Enhancing shared governance in Malaysian public universities
Governance is linked to the distribution and exercise of power and authority, legitimately to a group of individuals through relevant laws for purposes of ensuring the growth, development, and sustainability of the institution. In many ways, shared governance emerged as a better mechanism in...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2007
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/20265/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/20265/1/ID%2020265.pdf |
| Summary: | Governance is linked to the
distribution and exercise of power and
authority, legitimately to a group of individuals
through relevant laws for purposes of ensuring
the growth, development, and sustainability of
the institution. In many ways, shared
governance emerged as a better mechanism in
the governance of universities. Sharing of
power, groups' interactions, negotiations,
persdasions and mediations are essential to
explain the process of university governance.
Adopting the qualitative paradigm, this paper
discusses the findings from a study conducted
on power distribution and exercised of powers
and authorities by the University Board of
Directors and university top management in the
governance of public universities in Malaysia.
In-depth interviews through semi-structured
questionnaires and document analysis formed
a major part of the study. Powers and
authorities were eminent issues raised by
those interviewed and it was pointed out that
through shared governance, the process of
governing the universities could lead to good
university governance. The governance
process which worked through functional
representation created by virtue of the
Constitution, Statute or regulations was
described as the most suitable mechanism in
governing the Malaysian pUblic universities.
The idea of having various representations was
to have a system of check and balance and
governance should result from cooperation,
shared responsibility and mutual understanding
among the various groups. We suggested a
model of shared governance which draws on
university's strengths to drive institutional
directions within the legalized framework set by
the University Constitution. |
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