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

Principle 10. Strengthen the alignment of research and teachingThe benefits of strengthening research–teaching relationships are often overlookedin the initial phase of research development reforms in the face of more urgent andimmediate tasks of capacity building. However, the process of making connectionsbetween research and teaching should be a major component of the morefundamental goal of achieving sustainable improvements in the nature, level andquality of research.Universities that have been successful in charting a new course focus onstrengthening the connections between research and teaching to underpin thecultural shift to a research-oriented workforce. As we noted in the introductorysection to the handbook, productively connecting research and teaching rather thanseparating the two areas in a kind of competitive tension is a characteristic of thesehighly dynamic university research cultures.Much of the success of the transformation process hinges on the work culture ofacademics. Spending significant resources on the recruitment of research activeacademics should be accompanied by systematic measures to retain them, includinga satisfying work environment. Major research intensive universities instinctivelyrecognise the importance of sensitively managing the balance of permittingsubstantial freedom in the ways academics arrange their academic lives, whilemaintaining their primary obligation to the mission of the institution.The executive leadership position statement on research-teaching connectionsshould therefore explicitly acknowledge the critical importance of core academicvalues and aspirations, especially those centred on academic autonomy, leavingroom for interpretation at the local level. It is useful to consider that tapping intothe preference of most research-active academics to engage in both researchand teaching in a meaningful and balanced way, has the major overall benefit ofimproving their general level of work satisfaction.What it means in practiceIdentify practical steps and tangible benefits to support changeThe importance of aligning research and teaching is widely acknowledged in missionstatements but not always central to the actions of executive leaders of researchas they go about the task of increasing research productivity. While there may bea general view that the link between research and teaching is important for theFocus 4 — Developing a research-oriented workforce85