What does a child in the playground do when caught being naughty? Often they deny everything, even if caught red-handed. There is a kind of person who somehow never manages to grow up, the state of permanent adolescence. We see this kind of behaviour in politicians especially as they wriggle to place themselves in the best light, refusing to answer questions that hold them to account, telling barefaced lies in the last resort.
Managers of course are notorious for exhibiting this behaviour, particularly bad ones like those who are gradually turning Kingston University into an unviable institution. After rumours that one of the SMT’s most egregious policies, the bullying of grade 10 staff by forcing them to keep reapplying for their jobs, was to be abandoned, the final round of the transition shambles is going ahead after all. But this time it is the final chop: failures will be demoted and probably the first singled out for redundancy in the cuts.
The SMT have recognised this has cost the University the loss of many excellent grade 10 staff, which they know has caused widespread demoralisation, and any confidence in its leadership. Yet the mismanagement persists in this calamitous policy, despite the discredited VC being dropped by the BoG. Their response to the many objections is either platitudes or silence. Looks like the SMT will not change until they are all forced from their jobs, which will only happen when the University is beyond the point of saving. We may soon reach that stage.
KU seems to have chosen the unlucky departments to eviscerate in plan2020 in the same bizarre way at United Airlines chose to chuck paying customers out of their airplanes- with similar self-defeating and stupid results.
So. Hello then Ronald Donald.
Head of the Business School.
You were a Dean.
You were a PVC.
Law has gone to FASS.
Can we go too.
There is a lot of blather about ‘failing’ subjects being in the bottom quartile from management. Given the whole University is so low in the league tables it is hardly surprising so many are there because of wider forces. The other issue is that there is a great volatility in these league tables so as indicators of genuine quality of teaching they are pretty worthless – as of course is the NSS. Rather than focusing on these iffy indicators, perhaps the university might consider supporting staff and recognising genuinely excellent teaching.
Hear hear Jim. Supporting staff seems to be a concept beyond the management.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-ofsted-chair-announced–5
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-ofsted-chair-announced–5