Research on staff development to support strategic management in universities

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Faced with a number of challenges, such as diminution of 18-year olds, globalisation and development of information and communication technology, Japanese universities have been required to be more strategic and to enhance their management, to enable rapid and pertinent decisions. Traditionally, Japanese universities have functioned as collegial organisations, a circle of faculty members, and the decisions have been made on a consensus basis. In such an environment, the role of non-faculty staff has been very limited, being confined to jobs to support high-level administrators (who have been often faculty members) and to routine works, and have been barely committed to decision making process.This research was undertaken with a view to investigating the state and role of non-academic staff, with a special focus on the relation with the academic staff, and their management as well as development, comparing them with workers in the industry and non-academic staff in foreign universities. The researchers have particularly studied the professionalisation of the non-academic staff and their career development. The research has been done through reading of the existing literature, Internet search, questionnaire, site visits (universities, professional associations, and so on) inside and outside Japan. Outcomes of research include definition of relevant terms, development of research in this field, human resource management and development in universities, professionalisation and career development of the non-academic staff, and some measures that may be taken by decision makers concerning university management.