Gentleman’s club or medieval court?
Gentleman’s club or medieval court?
The collegial structure of universities, with their stress on election to management positions (the metaphor of the Gentleman’s Club) is being replaced by managerialism. Below the level of President, the apparent objectivity of managerialism conceals a personal and arbitrary power (reflected in the metaphor of the Medieval Court). Senior managers, particularly manager-academics, are appointed through the ‘blessing of the President’ but without the discipline of profit as the ultimate ‘bottom line’. Women make up one fifth of those at this level, illustrating the gendered nature of that ‘blessing’. A collegial discourse remains an important source of legitimacy for managerialist power: power that is also reflected in the role of the President as Chief Executive Officer
Keywords: Structure, power, access, collegiality/managerialism, manager-academics, other professionals, Chief Executive Officer, Gentleman’s Club, Medieval Court
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