Gripped by managerialism's claw: Power, policy, and resistance in the neoliberal university

PhD by Publication


Margetts, Fiona. 2024. Gripped by managerialism's claw: Power, policy, and resistance in the neoliberal university. PhD by Publication Doctor of Philosophy. University of Southern Queensland. https://doi.org/10.26192/zqv3v
Title

Gripped by managerialism's claw: Power, policy, and resistance in the neoliberal university

TypePhD by Publication
AuthorsMargetts, Fiona
Supervisor
1. FirstA/Pr Jon Whitty
2. SecondDr Brad Taylor
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
Qualification NameDoctor of Philosophy
Number of Pages222
Year2024
PublisherUniversity of Southern Queensland
Place of PublicationAustralia
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.26192/zqv3v
Abstract

Unveiling the complex apparatus of power and resistance within the university system, this thesis examines how institutional policies have transformed universities from bastions of scholarly pursuit into corporatised entities, driven by neoliberal ideologies. Modern universities now mirror business enterprises, with vice-chancellors resembling chief executive officers and an overarching focus on performance metrics over intellectual enrichment. This transformation has not only restructured governance but also deepened the policy-practice divide, igniting vigorous debates about the dominance of managerial logic at the expense of academic freedom and integrity. Organised by publication, this thesis integrates three peer-reviewed studies to dissect these transformations through both theoretical and empirical lenses, offering a critical examination of the underlying apparatus of power. They identify that policy has become a faith construct, a complex interplay of faith, hope and doubt as the academy navigates the dissonance forming misalignment of managerial and academic values expressed in policy. The nuanced power structures underpinning these tensions are revealed through a Foucauldian lens and the reflective, novel, arts-based collage methodology. Visualising the hidden apparatus of power reveals its obscured mechanisms within university governance. Intertwined with ethnographic observations, the profound influence of top-down leadership on the university’s policy and practice is highlighted through the world of puppetry. Study findings provide substantial insight into how institutional policies are co-opted by the ever present and ruthless presence of managerialism in the evolving discourse on university governance and highlight the chaotic calibration often inherent in contemporary leadership styles, drawing parallels between these structures and monarchies. Looking ahead, this thesis calls for a deeper empirical exploration into the often-obscured power structures within neoliberal universities, champions the expansion of innovative, arts-based research methodologies to examine complex phenomena such as power and resistance and places a challenge for the academy to influence a return to scholarly and educational missions.

Keywordsmanagerialism; resistance; cognitive dissonance; policy-practice divide; institutional policy; higher education
Related Output
Has partA leap of faith: overcoming doubt to do good when policy is absurd
Has partPlaying With Power: Using Collage to Bring Reflexivity to Management Studies
Has partPulling the strings: the apparatus of university policy production
Contains Sensitive ContentDoes not contain sensitive content
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020390201. Education policy
350714. Public sector organisation and management
Public Notes

File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author/creator.

Byline AffiliationsFaculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts
Academic Registrar's Office
School of Humanities and Communication
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Related outputs

Pulling the strings: the apparatus of university policy production
Margetts, Fiona, Whitty, Stephen Jonathan and Taylor, Brad. 2024. "Pulling the strings: the apparatus of university policy production." Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. 46 (3), pp. 321-345. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2024.2344131
A leap of faith: overcoming doubt to do good when policy is absurd
Margetts, Fiona, Whitty, Stephen Jonathan and van der Hoorn, Bronte. 2024. "A leap of faith: overcoming doubt to do good when policy is absurd." Journal of Education Policy. 39 (2), pp. 191-213. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2023.2198488
Playing With Power: Using Collage to Bring Reflexivity to Management Studies
Margetts, Fiona, van der Hoorn, Bronte and Whitty, Jon. 2023. "Playing With Power: Using Collage to Bring Reflexivity to Management Studies." Sage Research Methods. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529624762
Regenerating university frameworks: Leading a best practice approach through uncertainty
Margetts, Fiona. 2022. "Regenerating university frameworks: Leading a best practice approach through uncertainty." Tertiary Education Management Conference (TEMC 2022). Hobart, Australia Australia.
What project management can bring to policy
Margetts, Fiona. 2018. "What project management can bring to policy." Association of Tertiary Education Management: Policy Development Forum XIV. Perth, Australia 13 Sep 2018
Identifying, building and sustaining leadership capacity for communities of practice in higher education
McDonald, Jacquelin, Star, Cassandra, Burch, Tony, Cox, Milton, Nagy, Judy, Margetts, Fiona and Collins, Emily. 2012. Identifying, building and sustaining leadership capacity for communities of practice in higher education. Sydney. Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching.
Policy refresh project at USQ
Margetts, Fiona. 2016. "Policy refresh project at USQ." Association for Tertiary Education Management Policy Development Forum XII. Melbourne, Australia 27 Oct 2016
The policy/project nexus: lessons learned from a policy implementation project
Margetts, Fiona. 2016. "The policy/project nexus: lessons learned from a policy implementation project." Australian Institute of Project Management and International Project Management Association Inaugural Regional Conference - Project Management: Building Capabilities (2016). Sydney, Australia 16 - 19 Oct 2016 Australia.
The policy/project nexus: addressing an old problem in a new way
Margetts, Fiona. 2016. "The policy/project nexus: addressing an old problem in a new way." Tertiary Education and Management Conference 2016: From Rhetoric to Reality (TEMC 2016). Auckland, New Zealand 11 - 14 Sep 2016 Australia.
The policy/project nexus: facilitating change in a new way
Margetts, Fiona. 2016. "The policy/project nexus: facilitating change in a new way." 2016 Service Improvement and Innovation in Universities Conference. Brisbane, Australia 11 - 12 Aug 2016 Sydney, Australia.
Expanded policy horizons - benefits realized from a policy project
Margetts, Fiona. 2015. "Expanded policy horizons - benefits realized from a policy project." Australian Association for Institutional Research Special Interest Group Forum (AAIR SIG Forum 2015). Fraser Island, Australia 19 - 21 Aug 2015
Identifying and building the leadership capacity of community of practice facilitators
McDonald, Jacquelin, Nagy, Judy, Star, Cassandra, Burch, Tony, Cox, Miton D. and Margetts, Fiona. 2012. "Identifying and building the leadership capacity of community of practice facilitators." Learning Communities Journal. 4, pp. 63-84.