External evaluation of the administration

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External evaluation of the administration

• University of Helsinki
• 2004 - 2005

Marika Tammeaid / November 2005
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Contents

• Evaluation process
• Results and
• recommendations
• Management system
• and organisation
• of administrative work

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Evaluationprocess

• Appointment of the panel by rector
• Systematic evaluation of research and teaching
• Considerable administrative reforms already
  accoplished
• Idea-group, Steering group and Follow-up group
• Broad engagement
• External evaluation panel
• Almost national
• Knowledge and experience from administrative
  organisations, private sector and public
  administration evaluation
• From Summer 2004 until Summer 2005

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Members of the evaluation panel

• Jorma Sipilä, Chancellor, University of Tampere,
  chair
• Tarmo Haavisto, Head of Division, Lund University
  
• Timo Jauhiainen, Quality Manager, Finland Post
  Group
• Pekka Pajakkala, Research Manager, Technical
  Research Centre
• Eila Rekilä, Emerita Director of Administration,
  University of Vaasa
• Pirjo Ståhle, Professor of Knowledge Management,
  Lappeenranta University of Technology
• Eero Suominen, Managing Director, Consultant
• Matti Vartiainen, Professor of Work Psychology,
  Helsinki University of Technology
• Ilkka Virtanen, Professor of Operations Research
  and Management Science, Dean, University of
  Vaasa
• Marika Tammeaid, Liaison Manager, Department for
  Strategic Planning, secretary

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Objectives of the evaluation

• The appropriate size, organisation and function
  of the administration
• The improvement of the conditions of leadership
• The streamlining of service processes and the
  improvement of the quality of services
• The development and maintenance of the
  professional skills and know-how of the
  administrative staff
• The appropriate division of labour between the
  teaching staff and the administrative staff
• Increasing transparency and cooperation

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Suggestions for improvement in the following
areas of administration

• Preparation and implementation of strategies,
• operations management processes,
• budgeting,
• human resources management,
• research administration and
• facilities management.

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ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
17.10.2005 eh/mt
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FACULTY STRUCTURE 17.10.2005
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Sources of information

• Administrative documents
• Written self-assesment reports of 16 units
• November 2004
• Site visits and inteviews
• January 2005
• Interviews of university top management
• Januari March 2005

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Process inside the university

• Report wrinting, January May 2005
• 27 recommendations
• Report was submitted to Rector Ilkka Niiniluoto
  on 19 May 2005
• Internal and external publicity
• Submitted to consistorium in june
• Public debate in the Assembly Hall in August
• Realisation group began its work in June 2005

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Results

• The nature of the administrative tasks requires a
  well-defined organisation.
• However, at the University of Helsinki the
  organisation of administration does not function
  this way.
• Many tasks are decentralised to a level where the
  administrative staff of departments and
  institutes cannot cope with all their demanding
  responsibilities. Staff members also often lack
  proper administration-oriented education and
  support from their superiors.

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The administration of the University must be
examined as a single entity

• The central, faculty and departmental
  administration must comply with practices.
• The responsibility for overall administrative
  development and the improvement of the competence
  of all staff groups must be clearly defined at
  the organisational level and in individual units.
• Administrative duties must be performed in units
  that have the adequate expertise. The
  administration must have its own internal
  management system that guarantees the
  availability of expertise, further training, and
  back-up personnel.

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Difficult leadership

• Leadership comes about case-specifically,
• the University as an institution does not support
  structures of durable management.
• The recruitment of academic directors has proven
  to be difficult.
• short terms of management,
• personal sacrifice?
• scarcity of benefits of becoming an academic
  director
• no systematic training
• However, academic leadership is imperative

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Can one person handle it all?

• As an organisation, the University must
  acknowledge the fact
• that it cannot manage research, teaching and
  administration with the present system of
  academic leadership.
• The processes of managing academic activities,
  research projects and administration all differ
  from each other and require various different
  kinds of expertise.

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Up-dating administrative ICT-systems

• Administrative ICT-systems must produce essential
  information for the management of core processes,
  so that the units will not need, for example,
  unit-specific bookkeeping in order to obtain
  information on their finances or personnel.

• The parameters must be accessible,
• up-to-date and easily available and comparable,
  and
• everyone must be aware of them.

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Research management

• Until now, external funding has not enjoyed the
  status it deserves in the administration or
  management of the University
• no knowledge of the number of external projects
  or
• the basic resources (administrative services,
  facilities and equipment) used.
• Projects funded externally are not usually
  included in the budget, and the departments do
  not calculate the total overheads of the projects
  when examining departmental income and
  expenditure.
• The existence of these projects is noted and
  their progress is monitored, but they are not
  managed or given objectives.

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Professional research management needed

• Too few staff members capable of launching or
  managing a major research project (across
  departmental and faculty boundaries) and of
  supervising the research staff.
• Competence in managing research projects must be
  purposefully improved.

• Administrative work must be balanced among the
  basic tasks of the University.
• More flexible procedures in financial
  administration of the external money
• Stronger over-head policy, transparent and
  consistent monitoring of the actual costs

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The successful management of human resources is
vital for the University

• The University must monitor the well-being of its
  staff
• react to the findings and
• determine clear leadership responsibilities,
• improve the permanent crisis management resources
  of its faculties and departments
• Administration must acknowledge the international
  aspects be able to provide services to its
  multilingual and multicultural community.
• Effective administration must not be undermined
  by hiring staff on the basis of criteria
  unrelated to the duties of vacant positions.

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The volume, expenses and timing of the
development work must be under control

• The University must guarantee adequate time for
  research and teaching
• A special duty of the Administration Office is to
  act as a filter protecting and supporting the
  implementation of the Universitys core duties in
  the units (the government should do the same)
• Action programmes must always clearly specify who
  bears responsibility for the implementation of
  the relevant actions and for the reporting of
  results.
• The development measures must support the core
  functions, namely research, teaching and societal
  interaction.
• The expenses should be calculated.

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Is it possible that a high-quality research
university is badly organised?

• A broad understanding of problems exists
• Administration is moderately resourced
• Very good units exist
• The departments and institutes of the University
  that are the most dependent on external resources
  are also the most self-aware units regarding the
  effects of the arrangements of their
  administration.
• Good administrative practices are in use, but
  they are not spread.

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The improvement of the internal performance of an
organisation must be included in the strategy.
Goal-oriented steering of the internal
performance of administration supports the
implementation and cost-effectiveness of the
Universitys basic duties.
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Streamlined administration and good leadership?

• Requires that all actors are willing to see
  administration not only as a necessity but also
  as a resource.
• Good governance can be maintained and enjoyed
  only if the University is able to seriously
  inspect and rethink the preconditions of its
  activities.
• Administration forms a collective whole,
  requiring joint rules and appreciating the work
  of others.