Deans: The Faculty’s New Managers

This chapter uses interviews with faculty deans to assess what they anticipated their role would involve, for many this was primarily guiding teaching and research, compared to what their role entails. The chapter explores how deans see their role primarily as managers tasked with reaching KPIs set by those above them, and also contending with the personal issues that come with running a team. Indeed, as majority of deans see their work as being financial managers, their traditional role of leading the faculty’s research and teaching direction is now often left to those below them. The change in the dean’s role has been severe for those in the position long-term and who have been a part of the field’s change, but it has also meant that new deans (having already held senior academic positions) are entering the position knowing this is the case. While the fact that deans are now managers has also increased the opportunity for people with little academic experience to successfully become deans due to their management skills. This change not only sees an increased managerial aspect to universities as again, success is being measured on performance metrics, but the title and doxa of ‘dean’ remains the same, when the role has few aspects left of what was traditionally part of the role.