handbook-executive-leadership-of-research-development-pdf-v10

By far the best background or environmental predictor of individual output is anacademic’s membership of an active research department. He or she is, accordingto one study, four times more productive than his or her colleagues in one of the lessvigorous units (partly because of selection effects, but also because high levels oftotal output stimulate individuals to do more). ‘Active research’ will vary by disciplineand is related to esteem, but includes things such as being involved in researchprojects, gaining research funds, supervising postgraduates, editing journals,being invited to give papers and attending scholarly meetings). ‘Active’ researchdepartments, with a strong culture of research quality and support for staff to developresearch careers, produce more publications for their size than less active ones 5 .What factors hinder research engagement and productivity? In addition to theindividual and environmental aspects implicit in the above paragraphs, perhapsthe most significant revolve around the critical importance to a sense of academicidentity, productivity and overall work satisfaction of an individual’s autonomy topursue personal academic interests. Academics, in contrast to most workers, haveusually been able to declare their preferences for the type of work that best suitstheir interests and the subjects about which they are enthusiastic at a particular pointin time. These interests may have had their genesis as far back as undergraduatestudy. Being able to focus on their own interests and being able to make choicesamong them provides academics with a sense of personal satisfaction and credibilityamongst the community of scholars; it also satisfies the desire to make an originaland ongoing contribution to knowledge. The main predictor of work satisfaction foracademics, clearly ahead of salary and job security, is the opportunity to pursue theirown academic interests 6 .Because intrinsic motivation plays such a decisive role in productivity, it is importantfor leaders to consider what factors might attenuate this enthusiasm. Makingchoices about teaching and research is increasingly less likely for large numbers ofacademics. The nature of freedom and autonomy amongst tenured academics overwhat is researched and taught can no longer be taken for granted 7 .Self-regulation in the management of work and its implications for academic identityare easily underestimated as a defining element in academic identities. Academicsplace a premium on the freedom they have to manage their work in ways thatsuit their personal priorities and approaches to research and teaching. Autonomyover what academics will teach and research extends to setting their own prioritiesA background briefing on the evidence13