The third mission concept implies that universities are expected to perform several diversified activities besides teaching (first mission) and scientific research (second mission). Third mission efforts may include activities such as knowledge dissemination, technological innovation, social innovation, advisory services, or entrepreneurship. Through third mission activities, universities engage in sustainable, inclusive development and/or territorial competitiveness by interacting with a wide range of subjects far beyond their students and reference scientific communities. The third mission’s activities vary a lot according to the specific characteristics of each university, the territory in which it is located, and the intricate nature of the relations with the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems’ actors. Since these missions can be reciprocally complementary or conflicting, they can result in paradoxical tensions and competition around allocating key resources and leveraging specific drivers to enhance universities’ performance. Both the management literature and national and international ranking agencies have made huge efforts to build effective performance measurement systems. However, there are still no shared frameworks that can effectively overcome the above-mentioned difficulties and solve the possible tensions that can exist at various organisational levels. By considering how those organisations respond to logics' multiplicity, this research project primarily aims to advance a conceptual model for evaluating and managing the performance of entrepreneurial universities and the role they can play in contributing to the development of modern complex, dynamic, and knowledge-intensive societies. To achieve these objectives, the relevant literature regarding entrepreneurial universities’ role and impact is analysed in the first phase. To do so, a bibliometric analysis was conducted by applying performance and network analysis techniques. Interestingly, from the conducted analysis, three different thematic clusters have emerged as shaping the current scientific debate: (1) knowledge management and innovation; (2) performance management and economic growth; and (3) technology transfer and knowledge commercialisation. Subsequently, leveraging the institutional logics meta-theory, a cross-country comparative case study was conducted in order to identify the different institutional logics that characterise entrepreneurial universities' activities. In particular, considering entrepreneurial universities as submersed complex organisational fields, three logics have been identified in association with each of their three academic missions. So, the inclusiveness, vocational, and excellence logics emerged in relation to the first mission. The focalisation, materiality, and excellence logics were identified in relation to the second mission. Third, the dissemination, translational, and entrepreneurial logics were distinguished concerning the third mission. In the end, those nine different logics have been reconciled to the different key performance indicators used to evaluate entrepreneurial universities' performance in pursuing the three academic missions. Then, leveraging system dynamics principles, those results have been used to build a causal loop diagram to offer a dynamic viewpoint of the intertwined relationships existing between the three different academic missions and how their associated institutional logics can result in mutually complementing or conflicting with each other. Finally, a dynamic performance management chart is leveraged to offer some concluding remarks on the interrelationships existing between the strategic resources, intermediate results (i.e., performance drivers), and short-term (i.e., output) and long-term (i.e., outcomes) end results that are related to entrepreneurial universities’ activities. Hence, the proposed model contributes to the literature regarding entrepreneurial universities’ management and their performances and impact assessment, with a particular focus on their intangible resources and those organisations’ role in contributing to societal and economic developments.

(2023). The role of system dynamics to unveil the complexity of academic missions. An integrated approach for entrepreneurial universities’ performance evaluation and management..

The role of system dynamics to unveil the complexity of academic missions. An integrated approach for entrepreneurial universities’ performance evaluation and management.

FORLIANO, Canio
2023-01-01

Abstract

The third mission concept implies that universities are expected to perform several diversified activities besides teaching (first mission) and scientific research (second mission). Third mission efforts may include activities such as knowledge dissemination, technological innovation, social innovation, advisory services, or entrepreneurship. Through third mission activities, universities engage in sustainable, inclusive development and/or territorial competitiveness by interacting with a wide range of subjects far beyond their students and reference scientific communities. The third mission’s activities vary a lot according to the specific characteristics of each university, the territory in which it is located, and the intricate nature of the relations with the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems’ actors. Since these missions can be reciprocally complementary or conflicting, they can result in paradoxical tensions and competition around allocating key resources and leveraging specific drivers to enhance universities’ performance. Both the management literature and national and international ranking agencies have made huge efforts to build effective performance measurement systems. However, there are still no shared frameworks that can effectively overcome the above-mentioned difficulties and solve the possible tensions that can exist at various organisational levels. By considering how those organisations respond to logics' multiplicity, this research project primarily aims to advance a conceptual model for evaluating and managing the performance of entrepreneurial universities and the role they can play in contributing to the development of modern complex, dynamic, and knowledge-intensive societies. To achieve these objectives, the relevant literature regarding entrepreneurial universities’ role and impact is analysed in the first phase. To do so, a bibliometric analysis was conducted by applying performance and network analysis techniques. Interestingly, from the conducted analysis, three different thematic clusters have emerged as shaping the current scientific debate: (1) knowledge management and innovation; (2) performance management and economic growth; and (3) technology transfer and knowledge commercialisation. Subsequently, leveraging the institutional logics meta-theory, a cross-country comparative case study was conducted in order to identify the different institutional logics that characterise entrepreneurial universities' activities. In particular, considering entrepreneurial universities as submersed complex organisational fields, three logics have been identified in association with each of their three academic missions. So, the inclusiveness, vocational, and excellence logics emerged in relation to the first mission. The focalisation, materiality, and excellence logics were identified in relation to the second mission. Third, the dissemination, translational, and entrepreneurial logics were distinguished concerning the third mission. In the end, those nine different logics have been reconciled to the different key performance indicators used to evaluate entrepreneurial universities' performance in pursuing the three academic missions. Then, leveraging system dynamics principles, those results have been used to build a causal loop diagram to offer a dynamic viewpoint of the intertwined relationships existing between the three different academic missions and how their associated institutional logics can result in mutually complementing or conflicting with each other. Finally, a dynamic performance management chart is leveraged to offer some concluding remarks on the interrelationships existing between the strategic resources, intermediate results (i.e., performance drivers), and short-term (i.e., output) and long-term (i.e., outcomes) end results that are related to entrepreneurial universities’ activities. Hence, the proposed model contributes to the literature regarding entrepreneurial universities’ management and their performances and impact assessment, with a particular focus on their intangible resources and those organisations’ role in contributing to societal and economic developments.
2023
entrepreneurial university; institutional logics; system dynamics; performance management system
(2023). The role of system dynamics to unveil the complexity of academic missions. An integrated approach for entrepreneurial universities’ performance evaluation and management..
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10447/580154
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