Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
Rumbling on performativity_Frits Simon
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In accidental meetings with Inez Reker, Cees Corte and Marc Claassen I put my findings<br />
also forward, but Cees Corte and Marc Claassen still had to read the report. As<br />
the programme manager I felt it my resp<strong>on</strong>sibility to initiate discussi<strong>on</strong>s, but I also<br />
wanted to influence the discussi<strong>on</strong> with regard to my remarks. Cees Corte reacted by<br />
asking questi<strong>on</strong>s about technical and statistical details of the report, by asking for<br />
attenti<strong>on</strong> for the Net Promoter Score (NPS), which was very positive. NPS is a metric<br />
which measures loyalty between an organizati<strong>on</strong> and an employer of customer. Corte<br />
more or less acknowledged that there were differences between employees and<br />
managers in signifying the values. I understood Corte’s hesitati<strong>on</strong>s because my interpretati<strong>on</strong><br />
implicated a criticism <strong>on</strong> his model.<br />
In the sec<strong>on</strong>d draft Inez Reker corrected a part of her findings: percentage, core values<br />
but not her neutral categorizing. In the summary of the report she pulled a remarkable<br />
c<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong>: to her opini<strong>on</strong> the programme had not succeeded in its objective of internalizati<strong>on</strong><br />
of the core values by the employees. Furthermore she endorsed that there<br />
were differences between managers and employees in the significance given to the<br />
values.<br />
On this sec<strong>on</strong>d draft I reacted – again immediately - with a memo to the coordinati<strong>on</strong><br />
team. I put forward doubt about the usability of the used branding-model and pointed<br />
to the early menti<strong>on</strong>ed differences between employees and managers, the differences<br />
in scores am<strong>on</strong>g schools, faculties and offices. I advised to be restraint regarding an<br />
internalizati<strong>on</strong> approach as the next step. In this way I enervated Inez Reker’s remarks<br />
about the failure of internalizati<strong>on</strong> of the values. Thereafter I kept the subject off the<br />
agenda. Nobody noticed it or apparently thought otherwise. A not unexpected quick<br />
reacti<strong>on</strong> of Cees Corte <strong>on</strong> my memo followed: his model was appropriate. I reacted by<br />
stating that I had not wanted to discuss the model, but wanted to emphasize that we<br />
should see things in its c<strong>on</strong>text and not in terms of a model. A more elaborated reacti<strong>on</strong><br />
of Cees Corte added that we should think about the next step in the programme<br />
in which a c<strong>on</strong>scious applicati<strong>on</strong> of the core values throughout the university should<br />
become the main issue. He asked again for attenti<strong>on</strong> for the NPS.<br />
After the above menti<strong>on</strong>ed ‘electr<strong>on</strong>ic’ discussi<strong>on</strong>s Inez Reker presented a final report.<br />
In her summary am<strong>on</strong>gst others she paid attenti<strong>on</strong> to the fact that the success of the<br />
programme is restricted and should lead to rec<strong>on</strong>sidering the way it is managed, she<br />
maintained the neutral category, paid attenti<strong>on</strong> to NPS as having a very positive score<br />
and specified the schools and faculties where the amount of criticasters of the core<br />
values was high.<br />
From the final report to the presentati<strong>on</strong> for the board<br />
Cees Corte was quick in sending a first draft of c<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong>s and recommendati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
before the meeting of the coordinati<strong>on</strong> team. In general his c<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong>s corresp<strong>on</strong>ded<br />
with the discussi<strong>on</strong>s before. In his reacti<strong>on</strong> quite some critical remarks about management<br />
and about overambitious policy were made. I doubted if we should or could<br />
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