The Rationalities of Merging

Author(s):

Niels Glaesner(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

23. Policy Studies and Politics of Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

23 SES 07 C, The Rationality of Merging in Further and Higher Education

Paper Session

Time:

2017-08-23

17:15-18:45

Room:

K4.17

Chair:

Jon Kjaran

Contribution

In the period since the early 1990’s a general tendency can be observed across multiple sectors in Danish public service. Through a number of institutional reforms, organizations have merged and thereby grown in size (Aagaard et al. 2016, Pedersen 2008). This tendency can be identified in organizations in both secondary and tertiary education (Wiedemann 2016). The paper explores the arguments that legitimize reforms using mergers as a tool to create more efficient institutions.

In much research literature, organizational mergers are known to be difficult processes that can be stressful for the involved parties and often do not deliver on the expectation of efficiency gains that motivated them (Geissner 2016, Seo & Hill 2005). Similar descriptions can be found in the literature centered on public service institutions. (Borum & Pedersen 2008, Locke 2007). Much seems to be at risk when deciding to merge, so the question becomes: why risk it?

Starting from a case study of two vocational colleges that have merged over the last couple of years, the paper analyzes two decades of policy papers that outline education reform. The paper seeks to answer the following question:

How are mergers rationalized as solutions to problems in educational policy and what are the consequences for educational organizations?

Inspired by the post-Foucauldian tradition of governmentality studies (Dean 2010, McKee 2009, Rose 1999) as well as policy analysis (Bacchi 2012, Ball 1993) the purpose of the paper is to contextualize the case study by mapping the rationalities present in the policy papers. The paper does this through a reading of policy documents in which mergers are suggested as a means of reform. The focus is on the period between the mid 1990’s and until the late 2000’s, a period which saw the biggest wave of reorganization through mergers in recent Danish history.

This development is not specific to Denmark, but can be observed in other Nordic Countries as well (Pinhiero et al. 2016, Kyvik 2013, Skodvin 1999). This transnational dimension will be pursued through a reading of OECD evaluations of Danish institutional structures.

Method

The paper draws on three theoretical approaches: Discourse analysis (Pedersen & Kjær 2001, Laclau & Mouffe 1985), policy analysis (Bacchi 2012, Ball 1993) and governmentality studies (Dean 2010, McKee 2009 , Rose 1999). By combining these perspectives, the paper analyzes forms of legitimization and rationalization that are at play in the policy documents. The paper uses the strategy of identifying “problematizations”, in order to investigate how certain texts rationalize the governance of education and organizations (Bacchi 2012a). Through this approach various textual representations of administrative, professional and organizational problems will be identified. As Miller and Rose put it, political rationalities have both epistemologies and ideals informing action with conceptualizations of how the world is and should be (Miller & Rose 1992). Through the mapping of problematizations in the body of documents, fundamental concepts of ideals and epistemologies can be described. Policy documents are gathered, primarily from government websites. Documents from the two institutions in the case study have also been collected. This body of data consists of for instance newsletters, strategy documents and public presentations. By comparing documents from these two sources, the paper will be able to explore if and how discourses in policy that rationalizes mergers are translated to local contexts. The paper proceeds in three steps: First it outlines the institutional changes of the period in order to show the political context to the reforms. From there it will highlight problematizations in policy documents and documents from the two institutions in question. These problematizations will be analyzed as to determine how a merger is rationalized. Finally the paper will compare the two types of documents.

Expected Outcomes

By analyzing this large body of policy documents, the paper will demonstrate how various discourses articulate different reasons for or resistance to reform. In other words, different discourses problematize and rationalize differently. Where a merger can appear rational in a professional discourse as it creates bigger spaces for professional innovation, in an economic discourse, what counts is a higher degree of institutional efficiency. Changes also occur within discourses: for instance in the mid 2000’s, we find a strong economic discourse focusing on the building of a competitive Danish workforce through larger, more internationally oriented institutions. After the crisis that ended the 2000’s, the prevalent economic legitimization was that of austerity and therefore the need for savings through efficiency gains attributed to the economics of scale. The paper will also show how policy makers looked to other EU countries, as well as organizations such as the OECD for inspiration for a new institutional structure. Finally, through comparison of two bodies of documents, the paper will emphasize the manner in which national policy turns into discursive resources for local managers, as they try to legitimize the decision to merge to their staff.

References

Aagaard, Kaare, Hanne Foss Hansen & Jørgen Gulddahl Rasmussen (2016): Different Faces of Danish Higher Education Mergers, in Pinhiero et. al (2016):Mergers in Higher Education - The Experience from Northern Europe, Pinheiro, Rómulo, Geschwind, Lars, Aarrevaara, Timo (Eds.), Springer Bacchi, C. (2012): Why Study Problematizations? Making Politics Visible, in Open Journal of Political Science, Vol. 2, No. 1 Ball, Stephen J. (1993): What is Policy: Texts, Trajectories and Toolboxes, in Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, Vol. 13 (2), 10-17 Borum, Finn & Anne Relf (2007): Fusioner, ledelse og fortællinger- Integration og polyfoni i det danske sundhedsvæsen, Børsens Forlag Dean, Mitchell (2010): Governmentality – Power and Rule in Modern Society, Los Angeles: SAGE Publications Foucault, Michel (1982): The Subject and Power, in Critical Inquiry, Vol. 8 (4), 777-795 Giessner, Steffen R., Kate E. Horton, Sut I Wong Humborstad (2016): Identity Management during Organizational Mergers: Empirical Insights and Practical Advice, in Social Issues and Policy Review, Vol. 10(1), 47—81 Kyvik, Svein & Bjørn Stensaker (2013): Factors Affecting the Decision to Merge: The case of strategic mergers in Norwegian higher education, in “Tertiary Education and Management”, Vol. 19 (4), 323-337 Laclau, Ernesto & Chantal Mouffe (1985): Hegemony and Socialist Strategy – Towards a Radical Democratic Politics, Verso Locke, William (2007): Higher Education Mergers: Integrating Organisational Cultures and Developing Appropriate Management Styles, in Higher Education Quarterly, Vol. 61 (1), 83–102 McKee, K. (2009): Post-Foucauldian governmentality: What does it offer critical social policy analysis?, in Critical Social Policy, vol. 29 (3) Miller, Peter & Nikolas Rose (1992): Political Power beyond the State: Problematics of Government, in The British Journal of Sociology, vol. 43 (2) Pedersen, Dorthe et al. (red.) (2008): Genopfindelsen af den offentlige sektor – Ledelsesudfordringer i reformernes tegn, København: Børsens Forlag Pedersen, Ove Kaj; Kjær, Peter (2001): Translating Liberalization: Neoliberalism in the Danish Negotiated Economy, in The Rise of Neoliberalism and Institutional Analysis, Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2001, 219-248. Rose, Nikolas (1999): The Powers of Freedom – Reframing Political Thought, Cambridge University Press): Send mere ledelse - En analyse af Ledersamfundets konsekvenser, Syddansk Universitetsforlag Seo, Myeong-Gu & N. Sharon Hill (2005): Understanding the Human Side of Merger and Acquisition - An Integrative Framework, in The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Vol. 41 (4), 422-443 Skodvin, Ole-Jakob (1999): Mergers in Higher Education – Success or Failure, in Tertiary Education and Management 5: 65–80

Author Information

Niels Glaesner (presenting / submitting)

University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

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