Performance indicators for research and cultural creation activities in polytechnic higher education institutions: a con
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Performance indicators for research and cultural creation activities in polytechnic higher education institutions: a consensus building approach Ricardo Biscaia 1 & Ana I. Melo 1,2,3 & Isabel Machado 1,4 & Hugo Figueiredo 1,2,5 & Maria João Rosa 1,2,5 & Paula Rocha 1,6 Received: 2 May 2019 / Accepted: 30 May 2019/ # The European Higher Education Society 2019
Abstract This article presents a set of performance indicators based on the Portuguese case for managing the performance of research and cultural creation activities and their impact on the regional context in polytechnic higher education institutions. Five theoretical dimensions have been proposed and empirically validated to frame the diversity of these activities and, for each one of them, a set of performance indicators (which total 29) was defined. The Delphi technique was applied to reach consensus among specialists (polytechnic higher education institutions’ presidents) on the performance indicators; two rounds of the technique application have led to a final set of indicators (comprising 23 indicators). The final set of performance indicators emerged as valid to actually be used by polytechnic higher education institutions, not only as a selfinstrument to assess and improve their performance, but also as a management tool allowing the institutions to establish goals, define their own profile and the strategies to achieve it. Keywords Performance management . Performance measurement . Higher education policy . Performance indicators . Higher education institutions . Research policy
* Ricardo Biscaia [email protected]
1
CIPES – Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies, R. 1° de Dezembro 399, 4450-137 Matosinhos, Portugal
2
GOVCOPP, Aveiro, Portugal
3
ESTGA – School of Technology and Management, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
4
IPAM – Marketing School for Business, Porto, Portugal
5
DEGEIT, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
6
DCSPT, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Tertiary Education and Management
Introduction Research, be it fundamental or applied, is one of the most important missions of higher education institutions and, as such, one they have to be capable of adequately managing in order to excel. One way to assess, monitor and manage the performance of this institutional mission is through the development and use of performance indicators. Performance indicators can be used not only to compare the research performance of different institutions, fostering benchmarking exercises, but also to inform decision-makers, enabling them to improve institutional performance and review the institutions’ strategic aims. Although there is the assumption that applied research is more linked to polytechnic higher education institutions and fundamental research to universities, both types of institutions are constantly under pressure to diversify their activities, to look for collaborative research and to improve their networks, both with private and public organisations, inside or outside the academic world (Abre
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