University management and organisational change: a dynamic institutional perspective

The external task environment of universities has changed significantly due to a combination of major change factors, including increasing globalisation of the educational system, the increasing international mobility and reach of the students and staff, the wider ‘marketisation’ of higher education and more specific structural, governance and institutional changes within the global education system. These changes raise significant challenges for university management and leadership. Drawing on qualitative interviews, the article demonstrates importance of leadership agency and associated qualities of university leadership for balancing plural institutional logics that help drive organisational transformation in times of major paradigmatic changes.