The decollegialization of higher education institutions in Sweden

Figures & data

Table 1. Different management models for university governance.

	Collegial model	Organizational democracy	Line management model (bureaucracy with management-influences)
What type of leadership?	Primus/prima inter pares	Democratic leader	Strong (generic) leadership (‘manager’)
Appointment	From below	From below	From above
Who are eligible to elect representatives in collegial bodies?	Demands entrance to the profession, i.e. a PhD	Employees and students	Not applicable
What type of decision-making structure?	Professional judgement (decentralized)	Employee and student influence (decentralized)	Rational-legal forms of decision-making (centralized)
Essential feature	Expertise	Participation	Management autonomy
What type of control?	Occupational control of the work’s core activities	Employee and student accountability	Accountability, target-setting, and performance review

Source: Authors’ adaption of Evetts (2006); Lazega (2001); Sahlin and Eriksson-Zetterquist (2016).

Table 2. Appointment of chair of faculty boards (usually Dean), 2020.

HEI	Procedure	Right to vote
Old universities
UU	Election	Teachers and researchers with PhD.
LU	Election	All employees
GU	Election	All employees
SU	Election	All teachers and researchers
UmU	Nomination committee	Committee appointed by heads of department
LiU	Election	Teachers
Specialized HEIs
KI	Vice-Chancellor is chair of faculty board
KTH	Nomination committee	Committee appointed by Faculty Council
LTU	Nomination committee	Committee appointed by teachers
SLU	Election	Employees with a PhD
Young universities
KaU	Election	All employees
LnU	Recruitment group led by Vice-Chancellor	Consults employees
OrU	Nomination committee	Committee appointed by Vice-Chancellor
MiU	Nomination committee	Committee appointed by teachers
MaU	Advisory recruitment process
University colleges
BTH	Election	Teachers
FHS	Suggestion by Vice-Chancellor and nomination committee	Committee appointed by Vice-Chancellor
GIH	Nomination committee	Committee appointed by teachers with a PhD
HB	Election	Teachers
DU	Selected among members	Hearing of collegial body
HiG	Election	Teachers
HH	Election	All employees
HKr	Heading employees
HS	Selected among the professors at the faculty
HV	Suggestion by collegial body among its members
MDH	Election	Teachers and researchers
SH	Election	Teachers and researchers
Art colleges
KF	Pro-Vice-Chancellor is chair of collegial body
KKH	Pro-/Vice-Chancellor is chair of collegial body
KMH	Election	Teachers
SKH	Selected among board members	Suggestion from nomination committee

Source: Official documents listed per HEI in Supplemental material.

Table 3. Right to vote in elections to faculty boards or equivalent bodies, 2020.

HEI	Right to vote
Old universities
UU	Teachers and researchers with a PhD
LU	All employees
GU	All employees
SU	Teachers and researchers
UmU	Teachers with a PhD
LiU	Teachers
Specialized higher education institutions
KI	Teachers and researchers with a PhD
KTH	No faculty board or equivalent collegial body
LTU	All teachers
SLU	All employees with a position requiring a PhD
Young universities
KaU	All employees
LnU	All employees
OrU	Teachers with a PhD. There is a position on the board for junior lecturers (without a PhD) for which they have the right to vote.
MiU	Teachers
MaU	All employees
University colleges
BTH	No faculty board or equivalent collegial body
FHS	Teachers
GIH	Appointed after preparation in recruitment group. Committee members are appointed by teachers with a PhD.
HB	Teachers
DU	Teachers and researchers
HiG	Teachers
HH	All employees
HKr	Teachers
HiS	Teachers
HV	Appointed by collegial bodies at departmental level. At this level all teachers have the right to vote
MDH	Teachers and researchers
SH	Teachers and researchers
Art colleges
KF	Teachers
KKH	Appointed by Vice-Chancellor after suggestion from nomination committee
KMH	Teachers
SKH	Teachers

Source: Official documents listed per HEI in Supplemental material.

Table 4. Decision-making authority at the undergraduate and advanced levels before and after the Autonomy Reform in 2010 and 2020.

Note: Comments: Shaded cells: The decision-making powers of a collegial body. White cells: The decision of a single manager in the line organization or HEI top management. The table does not specify whether decision-making powers are further delegated in the organization.

Abbreviations: Collegial body (C), line manager (L), Board of Governors (BoG) and Vice-Chancellor (VC).

Source: Official documents listed per HEI in Supplemental material.

Table 5. Decision-making authority at the postgraduate level in 2020.

Note: Comments: Shaded cells: The decision of a collegial body. White cells: The decision of a single manager in the line organization or HEI top management. The table does not specify whether decision-making powers are further delegated in the organization.

Abbreviations: Collegial body (C), line manager (L), Board of Governors (BoG) and Vice-Chancellor (VC).

Source: Official documents listed per HEI in Supplemental material.

Evetts, J. (2006). Introduction: Trust and professionalism – Challenges and occupational changes. Current Sociology, 54(4), 515–531. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392106065083

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Lazega, E. (2001). The collegial phenomenon: The social mechanisms of cooperation among peers in a corporate law partnership. Oxford University Press.

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Sahlin, K., & Eriksson-Zetterquist, U. (2016). Collegiality in modern universities – the composition of governance ideals and practices. Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 2016, 2–3. https://doi.org/10.3402/nstep.v2.33640

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