This paper examines the introduction of New Public Management (NPM) into UK higher education, inv... more This paper examines the introduction of New Public Management (NPM) into UK higher education, investigating its effects on the constitution of professional identities and the implications for academic service. Given the gendered nature of university organizations and the pivotal role of women academics in servicing the needs of student customers, the research focuses on the experiences of female academics. The findings, based on interviews carried out in three universities, suggest that the discourses of NPM are promoting a narrow and normalized academic role. Broader definitions of academic service, providing the conditions for learning, creativity and critical reflection are increasingly being superseded. In all three cases a more gendered academic profile is being promoted which, for a range of reasons, women find more difficult to confront. The paper questions the definition of academic efficiency promoted by the new discourses, suggesting that this has negative consequences for both academic service and the profession.
This paper examines the introduction of New Public Management (NPM) into UK higher education, inv... more This paper examines the introduction of New Public Management (NPM) into UK higher education, investigating its effects on the constitution of professional identities and the implications for academic service. Given the gendered nature of university organizations and the pivotal role of women academics in servicing the needs of student customers, the research focuses on the experiences of female academics. The findings, based on interviews carried out in three universities, suggest that the discourses of NPM are promoting a narrow and normalized academic role. Broader definitions of academic service, providing the conditions for learning, creativity and critical reflection are increasingly being superseded. In all three cases a more gendered academic profile is being promoted which, for a range of reasons, women find more difficult to confront. The paper questions the definition of academic efficiency promoted by the new discourses, suggesting that this has negative consequences for both academic service and the profession.
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