Proposed use of a Shared Services Structure for improving academic quality at public universities

Abstract

University academic performance is normally measured against criteria for teaching and learning, research output, academic citizenship and more recently community engagement. Academics spend a considerable portion of their time on administration matters – at the expense of teaching and learning, research and community engagement time despite having administrative support staff available to support them. This use of their time on administrative matters affects their performance and effectiveness on their core functions. This problem is also exacerbated by declining governmental funding and by pressures from university management to increase research output in terms of completed studies of masters and doctorate candidates and publications in accredited journals as a means of supplementing the university income.

This study supports the view that academics prefer a structure in which there is increased quality and increased effectiveness of administrative support services resulting in decreasing administrative loads on academics through the use of shared services. Shared services structures are now being widely used by many large organisations which has resulted in improving the performance of administrative supporting services and in increasing the productivity of the core functions similar to those that reside within academia.