Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
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5.4 Reflecti<strong>on</strong>s from a complex resp<strong>on</strong>sive process perspective<br />
Undoubtedly the performance agreements will keep <strong>on</strong> being directives for our policy,<br />
with an intenti<strong>on</strong> of the board to accomplish them with reliance up<strong>on</strong> self-organizati<strong>on</strong><br />
for successful acti<strong>on</strong>. In this way I assume a tense situati<strong>on</strong> will evolve in our UAS,<br />
in which tensi<strong>on</strong>s will grow between processes of self-organizati<strong>on</strong> and sharply defined<br />
performance indicators. It could become a paradox of creative and innovative<br />
n<strong>on</strong> linearity, and wished for precisi<strong>on</strong> close to an equilibrium of fulfilling the demands<br />
of the performance agreements (Hodge and Cor<strong>on</strong>ado, 2007). In the next years it will<br />
be interesting to explore the acti<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> different levels which will evolve to meet the<br />
performance criteria.<br />
If this tensi<strong>on</strong> occurs I will be co-resp<strong>on</strong>sible due to my acti<strong>on</strong>s during the development<br />
of the performance agreements. As ‘the author’ of the final document I am<br />
co-resp<strong>on</strong>sible am<strong>on</strong>gst others for bringing together two different approaches about<br />
how to deal with the agreements. However, in my experience n<strong>on</strong>e of the involved<br />
managed to act as a change agent compelling to draft a well-defined and well planned<br />
project with clear objectives.<br />
From the perspective of a complex resp<strong>on</strong>sive process-approach I realize that the way<br />
things happened have quite some other dimensi<strong>on</strong>s. Instead of being blushed with<br />
shame, as <strong>on</strong>e of the readers of the above account experienced, because of the seemingly<br />
disorderly way we proceeded, it is thought-provoking to reflect up<strong>on</strong> the way<br />
our policy actually developed. The final and polished document covers up an experience<br />
of disorder, although ‘dynamic’ would be a better marker.<br />
To uncover what is beneath the polished surface of the document I will explore some<br />
c<strong>on</strong>cepts of complexity and a complex resp<strong>on</strong>sive process-approach related to my<br />
narrative. Uncertainty, breakthroughs, self-organizati<strong>on</strong>, power and interdependency<br />
will pass in review. This explorati<strong>on</strong> should help me to understand what happened and<br />
should help me to understand what it means to depart form a complexity perspective.<br />
Dynamic uncertainty<br />
Given the lack of focussed attenti<strong>on</strong>, the difference in opini<strong>on</strong>s am<strong>on</strong>g the members of<br />
the board, the political uncertainty and pressure, the late arrival of the evaluati<strong>on</strong><br />
framework, the different interests of the deans and directors of services, the lack of<br />
clarity in definiti<strong>on</strong>s and the short span of time I could speak of a local dynamic situati<strong>on</strong>,<br />
in which all these elements are lived through. With hindsight I can assume that<br />
given these circumstances the outcome of the process was unpredictable. “It is true<br />
that there is still a trajectory descripti<strong>on</strong> if initial c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s are known with infinite<br />
precisi<strong>on</strong>. But this does not corresp<strong>on</strong>d to any realistic situati<strong>on</strong>.” (Prigogine, 1996:105),<br />
a situati<strong>on</strong> which clearly resembles the starting phase of drafting the performance<br />
agreements. Even from the midst of April, when the deadline came nearer and quite<br />
some discussi<strong>on</strong>s had taken place, it would have been hard to predict what the out-<br />
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