This paper explores some of the implications for research management in universities of the explicit identification of areas of research focus. In particular, it examines how research facilitation can work with research focus to enable universities to organise and project their research capabilities more effectively. This combination of research…

Institutional research in UK higher education is rarely consolidated into a central office function. This is in marked comparison to the position of IR in the USA where most universities accord it a high status which is absent from the UK context. The collection, analysis and interpretation of data in the USA appears, on the whole, more systematic…

Institutional research (IR) has a variety of definitions. International societies, such as the US-based Association for Institutional Research (AIR), stress not so much the topics of research, but the outcomes: "improved understanding, planning, management, and operation of postsecondary educational institutions and agencies"; "promote the…

The varied roles and scope of the field of institutional research (IR) make any overview of this administrative function difficult. In the USA, colleges and universities may have a large, well-defined administrative unit performing data tasks to support decision-making, or they may have only a part-time individual who coordinates basic reporting…

Universities are increasingly accountable for their research output, not only to government but also to an increasingly diverse range of funding bodies. However, the growth in research management structures has been neither universal nor evenly distributed. It would be easy to cite lack of resources as the reason for the uneven development between…

It is not uncommon to find that the research support office in a university or organisation has been, is going through or is about to be restructured. This observation may reflect the ever-changing requirement and roles of those based within these functions, yet it might also be a symptom that traditional models are sub-optimal and below standards…

In this article, the author identifies six "traps" of institutional research. These traps are: (1) the seductive power of scenarios; (2) that change is the solution to everything; (3) "benchmarking for comfort"; (4) fixation on Research Assessment Exercise (RAE); (5) reputation over quality; and (6) dealing with the counter-intuitive. The author…

This paper is based on a case study of one university's efforts in "self study," or "institutional research," presented at the first UK Institutional Research (IR) conference. It offers a critical account of work in progress at the University of Brighton to try to establish good data habits, embracing collection, analysis and usage. It does not…

An emerging literature is beginning to create a theoretical framework for analysing the role of professional managers in the context of UK higher education. In this article, the author argues, drawing from his own experience in a range of higher education institutions, that this literature misses a crucial distinction amongst professional managers…

This article examines one specific organisational development tool in depth and uses a case study to investigate whether using the tool is more than a tick-box exercise and really can add value and help organisations to develop and improve. The People Management Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) is used to examine higher education institutions' (HEIs)…

This paper arises out of a study conducted for the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education on "Professional Managers in UK Higher Education: Preparing for Complex Futures," and focuses on those aspects relating to professional and career development. The author reviewed understandings in the literature about the roles and identities of…

"Tick Off to Take Off (TOTTO)" is an online pre-departure guide for UK undergraduates intending to study abroad. It aims to simplify the application process, centralise information, increase efficiency and improve retention rates. TOTTO responds to the changing climate surrounding study abroad in UK universities and offers one way to address calls…

Whilst the leadership and management of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) have become a subject for increased research and discussion, it is a concern that most of the sector has made little progress in ensuring its ability to recruit and develop the next generation of senior managers and leaders. A survey among the Directors of Human Resources…

The increase in student numbers and the decline in the average unit of resource since the 1990s together with the changes brought about by rising student expectations are familiar circumstances to anyone working in higher education. The authors perceive this as part of the move towards a consumer culture in the public sector. This paper gives an…

This is the second part of a paper based on one delivered at the AUA Annual Conference, Promoting Excellence in HE Management, at the University of Nottingham, 2-4 April 2007. It continues discussion of the application of employment legislation to university restructuring exercises, and in particular, the application of the Transfer of…