The practices of managerial assessment of the resources of the university academic staff

Abstract

The basis for the effective use and mobilization of the resources of the scientificpedagogical staff (SPS) of Russian universities in the interests of their development are adequate approaches to assessment. The practices of the SPS assessment are a part of university management activities, and today these practices require critical analysis for identifying directions for their improvement. The relevance of this research task is determined by the lack of comprehensive knowledge about the resource potential of the academic staff of Russian universities and about the possibilities of this potential productive realization under the current resource constraints of the higher education. The article aims at presenting management approaches to assessing the SPS resources applied in regional universities and at identifying ways for their improvement. The empirical basis of the article is the sociological study conducted in 2023-2024 using semi-structured interviews with representatives of academic community (N = 40) and university management (N = 25) in the Ural Federal District. The authors focus on the shortcomings of the formalized approach to assessing the resources of the academic staff, which is mainly used in programs for the university development and is based on quantitative metrics and limited information base (reports, statistical data, HR department certificates). The comparative analysis of the opinions of the academic and administrative staff showed a critical discrepancy between their ideas not only about the qualities and resources of the SPS but also about the efficiency of approaches used to assess them. The practical significance of the study lies in the explanation of the need for the integrated qualitativequantitative approach to assess resources of the academic staff based on the principle of “necessary and sufficient”. This approach allows to reveal all critical points in the academic staff state and development and to ensure the speed and validity of decisions in the university HR management.

Keywords

• resources of academic staff
• university management
• assessment of resources
• efficiency of assessment
• development programs
• regional universities