Desktop research
Support for the leadership and managers at Halmstad University is provided by the departments within the operational support units (HR, finance, IT, communication, legal etc) and by support at the acadamies. The target group consists of executives within the university’s top management, academy leadership teams, department heads at the academies and staff within the operational support units. Some are employed as managers, while others hold temporary leadership assignments.
* Organizational chart for an overview of how leadership roles and operational units are distributed across the institution
* "Bubble map" to understand each role. The map includes job responsibilities which are marked: Green = continuous support, Yellow = only if required.
Qualitative research
Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to gain a comprehensive picture of the current situation. Desktop research was also conducted to map departments, roles and hierarchy, providing a clear overview of the organization's structure and distribution of responsibilities.
Participated in 3 out of 5 observations
Insights:
- Lack of communication between departments and academies.- Flaws in physical work enviorment
- Lack of information
- Stress and work overload amongst both workers and management.
The observations primarily informed the development of the interview guide and survey, providing a contextual understanding of different roles, their collaboration, and the overall organization. A summary of all four observations was created to identify value points and potential shortcomings in the experience
Conducted 4 out of 16 interviews
Interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed through a thematic analysis with focus on daily tasks and responsibilities, challenges and positive and negative aspects of the current support.
Insights: Management was generally satisfied with the support, particularly regarding delivery times. They highlighted academic support staff as helpful resources but experienced issues with (1) communication with the central administration, (2) long response times, (3) uncertainty about what support they were entitled to and (4) systems that do not function properly and do not integrate with each other.
Quanitative research
The surveys focused on key areas such as decision-making, communication, planning, recruitment and work environment. Questions asked participants about the support they currently receive, how adequate and accessible it is and included open-ended prompts for additional reflections on their experiences. Participants were asked to rate statements on a scale from "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree". This allowed us to identify gaps, strengths and opportunities.
80%
56%
93%
of academic managers are satisfied with the academic support, particularly regarding clarity and accessibility, though some note inconsistent quality and lack of proactivity
of academic managers are however more satisfied with central administrative support is lower, mainly due to long response times and difficulties finding the right contact person
of managers within the administrative support functions are satisfied with the current support, but mention issues such as long waiting times and unclear responsibilities
