A typology of STEM academics and researchers’ responses to managerialist performativity in higher education

Managerialism in higher education is reflected in a stress on research performativity, reflected in a focus on research metrics. Carvalho and Santiago (2010:399) raise the question of the extent to which the top-level ideological commitment to managerialism 'truly touches HEIs' shop floors (sic)'. This chapter draws on qualitative data from a sample of 29 interviewees (18 men and 11 women) split between the academic and the research tracks (15 and 14 respectively) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in an Irish case study university. It shows that their responses to research performativity varied: with four categories being identified: Pragmatic Acceptance, Alternative Envisioning, Rejection and Amelioration. It looks at the intersection of their gendered positioning and their career tracks as academics/researchers. None of them actively embraced research performativity. Each of the categorical responses raises fundamental issues for management: underlining the need for a radical re-evaluation of managerialist performativity.