Research performance and teaching quality in the Spanish higher education system: Evidence from a medium-sized university

Higher education research performance parameters classified by systems theory: antecedents for the development of assessment models

Purpose

This paper aims to identify and classify the parameters that construct the input, processes, output, productivity and outcome variables that affect performance. These parameters are used in the evaluation model to measure research performance in universities so that they can be used as the basis for making leadership policies both at the national and institutional levels.

Design/methodology/approach

The design of this research is a quantitative research method using a survey questionnaire that was sent to the heads of research institutions at universities in Indonesia. To obtain these parameters, a test for determining the value of the loading factor was used.

Findings

The authors found that input variable parameters consisted of 10 parameters; process variable consisted of 22 parameters; output variable parameters consisted of 8 parameters; productivity variable consisted of 4 parameters; and outcome variable parameters consisted of 10 parameters.

Originality/value

One approach to obtain parameters is through systems theory, where every element that makes up the organization contributes to the achievement of goals. This study attempted to develop parameters in the performance appraisal model of systems theory-based research institutions that are adapted to trends in the direction of research in universities. These parameters are based on aspects of input, process, output, productivity and outcome.

Task complementarity in academic work: a study of the relationship between research, education and third mission tasks among university professors

Professors have multiple responsibilities and tasks. They should contribute to research, teaching and ‘third mission’ activities such as commercialisation of scientific knowledge and industry collaboration. These tasks are expected to be complementary and that synergies between different tasks can lead to positive outcomes. But are professors’ work tasks really complementary or are they rather characterised by trade-offs, and what are the implications of having multiple tasks for academic performance? This study of tenured academic staff in Norwegian universities, observe that there are many positive associations between academic tasks. The data supports the assumption that student supervision is positive for research performance, as is research collaboration with public and private organisations. We also find a positive association between student supervision and participation in third mission activities, but only with research collaboration and not commercialisation activities. The data also indicates that the combined effect of participation in third mission and teaching activities is neither negative nor positive for research performance, and as such we do not find indications that having multiple task is negative for work performance in the form of research output.

Intelligent Educational Evaluation of Research Performance between Digital Library and Open Government Data

This study evaluates institutional research performance in benchmark technological universities in Taiwan through intelligent research databases (SciVal) in digital libraries with Ministry of Education open data to explore the performance of research indicators and the research trend of topic clusters to ascertain accountability for decision makers. The research performance of eight benchmark technological universities in Taiwan is compared in this study. In addition, the trends in research topics in the top 10% of journals are explored. Descriptive statistics, correlation, ANOVA, and the Boston Consulting Group matrix were used in this study. Research personnel, publications, productivity, total citations, number of international collaborations, and academic research income in 2018 significantly positively correlated with each other. From 719 records of research topics, topic clusters and school types are the significant factors in research outputs. Biosensors, electrodes, and voltammetry are the leading topic clusters in the research trend. The topic cluster of decision-making, fuzzy sets, and models has the best growth rate in the SciVal results. This analysis provides useful insights to policymakers to improve institutional administration and research resource allocation.

Knowledge sharing among academics: why organizational narcissism in higher education matters?

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the effects of organizational narcissism on four knowledge-sharing aspects among academics: publications, personal interactions, organizational communication and network interaction.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses a sample of 288 research groups from public and private universities in Colombia. The study used structural equations by the partial least squares method (PLS).

Findings

The results indicate that organizational narcissism has a positive and significant influence on the four knowledge-sharing aspects analysed. The greatest effect of organizational narcissism is generated in organizational communication, followed by personal interactions, network interaction and publications.

Originality/value

This work contributes to developing the emerging theoretical perspective which gives greater attention to the analysis of organizational behaviours considered strategic given their potential to dynamize knowledge sharing as opposed to focusing on how publications are affected by fragments or specific aspects of organizational culture. The findings show organizational narcissism is one of such strategic behaviours. Moreover, the study sheds light on the controversy between positions for and against organizational narcissism, and the results contradict previous studies that highlight the negative repercussions of this organizational behaviour on publications. In addition, our work provides a perspective that allows for a broader view in evaluating the actual extent of the impact of organizational narcissism, which is not exclusively limited to the publication dimension. In this way, the research horizons of organizational narcissism are also expanded, as regrettably it was long seen as a phenomenon that occurred almost exclusively in the business context.

Research performance and the organizational effectiveness of universities

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test Shattock’s legacy reputation thesis that non-leading universities in the UK face insuperable resource barriers to entering the leading group.

Design/methodology/approach

Employing regression analysis, the authors examine whether prioritizing research performance is a viable strategy for non-leading UK universities aiming to improve their organizational effectiveness. The dependent variable, organizational effectiveness, is measured by the annual Guardian rankings of universities. The main independent variable, research performance, is measured using “research power” (“RP”). RP is derived from the UK Research Excellence Framework.

Findings

For 2008-2014, the authors find that changes in research performance impacted university rankings. However, the authors also find that changes to the rankings are largely confined to non-leading universities and have not led to these institutions breaking into the group of leading universities. Therefore, Shattock’s thesis is supported.

Practical implications

Failing to maintain research performance can have significant negative consequences for the rankings of non-leading universities.

Originality/value

This is the first study that examines the relationship between the research performance of universities in the UK with a measure of their overall organizational effectiveness.