Organising the Academy: New Organisational Forms and the Future of the University

Decreasing public spending, new accountability measures and calls for broader ranges of services to society have combined to encourage the reorganisation of European universities. Universities are asked to restructure themselves along lines suggested by corporate management. This paper examines this proposal by looking at four management models in the light of new and traditional universities. The paper discusses the principle of ‘heterarchical organising’, which has emerged spontaneously within the university, and argues that this appears to be a more appropriate model for university organisation.