Inside the “Knowledge Factory”

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XVI

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2. Introduction

   1. Introduction

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 1-8

3. Researching Organizational Change in Business Schools

   1. Organizations and Institutional Environments: Neo-Institutionalism

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 9-26

   2. The Historical Development of Business Schools

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 27-48

   3. Business Schools from a Neo-Institutional Perspective

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 49-106

   4. Excursus: Isomorphism — The Case of Entrepreneurship Professorships

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 107-122

   5. Business Schools in the Context of the National Higher Education System

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 123-139

4. The Empirical Study

   1. Methodology and Research Design

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 141-152

   2. Organizational Responses to Institutional Pressures

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 153-207

   3. Comparing and Learning from the Three Case Study Business Schools

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 209-217

   4. Implications

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 219-229

5. Conclusion

   1. Conclusion

      • Heinke Röbken

      Pages 231-233

6. Back Matter

   Pages 235-271

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Higher education institutions have proven to be one of the most enduring organizations of the last centuries. In recent decades, however, significant changes in their institutional environment have forced universities to rethink their strategies. This is particularly true for management higher education institutions. How do universities, and specifically business schools, deal with these various expectations? Are there different organizational responses in the American, German, or Swedish higher education systems? These and other important questions of higher education management research are examined in this doctoral thesis. Taking neo-institutionalism theory as its basis, the thesis is convincing both conceptually as well as empirically through its multiple case study design. The insights gained are most interesting. They reveal how a form of "organizational schizophrenia" can help institutions comply with external demands without compromising the pursuit of academic reputation which is essential for the inner stability of higher education institutions and their continued existence. This book is relevant both for students and researchers in higher education management as well as management practitioners and administrators. I can say this with conviction as Heinke Robken's doctoral thesis was one of the last that I supervised as a teacher before changing to the president's office of the University of Oldenburg. As such, I read it both from a theoretical viewpoint as well as that of a practitioner.

• Business Schools
• Hochschulforschung, internationale
• Hochschulmanagement
• Neo-Institutionalismus
• Organisationstheorie
• Professor
• Wissenschaft und Praxis
• organization

Dr. Heinke Röbken promovierte bei Prof. Dr. Uwe Schneidewind am Institut für Betriebswirtschaftslehre und Wirtschaftspädagogik der Universität Oldenburg. Nach ihrem Studium in Deutschland, den USA und Schweden war sie Gastforscherin an der University of Chicago und an der Cornell University. Heute arbeitet sie als Juniorprofessorin für Bildungsmanagement an der Universität Oldenburg.

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