Managing a meritocracy or an equitable organisation? Senior managers’ and employees’ views about equal opportunities policies in UK universities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11487592 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rosemary Deem (0000-0003-3081-7225, University of Bristol, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 615-636 |
| Publication date | 2007-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Education Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0268-0939 • E-ISSN: 1464-5106 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02680930701625247 |
| OpenAlex | W2167246226 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 16 |
| References cited | 33 |
This article examines the views of staff employed in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) about how those institutions are dealing with the impact of recent UK equality legislation and related European employment directives. Assumptions underlying current approaches to equality in UK HEIs are examined, particularly the notion of meritocracy, which advocates job selection and promotion based on normatively and culturally neutral measures of merit. The article is based on a project funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, using qualitative case studies of six English, Welsh and Scottish HEIs. The project data suggest that equality policies for staff and students are in tension with each other, that staff policies may clash with other institutional policies, for example on research excellence or enhancing the student experience, and that the rhetoric of equality policies is not always matched by the day‐to‐day experience of staff. The article suggests that the case study UK HEIs, with their continued focus on meritocracy and excellence, have not yet adapted to the new climate of employee equality legislation and perhaps need to consider a different approach than the meritocratic one
Excellence · Higher education · Legislation · Meritocracy · Political science · Politics · Promotion (chess · Public relations · Sociology · Welsh · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Higher Education Governance and Development · Law · Management and Organizational Studies · Public Administration
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| Unique citing works | 16 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,94 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2025 (17) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 15 |