Professional Identity in university administration: The importance of collective self confidence

Kenton Lewis E kenton.lewis@heacademy.ac.uk

@kenton_lewis

Setting the context

A model to explore professional identity

What do we mean by

“professional” and “identity”?

A model to explain professional identity

Are we professional and are we a

profession?

@kenton_lewis

Simple show of hands

Are you professional in your work?

Are you a professional?

Are you part of a profession?

@kenton_lewis

HE has gone, and is going, through

significant change

Complexity in the system

-New providers

-Managerialism

-Globalism/Internationalism

-Commercialisation/consumerism

Context

@kenton_lewis

Context

“The role of professional administrative and

support staff is becoming more pivotal as the

sector becomes more competitive, more

business and market focussed, and more

international…the old divide between academic

and “non-academic” is starting to change.”

(Wild and Wooldridge, 2009)

@kenton_lewis

Context

(HEFCE and Deloitte, 2012)

So how complex is the situation?

Here’s an overview of the English set up

Context

(Lewis, 2012)

Not just about overall complexity.

We should also consider the speed of change

HE Change 1963-2000

1963 Robbins Report

1986 Research Assessment

Exercise

1988 Education Reform Act

1992 FE&HE Act

FE&HE (Scotland) Act

1997 Dearing Report

1997 QAA Established

1998 Teaching and HE Act

HE Change since 2000

2003 Roberts Review (of

research assessment)

2004 The HE Act (variable fees

and OFFA)

2005 NSS

2006 Access Agreement

2010 The Browne Review

2011 White paper (Students at

the heart of HE)

2012 Introduction of £9k ‘fees’

2014 Research Excellence

Framework

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

PR

OF

ES

SIO

NA

LIS

M

IDE

NT

ITY

PROFESSIONAL BODY (AUA)

Theoretical Framework

@kenton_lewis

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

PR

OF

ES

SIO

NA

LIS

M

IDE

NT

ITY

PROFESSIONAL BODY (AUA)

Theoretical Framework

@kenton_lewis

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

IDE

NT

ITY

P

RO

FE

SS

ION

AL

SIM

PROFESSIONAL BODY (AUA)

Theoretical Framework

@kenton_lewis

13th Century - traditional, exclusionary definition: theology; law; and medicine.

19th Century - rise of ‘professional’ civil service; distinct from the ‘ruling classes’ and able to manage an increasingly complex government

19th/20th Century - occupational groups seeking professional recognition through collective association ethical codes / formal learning / licensing

On professionalism

@kenton_lewis

Yet there are differences between the traditional definitions and experienced understandings

Contemporary professionals face multiple, concurrent drivers: -gaining and managing expert knowledge -operating entrepreneurially -managing limited resources -navigating regulatory guidelines -meeting clients needs and expectations

Professionals are: -losing autonomy / authority -no longer sole owners of knowledge -experiencing increased levels of regulation

On professionalism

@kenton_lewis

‘trust’, ‘integrity’, ‘service’ and ‘authority’

being replaced by

‘quality assurance’, ‘performance

indicators’, ‘standards’, and ‘efficiency’

“professionalism is witnessing a lurch from

an ethic of service to an ethic of

performance” (Barnett, 2008)

On professionalism

@kenton_lewis

Considerations of ‘sameness’

Demonstrated through the affiliations we choose, and have chosen for us, with different groups

Inherent link with the verb to ‘identify’; something that needs to be established

Through identification, one’s identity is open to change and reconceptualisation over time

Identity is therefore a socially constructed entity which is constantly being reconfigured and reformed

On identity

@kenton_lewis

We are not limited to a single ‘identity’;

we all experience multiplicity

We all constantly reassert, reconsider and

reconceptualise our identities

Therefore any actuality, expectation or

threat of change is very likely to provoke

concerns about who or what we are

On identity

@kenton_lewis

Identity as a theme within HE:

Governmental desire for greater control over HE’s contribution to economy and society

New forms of regulation place greater burden on universities

Massification of the sector creates desire for recognition and status from different groups

Universities have become accustomed to operating in a multidimensional environment (public/private, competitive/collaborative)

Blurring of the boundaries between groups of all types and at all scales

On identity

@kenton_lewis

In such a context, identity is a process:

continuous; changing; reflexive; and

without a defined end point

Freedom to create new, or redefine

existing, identities

Creation of ‘third space’ roles, that

straddle the boundaries between

traditional views of ‘academic’ and ‘non-

academic’

On identity

@kenton_lewis

Analytical Framework

@kenton_lewis

Analytical Framework

@kenton_lewis

Nomenclature – the descriptors

individuals and collectives choose, and the

labels applied to them by others

The behaviours we (un)consciously

choose in order to shape our working

lives

How perceptions of ‘professional’ staff

are ascribed and (re)negotiated

Analytical Framework

@kenton_lewis

The relevance of acquired skills,

experience and qualifications in

enacting one’s duties and in engaging with

(academic) colleagues

The influence of perceived and formal

(relative) status

The formal and informal structures that

shape the environment in which HE

‘professionals’ (re)construct their identity

Analytical Framework

@kenton_lewis

The loss, or absence, of professional self-

confidence makes it disproportionately harder

to operate as a professional

lack of assurance and self-confidence prevent a

unified and proud claim of professional status

We need the self-confidence to champion and

promote our work as a desirable and rewarding

career that contributes to the greater good of

higher education and, by extension, to the

greater good of society

Collective self confidence

@kenton_lewis

Academic empathy as a key resource in

HE management

The need to better promote HE

management as a career of choice (the

“accidental administrator”)

The importance/relevance of collective

self-confidence

Opportunity to embrace the term ‘HE

professional’

My key observations

@kenton_lewis

Simple show of hands

Are you professional in your work?

YES

Are you a professional?

YES

Are you part of a profession?

YOU ARE IF YOU WANT TO BE!

@kenton_lewis

Professional Identity in higher education administration

and management

Kenton Lewis E kenton.lewis@heacademy.ac.uk

@kenton_lewis

BIS Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

DfE Department for Education

DH Department of Health

ENQA European Association for Quality Assurance in higher

education

HEFCE Higher Education Funding Council for England

HESA Higher Education Statistics Agency

HMRC Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

NHS BSA National Health Service Business Services Authority

NDPB Non Departmental Public Body

OIA Office of the Independent Adjudicator

OFFA Office for Fair Access

Ofsted Office for Standards in Education

PSRBs Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies

QAA Quality Assurance Agency

SHAs Strategic Health Authorities

SLC Student Loans Company

TDA Training and Development Agency

UCAS Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

UKBA United Kingdom Border Agency