Integration or Fragmentation:

The False Dilema

Josip Kregar
Zagreb,
Friday, 08 May 2009
Political Context
Educational debates figure prominently
at election times. Perhaps we expect
our schools to do so much – equalise
opportunity, install discipline,
stimulate individual imagination,
provide a labour force – they have
remained at the centre of controversy
J. Macionis, K.Plumer, Sociology : a Global Introduction,
545
The New Social Importance of
Science
Fundamental shift in the relationship between
the state and higher education
“It was once the role of Governments to
provide for the purposes of universities; it is
now the role of universities to provide for
the purposes of Governments”
Sir Howard Newby, (Chief Executive of HEFCE)
Jan 2004
Unintended consequences
The latent structure and virtual dynamics at
the network level may be counter-intuitive
for participants and unintended
consequences of purposeful action can be
expected in an network environment. The
focus in these analitical methodologies has
be on complexity at a specific moment of
time, while meaning operates in terms of
updates over time,
Tendencies: size & complexity
1. Growth: increase of number of
universities and students
2. Differentiation and highercomplexity
3. Internationalisation and globalization ,
4. Extension and prolongation of the
education to higher levels, reasearch
universities and economic impact
5. The new social control
The Reduction of Complexity
• New scientific areas
• New methods and technologies
• Expansion of specialization
The Result:

• New Managerial Levels

• Independence and
• Autonomy
Complexity and Control

Graicunas and, later, Urwick, both noted the existence of pressures to

increase the span of control. 
1. First, of course, is the tendency of people to want to report directly
to the boss, whomever that might be. 
2. Second, is the tendency to build empires. 
3. Third is the pressure to reduce the costs of management
overhead.  
4. Fourth is a commendable desire to shorten the chain of command. 
5. Fifth, extending the span of control necessarily flattens the
organization and drives authority and responsibility downward,
both of which are favorites of those who would democratize an
organization. 
6. Sixth, the existence in seemingly well-run organizations of spans
of control larger than the five or six recommended by Graicunas
and Urwick invalidates the concept of limiting the span of control.
Dearing report/ Management and
governance of higher education institutions
The effectiveness of any organisation depends
upon the effectiveness of its management
and governance arrangements. We have
identified three principles to underpin
management and governance in higher
education institutions. These are that:
a) institutional autonomy should be
respected;
b) academic freedom within the law should
be protected;
c) governance arrangements should be
open and responsive.“
Integration
..mode of relation of the units of a
system by virtue of which, on the one
hand, act as collectively to avoid
disrupting the system and making it
impossible to maintain its stability,
and, on the other hand, to co-operate
to promote its functioning as a unity
T.Prsons, Essays in Sociological Theory
Equifinality and Organized Anarchy
Equifinality is the principle that in
open systems a given end state can
be reached by many potential means.
“Any particular structure may have
many functions, and any function
may be fulfilled by alternative
structures or processes”
(Gresov/Drazin)
Croatia?
A lot of money has been invested – but not all wisely (for sustainability)

Activity and infrastructure have grown

The worst backlogs which were preventing appropriate quality T or R have

been addressed

a relative stagnation of the national R&I budget, and on the other, a

significant increase in university expenditure on R&I since 1995.

Improvements in utilisation and efficiency

Jim Port EUA Spring Conference 2006 Financial sustainability of universities: the OECD/IMHE study and current UK experience
United Kingdom!
A lot of money has been invested – but not all wisely (for sustainability)
Activity and infrastructure have grown

The worst backlogs which were preventing appropriate quality T or R have been addressed

a relative stagnation of the national R&I budget, and on the other, a significant increase in
university expenditure on R&I since 1995.

Improvements in utilisation and efficiency

Jim Port EUA Spring Conference 2006 Financial

sustainability of universities: the OECD/IMHE study
and current UK experience
Privatizacija
 Privatizacija znači ne samo to da se obrazovanje smatra privatnom
i lukrativnom inicijativom, što je recimo karakteristično za
američku tradiciju, već je i posljedica strategije rastaknja države
blagostanja. Načela i shvaćanja nove javne uprave («new public
administration») preporučuju povlačenje države iz sektora kao što
su obrazovanje, zdravstvo ili skrb. Država je prema tom neo-
liberalističkim konceptu zadužena za red (poredak) i treba se
ustrojiti prema načelima dobre vlasti (good governance) i treba
obavljati manje zadataka ali bolje.

 Promjena je dakle u tome da država – ne samo dozvoljava, već

potiče, na području visokog obrazovanja, privatno sudjelovanje,
investicije, partnerstvo i nezavisne privatne institucije obrazovanja
i njegovog financiranja

Split,20. studeni 2008

Privatizacija i konkurencija
Privatizacija je proces koji je uzeo maha i
objektivno potiče konkurenciju javnih i
privatnih učilišta. Njihova upravljačka
struktura vrlo je različita: privatna imaju
jednostavnu strukturu s naglaskom na
hijerarhijsko vodstvo, javna imaju složenu
strukturu koja uključuje tradiciju utjecaja
države, participaciju studenata i veću širinu
područja, te dublji intenzitet znanstveno-
istraživačke komponente.
Split,20. studeni 2008
Komercijalizacija
 Komercijalizacija je paralelan proces. Državna sredstva za
obrazovanje se smanjuju[1], a prodiranje tržišnog principa znači
da se obrazovanje pojavljuje kao tržišni proizvod. Štoviše,
moderno društvo upravo studiranje smatra pretpostavkom za
obavljanje važnih poslova u društvu. Na tržištu rada bolje prolaze
obrazovani. Mnoge, a takvih je sve više, poslove mogu obavljati
samo visoko obrazovani. Socijalni status pretpostavlja visoko
obrazovanje. Dakle proizvod – visokoškolska diploma može se
„prodati“ i za njom je visoka potražnja. Štoviše u sektoru
obrazovanja mogu se ostvariti visoke zarade, to tim prije što što
nad diferenciranim brojnim i privatnim školama kontrola kvalitete
je podređena politici prodaje proizvoda. Pojavljuju se i novi sasvim
komercijalizirani «proizvodi» - seminari, okrugli stolovi, kursevi,
tečajevi – no naravno pod zvučnijim nazivima workshopa,
teambuildinga, obrazovnog turizma

Split,20. studeni 2008