Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > Middle managers’ experience of policy implement...

Research

Associated organisational units

Links

Text available via DOI:

Keywords

View graph of relations

Middle managers’ experience of policy implementation and mediation in the context of the Scottish quality enhancement framework

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Published

Standard

Middle managers’ experience of policy implementation and mediation in the context of the Scottish quality enhancement framework. / Saunders, Murray; Sin, Cristina.
In: Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 40, No. 1, 4, 2014, p. 135-150.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Saunders, M & Sin, C 2014, 'Middle managers’ experience of policy implementation and mediation in the context of the Scottish quality enhancement framework', Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 40, no. 1, 4, pp. 135-150. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2014.892056

APA

Saunders, M., & Sin, C. (2014). Middle managers’ experience of policy implementation and mediation in the context of the Scottish quality enhancement framework. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 40(1), 135-150. Article 4. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2014.892056

Vancouver

Saunders M, Sin C. Middle managers’ experience of policy implementation and mediation in the context of the Scottish quality enhancement framework. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. 2014;40(1):135-150. 4. Epub 2014 Mar 6. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2014.892056

Author

Saunders, Murray ; Sin, Cristina. / Middle managers’ experience of policy implementation and mediation in the context of the Scottish quality enhancement framework. In: Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. 2014 ; Vol. 40, No. 1. pp. 135-150.

Bibtex

@article{c40d1f4f2ae445e7ba18794db10bc8a6,
title = "Middle managers{\textquoteright} experience of policy implementation and mediation in the context of the Scottish quality enhancement framework",
abstract = "This paper analyses how middle managers perform and experience their role inenacting policy in Scottish higher education institutions. The policy focus is thequality enhancement framework (QEF) for learning and teaching in higher education, which was launched in 2003. The data-set was collected between 2008 and 2010, during the evaluation of the QEF by means of focus groups withmiddle managers at nine Scottish institutions. The metaphor of a policyimplementation staircase helps to situate middle managers{\textquoteright} position in enactment, and analyse their experience of the role. Despite the values of collegiality and ownership upheld by the QEF, middle managers{\textquoteright} accounts of their practices reveal that their position at the interface between university management and core academic activities continues to be a delicate one, marked by contradictory allegiances to institutional strategies and the concerns of academic colleagues. While emphasising middle managers{\textquoteright} pivotal role in the implementation of the QEF policy, the data paradoxically suggest that the systemic positioning of middle managers is more influential in shaping their role of mediation than the values of collegiality and ownership promoted by this enhancement approach to quality specific to Scotland. ",
keywords = "middle managers, quality enhancement framework, quality ",
author = "Murray Saunders and Cristina Sin",
year = "2014",
doi = "10.1080/02602938.2014.892056",
language = "English",
volume = "40",
pages = "135--150",
journal = "Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education",
issn = "0260-2938",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "1",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Middle managers’ experience of policy implementation and mediation in the context of the Scottish quality enhancement framework

AU - Saunders, Murray

AU - Sin, Cristina

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - This paper analyses how middle managers perform and experience their role inenacting policy in Scottish higher education institutions. The policy focus is thequality enhancement framework (QEF) for learning and teaching in higher education, which was launched in 2003. The data-set was collected between 2008 and 2010, during the evaluation of the QEF by means of focus groups withmiddle managers at nine Scottish institutions. The metaphor of a policyimplementation staircase helps to situate middle managers’ position in enactment, and analyse their experience of the role. Despite the values of collegiality and ownership upheld by the QEF, middle managers’ accounts of their practices reveal that their position at the interface between university management and core academic activities continues to be a delicate one, marked by contradictory allegiances to institutional strategies and the concerns of academic colleagues. While emphasising middle managers’ pivotal role in the implementation of the QEF policy, the data paradoxically suggest that the systemic positioning of middle managers is more influential in shaping their role of mediation than the values of collegiality and ownership promoted by this enhancement approach to quality specific to Scotland.

AB - This paper analyses how middle managers perform and experience their role inenacting policy in Scottish higher education institutions. The policy focus is thequality enhancement framework (QEF) for learning and teaching in higher education, which was launched in 2003. The data-set was collected between 2008 and 2010, during the evaluation of the QEF by means of focus groups withmiddle managers at nine Scottish institutions. The metaphor of a policyimplementation staircase helps to situate middle managers’ position in enactment, and analyse their experience of the role. Despite the values of collegiality and ownership upheld by the QEF, middle managers’ accounts of their practices reveal that their position at the interface between university management and core academic activities continues to be a delicate one, marked by contradictory allegiances to institutional strategies and the concerns of academic colleagues. While emphasising middle managers’ pivotal role in the implementation of the QEF policy, the data paradoxically suggest that the systemic positioning of middle managers is more influential in shaping their role of mediation than the values of collegiality and ownership promoted by this enhancement approach to quality specific to Scotland.

KW - middle managers

KW - quality enhancement framework

KW - quality

U2 - 10.1080/02602938.2014.892056

DO - 10.1080/02602938.2014.892056

M3 - Journal article

VL - 40

SP - 135

EP - 150

JO - Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education

JF - Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education

SN - 0260-2938

IS - 1

M1 - 4

ER -