Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
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In 2012 as any UAS the UAS had to draw up proposals for performance agreements<br />
which had to be fixed in an agreement with the Dutch State Secretary for Higher<br />
Educati<strong>on</strong>. As indicated before these agreements are outcomes of l<strong>on</strong>g-standing<br />
societal debates regarding Higher Educati<strong>on</strong>. Main c<strong>on</strong>cerns are quality, funding,<br />
aut<strong>on</strong>omy, accountability and governability of universities. Given the actual political<br />
c<strong>on</strong>text the performance agreements potentially have a great impact <strong>on</strong> the reputati<strong>on</strong>,<br />
profile and financial positi<strong>on</strong> of a university.<br />
To forestall a lack of performances these agreements are c<strong>on</strong>nected with c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>al<br />
financing of a part of the yearly budget of the various UAS’s. The end of December 2011<br />
the State Secretary unilaterally decreed the performance agreements as the Netherlands<br />
Associati<strong>on</strong> of the UAS’s and he did not reach an agreement. On the quality and<br />
ambitiousness of the agreements the State Secretary is advised by a review commissi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
The review commissi<strong>on</strong> designed a framework for reviewing the proposals for<br />
the agreements. The proposals were to be sent to the commissi<strong>on</strong> at the very latest<br />
the 5th of May 2012.<br />
I became involved in the process of formulating our performance agreements. In my<br />
narrative from the point of my involvement I exemplify how in practice this governmental<br />
policy is appropriated by the senior managers of the UAS, becoming in some<br />
way part of their resp<strong>on</strong>sibility. I also narrate <strong>on</strong> what I suggested for the communicati<strong>on</strong><br />
about and realizati<strong>on</strong> of these agreements.<br />
I start with describing - for readability reas<strong>on</strong>s ordered in m<strong>on</strong>ths - my involvement<br />
with the drafting and finalizing of the performance agreements up till the 5th of May<br />
2012 (see 5.1 and 5.2). I end the narrative with the general appeal by the President of<br />
the Board to realize them (September 2012). Thereafter I take up my explorati<strong>on</strong> of my<br />
positi<strong>on</strong> as a corporate jester and explore how a jestership might be c<strong>on</strong>nected with<br />
what I came to understand from what I did in what happened from January till September<br />
(see 5.3). From there <strong>on</strong> I elaborate <strong>on</strong> the dynamics of the different situati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
during the m<strong>on</strong>ths of drawing up the performance agreements predominantly from<br />
the perspective of a complex resp<strong>on</strong>sive process-approach (see 5.4). Finally I reflect in<br />
a more general way up<strong>on</strong> a positi<strong>on</strong> of a corporate jester related to what I experience<br />
as today’s organizati<strong>on</strong>al reality in Higher Educati<strong>on</strong> (see 5.5).<br />
The narrative presented here is was written between January 2012 and March 2013.<br />
The analytical and reflexive orientati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> the narrative are presented in their 4th<br />
versi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
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