Management Success Factors of World Class Research Universities

Abstract

This article presents the results of research whose principal purpose was to identify factors affecting the successful performance of research universities. The study examined the highest ranking universities in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Statistically significant success factors were identified for each category defined in the initial theoretical framework: Strategic thrust, institutional resources and competencies and access to foreign advantages. Research universities constitute the basic point of reference for advanced institutions within each national higher education system (HES). They play a substantial role in nurturing the system as a whole, by providing new knowl- edge as a result of the publication of articles and books by the researchers who work in them. Moreover, research universities train the researchers and professors who work in the entire HES, as they are connected through global research networks. Currently, in the era of the knowledge society, countries face the challenge of fostering and sustaining research uni- versities in order to secure national development and wellfare. By identifying the key management factors employed by these universities, the article contributes both to the design of appropriate public policies and to the implementa- tion of more effective strategies by higher education institutions (HEIs).