Slack Resources as a Lever for Excellence: A Case Study of Higher Education Management

Abstract

Managing higher education institutions involves a constant struggle between safeguarding the agency and autonomy of the staff and the stewardship of financial resources for stability, regulatory compliance and job security. Previous research has identified the increased reliance on managerialist academic work allocation models, while also acknowledging the innate de-professionalization these models may infer. We report a longitudinal case study of the implementation of a new approach to academic work allocation in higher education in a Swedish university. This new approach utilized slack resources to enhance the autonomy and performance of the staff in a strive for excellence. We show how the approach resulted in a substantial increase in both the quality of operations as well as working environment, while simultaneously introducing new challenges to management. Based on our findings, we offer recommendations to managers that strive to build and maintain higher education excellence and call for new research.