The review of administration at The University of Sydney: a case study

Abstract

Australian higher education institutions have, since the late 1980s, been subjected to strong internal and external pressures. They face increased competition for education and research activities, coupled with greater demands for accountability from governments. These pressures, which began with the Dawkins white paper in 1988, culminated at the University of Sydney in 1992 in an extensive review of the activities of its central administration. Thereview, assisted by the Boston Consulting Group, resulted in significant recommendations which challenged traditional assumptions about the role of university administration. A controversial implementation phase resulted, during which the University struggled with the recommendations. Whilst the review process itself is over, the changes the review precipitated are still unfolding. As the first major attempt at comprehensive reform within the University of Sydney, the review processes and outcomes merit detailed examination.

Notes

∗Rebecca Dixon was formerly a research assistant at the Graduate School of Business, the University of Sydney where Simon Domberger is the Bowater Professor of Management. The authors are grateful to numerous individuals both within and outside the University for many helpful comments and to referees of this Journal for useful feedback on an earlier draft. Responsibility for the contents of this paper, including errors and omissions, is the authors’ alone.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Simon Domberger∗

∗Rebecca Dixon was formerly a research assistant at the Graduate School of Business, the University of Sydney where Simon Domberger is the Bowater Professor of Management. The authors are grateful to numerous individuals both within and outside the University for many helpful comments and to referees of this Journal for useful feedback on an earlier draft. Responsibility for the contents of this paper, including errors and omissions, is the authors’ alone.