Dutch University Management

1
Dutch University Management

• A SWOT analysis
• Drs Jef J.A. van de Riet
• Secretary general
• March 19th 2004

2
Tilburg University (1)

• Founded in 1927
• Private university, but state funded
• Specialized university
• 11.000 students
• 1.800 staff members
• Top ranking in teaching and research

3
Tilburg University (2)

• Six faculties
• Business school
• Strategy
• gt quality management
• gt internationalization
• gt focus
• gt maximum 11.000 students

4
Former management structure (1)

• Ministry of education
• Executive board
• Secretary General
• University council
• Faculty board
• Faculty council
• Departments

5
Former management structure (2)

• Executive board
• president (strategy, external representation,
  HRM)
• vice president (finance, infrastructure)
• rector (teaching and research)
• Secretary General (head of administration)

6
Current management structure

• Supervisory board
• Executive board
• Secretary General
• University council
• Dean
• Faculty council
• Departments / schools

7
Differences central level (1)

• Supervisory board appoints members of the
  executive board !
• Executive board fully responsible
• University council advises
• Rector not nominated by the professors, but by a
  small committee

8
Strength (1)

• Transparent
• Clear responsibilities
• Balance between
• gt supervision
• gt executive power
• gt participation
• Emphasis on autonomy and accountability

9
Strength (2)

• Organization teaching and research
• Position of the dean
• Cooperation between executive board and deans
• Influence of society in the supervisory board

10
Weakness (1)

• Executive board
• conflict between president and rector
• conflict between vice-president and secretary
  general
• Management quality of the deans
• strategy, finance, HRM
• making choices !
• conflict with the managing director of the faculty

11
Weakness (2)

• Participation of the academic staff
• Lack of communication
• Lack of feeling for academic culture in the
  supervisory board

12
Opportunities (1)

• Effective strategic policy
• - making real choices
• - external orientation
• - long term policy
• Effective planning and control cycle
• budget and targets
• management reports

13
Opportunities (2)

• HRM-policy
• Multidisciplinary cooperation
• Support of society (innovation platform of the
  national government)

14
Threats (1)

• Communication-gap between administrators and
  professionals (technocracy)
• Lack of informal participation !
• Lobby students organisations for changes
• Problems within some universities

15
Threats (2)

• Lack of management qualities in the academic
  staff and/or lack of enough support or status !

16
Position of the secretary general

• Situation 2000 2004
• - head of administration/ director
• 1995 13 2000 6 2004 8
• - secretary of the board
• 1995 0 2000 4 2004 3
• - no secretary general
• 1995 0 2000 3 2004 2

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Reasons for changes

• Conflicts
• New organisation concept
• trend fashion
• return of the secretary-general (twente decided
  on utrecht expected)

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Dimensions of an organization

• Strategy
• Staff
• Structure
• Systems
• Shared values
• Style
• Skills
• 7 S-model

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Dutch university management and the 7 S - model

• New law changed the system and the structure
• No changes of strategy, staff, shared values,
  style and skills
• Successful universities had already changed these
  dimensions
• The secretary general had to change his/her style
  and skills
• The administration had to change staff, style,
  skills and shared values

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Conclusions

• The new Dutch law on university government has a
  lot of benefits.
• It is important to see that the structure and
  systems are only two of the seven dimensions of
  organizing a university.
• The position of the secretary general as head of
  administration is important, but has to change in
  the perspective of the dimensions !