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Ancora Imparo, August 2006

For the subject of this month's column, I will draw on feedback I received from a recent meeting I had with the Faculty Managers Group. One of the managers spoke of a questionnaire administered within her faculty and subsequent follow-up which revealed a feeling among general staff that they were regarded as second-class citizens. It was pointed out that this did not apply individually so much as a feeling that it applied to general staff as a group.

As you know, the university conducted its first staff attitude survey last year. The outcome of this survey and actions that have followed from it have been discussed elsewhere. A specific follow-up process across all faculties has been to organise focus groups to analyse further one area where there was a discrepancy between the expectation of staff members and their perception of the situation at Monash. This was the extent to which members of staff are valued. As the process is currently under way, I will not attempt to forecast the outcome of the focus groups, but given the attitude transmitted to me at the Faculty Managers Group, I do wish to address the issue of the role of general staff at Monash University.

First let me state my position unequivocally. General staff are just as important to the success of the university as the academic staff. We seek in our Statement of Purpose to improve the human condition by advancing knowledge and fostering creativity through education and research. But as I state to every staff member who attends the staff induction programs, we could have the best researchers and teachers in the world and we would still be a total disaster as a university if we did not have outstanding general staff. We would then do very little to advance the human condition!

Let me expand. Universities are now enormously complex organisations with a bewildering array of management challenges. Whether it is managing the selection, enrolment, academic program and pastoral support of our 52,000 students across eight campuses, responding to the endless and expanding requirements of the Department of Education, Science and Training, managing the human resource issues associated with 5500 full-time staff, managing the financial aspects of a billion dollar enterprise, or developing and supporting the information management systems to underpin this, the management task is extraordinary. If we add to these an ever-expanding array of compliance and accountability requirements which respond to both State and Commonwealth legislation and include specific national requirements relating to our overseas campuses, it is clear that without expert management, chaos would quickly descend. Of course our matrix management arrangements which are complicated by our multi-campus structure add another layer of complexity.

This is not meant to depress you. Rather, it is to indicate that if we are to succeed in our aspirations to be one of the world's best universities, we must have brilliant administration as well as brilliant academic staff. I have been enormously impressed by the quality and commitment of our general staff at all levels, and it dismays me to think that those of you in administrative roles may not feel valued.

I believe that our university will succeed if we have a seamless partnership between our academic and general staff and a feeling of mutual respect for the demanding roles of each and the way in which these roles support our efforts to provide the best possible student experience and research outcomes.

To support this seamless partnership, the peak committee responsible for the senior management of the university is now comprised of both deans of faculties and heads of divisions, and I trust that at faculty level and department or school level this integration of roles is replicated. We do not want academic staff performing administrative roles that they are less well suited for than our general staff, and we need the input of all perspectives in our planning and budgeting processes.

I believe that Monash University is a great university because it does have outstanding academic and general staff and, overall, a good working relationship between them. Most people I meet at Monash are committed to the institution and to its aspirations. For those general staff who may not feel valued, let me say that at least at my level, I have enormous respect and admiration for the wonderful work you do. I hope that you recognise that working in a university such as Monash, whether in an academic or administrative role, is just about the most important job that anyone could have.

Professor Richard Larkins
Vice-Chancellor