Higher Education in Lebanon: Management Cultures and Their Impact on Performance Outcomes
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
HIGHER EDUCATION IN LEBANON: MANAGEMENT CULTURES AND THEIR IMPACT ON PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES By Diane Issa Nauffal A thesis submitted to the School of Education of the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Education The University of Birmingham September 2004 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT The social and economic development of a country and its competitiveness in continuously shifting international markets depends on the skills and competencies of its people achieved through education, particularly higher education. This research study takes a close look at the higher education system in Lebanon. It attempts to identify the principal management cultures in seven institutes of higher education each adopting a different educational system – American, French, Egyptian and Lebanese. McNay’s quartet of collegium, bureaucracy, corporation and enterprise was used as a main reference, with positioning on the model determined by the two dimensions of policy definition and control over implementation each defined as either ‘loose’ or ‘tight’. The study describes and analyzes the organisational structures of the institutions in an attempt to determine the characteristics of the power and authority relationships of each culture and the modes of decision-making. The research study further investigates the degree of academic freedom and institutional autonomy, the measures of accountability and the mechanisms of internal and external scrutiny adopted by the institutes. The impact of culture and other elements such as history, structure, organisational effectiveness and quality on faculty and staff satisfaction, student satisfaction, student destinations and the responsiveness of the organisation to new demands are also examined. To achieve this end, firstly faculty and staff members’ perceptions of various issues related to the management culture, the power authority relationships, the decision-making processes and the modes of operation of the institutions were surveyed through specifically designed faculty questionnaires. This was supported by data from semi- structured interviews with faculty members at varying levels of the organisational hierarchy and information from documents provided by the institutions. Secondly, students’ perceptions of the management cultures and their satisfaction with the quality of the educational experience they were attaining were surveyed through a student questionnaire. The findings suggest that the institutes of higher learning, consisting of several private institutes and one public institution, operate within a competitive market environment. While McNay’s typology served as a base to begin to categorise the management cultures of these institutes, no neat categorisation emerged from the combination of the various data sources used in the study. On the contrary, elements of all four cultures exist in all universities, with dominance for features of the bureaucratic and the corporate cultures. Factors such as the degree of secularisation of the institutions and the cultural origins of the institutions, whether Lebanese, Arab or Western, seem to impact on institutional culture and are manifested in a distinctive personalised mode of management that emphasises control, power and loyalty, which are deep seated cultural traits of the people of Lebanon and the region. In evaluating the changing environment of higher education, student views on ‘quality’ are also important. In terms of educational outcomes, students in all institutions expressed satisfaction with the education they were receiving. All students were attaining a solid theoretical education; however students in American patterned universities were exposed to a more liberal form of learning whereby they are actually involved in the creation of knowledge by participating in research and project activity. Moreover, through regular programs and extra curricula activities, they are provided with opportunities to develop skills and competencies in areas they find personally fulfilling. The implications of the findings for higher education policy in Lebanon are discussed. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my thanks to the many people and institutions whose support, encouragement and cooperation led to the successful completion of this thesis. First, my gratitude goes to my mother and father who gave me devoted support throughout the course of this work. I thank my husband David, and my daughter Mary and my son Victor for their patience and understanding and for their inspiration and encouragement by maintaining an exceptional degree of interest in my work. My sincere thanks go to the presidents of the universities who were kind enough to open their universities for research; the faculty and staff members of the universities who patiently participated in the semi-structured interviews and responded to the questionnaires midst their hectic schedules; and the students of the universities who responded to the questionnaires. Last but not least, my appreciation goes to my supervisor, Professor Lynn Davies whose sincere and consistent guidance and support throughout the course of this study brought this thesis to a successful completion. TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION TOPIC PAGE Abstract Acknowledgements Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables Abbreviations CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Introduction 1 1.1 The Higher Education System in Lebanon 2 1.2 The Statement of the Problem 5 1.3 Research Aims 8 1.4 Theoretical Frameworks 10 1.5 Methodology 12 1.6 Position of the Researcher 13 1.7 Conclusion 14 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE Introduction 15 SECTION TOPIC PAGE 2.1 Origins of Universities 16 2.2 Higher Education Systems: Public and Private 18 2.2.1 The Development of the Private Sector Around the Globe 21 2.3 Privatisation 23 2.3.1 Consequences of Privatisation 25 2.4 Management Trends 27 2.4.1 Managerialism 28 2.5 Management Typologies 29 2.6 Different Visions of Organisations 39 2.7 Organisations as Cultures 42 2.8 Quality in Higher Education 46 2.9 Summary 52 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY Introduction 54 3.1 Research Queries 54 3.2 Research Strategies 56 3.3 Qualitative and Quantitative Research 58 3.4 Triangulation 61 3.5 Methods 63 3.6 Sampling Procedure 63 SECTION TOPIC PAGE 3.6.1 Sampling Strategies 65 3.6.1.1 Student Sample for Questionnaire 67 3.6.1.2. Faculty Sample for Questionnaire 70 3.6.1.3. Faculty Sample for Interviews 71 3.7 Research Techniques 71 3.8 Questionnaire Design 72 3.9 Pilot Study 75 3.10 The Semi-Structured Interviews 80 3.11 Document Analysis 81 3.12 Data Analysis 82 3.13 Limitations 84 3.14 Summary 85 CHAPTER FOUR: ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES Introduction 86 4.1 Organisational Structures of Different Institutional Models 86 4.2 The American Institutional Pattern 87 4.2.1 The Board of Trustees 88 4.2.2 The President of the University 92 4.2.3 The Provost and Vice-Presidents 95 4.2.4 The Senate 98 SECTION TOPIC PAGE 4.2.5 The Board of Deans 100 4.2.6 The Faculty 102 4.3 The Egyptian Institutional Pattern 104 4.3.1 The Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education 105 4.3.2 The University Higher Council 107 4.3.3 The President of the University 107 4.3.4 The University Council 107 4.3.5 The Secretary General 108 4.3.6 The Faculty Council 109 4.3.7 The Department Council 109 4.4 The French Institutional Pattern 110 4.4.1 Le Compagnie de Jésus 110 4.4.2 The President 112 4.4.3 The Vice-Presidents 113 4.4.4 The University Council 113 4.4.5 The Restricted Council 114 4.4.6 The General Secretary 115 4.4.7 The Faculty 115 4.5 The Lebanese Institutional Pattern 116 4.5.1 The Cabinet of Ministers 118 4.5.2 The Curator (Regent) Minister (The Minister of National Education) 118 4.5.3 The President 119 SECTION TOPIC PAGE 4.5.4 The University Council 119 4.5.5 The General Secretary 120 4.5.6 The Faculty 121 4.5.7 The Branch 121 4.7 Summary 123 CHAPTER FIVE: MANAGEMENT CULTURES Introduction 125 5.1 The Governing Bodies and the Mode of Decision-Making 125 5.2 Academic Freedom and Autonomy of Faculty Members 135 5.3 Management Cultures 151 5.4 Conclusion 175 CHAPTER SIX: ACCOUNTABILITY AND AUTONOMY Introduction 178 6.1 Government Control 180 6.2 Accountability 186 6.3 Performance 191 6.4 Influences on Promotion 196 6.5 Institutional Modes of Promotion 200 6.6 Conclusion 203 SECTION TOPIC PAGE CHAPTER SEVEN STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR LEARNING EXPERIENCE Introduction 205 7.1 Factors Influencing Students’ Choice of Institution 205 7.2 Gender and Choice of Institution 211 7.3 Educational Experiences 212 7.3.1 Students’ Perceptions of the Management Culture of the Institution 213 7.3.2 Student Recognition of the Mission of the Institution 219 7.3.3 Students’ Perceptions of the Teaching/Learning Process 222 7.3.4 Students’ Perceptions of the Quality of Academic and Non-academic Services 232 7.3.5 Students’ Perceptions of Their Destination on Graduation 236 7.4 Gender and Educational Experiences 239 7.5 Conclusion 240 CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUDING