessons learned and applied? Seizing

Opportunities?– The case of Helsinki Theatre Academy


Restructuring:World of Change andUniversity Strategy


University Strategy Formulation and Development in Times of Change 1

Hannagan (2002: 16): ‘Strategic management is about a sense of purpose, looking ahead, planning, positioning, strategic fit, leverage and stretching. … It is about the purpose of the organisation, the direction it is to take and the way it forms and prepares itself to face competition.’



Lockwood and Davies (1985: 167)

Institutional planning seen as

‘the continuous and collective exercise of foresight in the integrated process of taking informed decisions affecting the future’.


Restructuring as a Strategic Response to Challenges

What challenges might trigger a restructuring within a university?


Restructuring as a Strategic Response to Challenges (‘Push’)

Changes in higher education policy Changes of practice Competition Efficiency savings Supporting a failing department/school


Restructuring as a Strategic Opportunity

What opportunities might trigger a restructuring within a university?


Restructuring as a Strategic Opportunity (‘Pull’)

Interdisciplinary/joint research Interdisciplinary/joint courses Attracting more research/teaching income Other strategic opportunities



Ronald Barnett (2000: 6) ‘supercomplexity’

a situation in which we are encountered not only by a great number of data but are also encountering a ‘multiplication of frameworks’


University of East London:Regional University andStrategic Development


University of East London

Diversity of population:– Cultures– Ethnicities– Languages– Economic situation– Social class

Antipathy towards university education?


University of East London 2

Regional university Skills training Distance learning Regeneration: ‘Revitalised

stocks of social, cultural and symbolic capital’ (Snee and Lock 2000: 145)

‘Regeneration university’ (Snee and Lock 2000: 147–148)


UEL Restructuring 2011

New Vice-Chancellor; new strategy ‘Transformation for Excellence’

– Excellence in teaching, scholarship, research– Talent management: attracting, sustaining and

developing talent Challenges for Transformation for Excellence

– Schools formed on outdated principles– Structures hindering interdisciplinarity


UEL Restructuring: Key Changes

Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) => Moving Humanities subjects to the new School of Arts and Digital Industries (ADI)

Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) => Moving Social Sciences to the School of Law, forming the new School of Law and Social Sciences (LSS)

Also: Forming the new School of ACE (Architecture, Computing and Engineering)


Restructuring: A Personal Experience

Recruited to become Registrar of the School of Law, end of February 2011

Mergers decided upon in Spring 2011 Joining the School of Law in early June 2011 Mergers becoming official in August 2011 Voluntary Redundancy Scheme running in 2011 Maternity leave for a ‘shared’ admin member of staff


Restructuring: LSS

Split-site school: Docklands (Dox), Stratford (Duncan House (DH))

Travelling via DLR and Tube 11 staff; 6 in DH, 5 in Dox One Dox staff in a shared helpdesk (2-3 ADI

staff, 1 LSS staff)


Restructuring: Challenges in LSS

Physical changes: Distance/travelling btw. sites– Day-to-day supervision of teams

Communication in a larger School (c 2600 students, 100 staff) Different policies and procedures

– Different committees and forms IT issues Co-operation with the other Schools

– Helpdesk procedures esp. Drop Box Concerns over redundancies => change in workloads Concerns over the maternity leave Student experience Budget, REF, academic staff performance (Dean’s concerns)


Tackling Challenges in LSS Admin

Distance/travelling btw. sites– Day-to-day supervision of teams



Communication in a larger School (c 2600 students, 100 staff)



Different policies and procedures– Different committees and forms



IT issues



Co-operation with the other Schools– Helpdesk procedures esp. Drop Box



Concerns over redundancies => change in workloads



Concerns over the maternity leave



Student Experience


UEL Restructuring: A Summary

Challenges:– Workload issues– Management issues– Communication and

procedures Transformation > <

preservation of brand/identity

Cultivation of relationships Playing to one’s strengths


Strategy Development, Transformation, Sustainability – A Balancing Act

University/Collegiality Corporate Enterprise?


Discussion: Restructuring/Mergers

Sharing from own experiences What challenges did you face? What opportunities did you have? What did you do? Similarities with the case at UEL? Differences with the case at UEL? Lessons learned?


Case Study: Merger of three Universities in Finland

Theatre Academy Helsinki C. 400 students, 50

academic staff, 86 admin staff

‘Stubborn’ defender of the freedom of artistic expression

Commercial projects Collaborative research Creativity



TeaK, Sibelius-Academy, Fine Arts Academy (400/1400/300 students) Academies have sought a merger for years

– New Law on Universities, 2010; Government policy; example of Aalto University

– Strength of interest within the institutions Benefits

– Visibility and credibility in international competition (‘interesting’)– Finances: Government funding and efficiency savings in shared

services Challenges

– Different IT systems– Different ways in organising workloads and roles (cf. the role of

technician)– Concerns of staff (autonomy; change in roles; workloads)

Time Frame: By January 2013 and after January 2013



From the viewpoint of Theatre Academy Helsinki, what should the merger be like?

Ideal strategy and steps to take? What should be done/taken into account? What questions still need answering? Own experiences?


UEL, TeaK: ‘Work in Progress’ – Playing to Strengths


Concluding Remarks:University Strategy Cycle and Change

Self-Correction, Advancement, Achievement Draft?

UniversityStrategy


Many Thanks!

Anne Craven [email protected]

References: Barnett, R., 2000: Realizing the University in an Age of Supercomplexity (Buckingham &

Philadelphia, PA: SRHE & OUP). Hannagan, T., 2002: Mastering Strategic Management, Palgrave Master Series (Business Series

Editor: Richard Pettinger) (Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave). Lockwood, G. and Davies, J. (chief contributors), 1985: Universities: The Management Challenge

(Windsor: SRHE & NFER-Nelson).

http://www.uel.ac.uk/ http://www.teak.fi http://www.siba.fi http://www.kuva.fi

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.uel.ac.uk/

http://www.teak.fi/

http://www.siba.fi/

http://www.kuva.fi/

414 - managing, facilitating and embracing

Education

university education

uel restructuring

social sciences lss

new school of law

regeneration university

new school of arts

times of change

talent challenges