Academic work from a comparative perspective: a survey of faculty working time across 13 countries

• Published in: Higher education Vol. 63; no. 4; pp. 529 - 547
• Main Authors: Bentley, Peter James, Kyvik, Svein
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.04.2012; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Academic freedom; Academic personnel; Academic profession; Academic rank; Academic Rank (Professional); Academic staff; Academic staff workload; Academic writing; Argentina; Argentinien; Ausland; Australia; Australia-overseas comparisons; Brasilien; Brazil; Canada; Careers; China; College Faculty; College Instruction; College professors; Colleges & universities; Colleges and universities; Comparative Analysis; Comparative Education; Comparative studies; Conformity; Countries; Cultural Influences; Education; Education, Secondary; Educational administration; Educational Change; Educational Environment; Educational policy; Educational research; Employment; Evidence; Faculty Workload; Finland; Finnland; Foreign Countries; Germany; Global Approach; Globalization; Großbritannien; Hegemony; Higher Education; Hochschule; Hong Kong; Hongkong; Hours of work; Imitation; Institutional Mission; International cooperation; International Education; Isomorphism; Italien; Italy; Kanada; Labor time; Malaysia; Norway; Norwegen; Organizational Theories; Part Time Faculty; Performance management; Professors; Research Universities; Resource allocation; Social Theories; Socialization; Sociology; Surveys; Teacher Role; Teacher Surveys; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Teaching models; Teaching profession; Time; Time management; U.S.A; United Kingdom; Universities; USA; Work hours; Working conditions; Working hours; Working time; Workloads; Österreich; Australia; Argentina; United States > US; Norway; China; Hong Kong China; Italy; Baltimore Maryland; Working time; Isomorphism; Workloads; Higher education; Academic profession
• ISSN: 0018-1560; 1573-174X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10734-011-9457-4

Sociological institutional theory views universities as model driven organizations. The world's stratification system promotes conformity, imitation and isomorphism towards the "best" university models. Accordingly, academic roles may be locally shaped in minor ways, but are defined and measured explicitly in global terms. We test this proposition using data on the allocation of working time between academic tasks at research universities in thirteen countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, Norway, UK, and the USA. We find that working time patterns differ significantly across countries, suggesting that conditions of academic work remain heavily dependent on national higher education traditions. Faculty members holding the highest professorial rank share more in common, with generally stronger interests in research and a greater time dedication to research over teaching. However, in countries with comparably steep academic hierarchies, professor positions typically entail significantly fewer teaching hours and more administration. (HRK / Abstract übernommen).