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UNED's organisational structure is based on a small Rectorate and three Vice-rectorates (Administration, Planning and Academic).
The Administrative Vice-rectorate provides a range of central services (financial control, accounts, transport, buildings maintenance, security, etc.) as well as student administrative services (admissions, registration, records and welfare). It also oversees the production of UNED's course texts and the other books produced by Editorial UNED.
The Planning Vice-rectorate is largely concerned with drawing up the University's medium (one to five year) and short term (under a year) plans. Specialist offices formulate the five year University Plan, the buildings and accommodation plans, short-term project control schedules and the annual budget. A documentation and information centre is located in the Planning Vice-rectorate, as are offices concerned with institutional evaluation and statistical services. The Office of Curriculum Development is also located here.
The Academic Vice-rectorate is concerned with the design and development of teaching material, teaching and research.
This structure is subject to a number of weaknesses, most of which arise from the general failure to foster a sense of co-dependence between the various specialists involved. The rigid structuring of the organisation on a hierarchical basis results in the loss of any sense of mutual cooperation across functional areas that is so important for the fulfillment of tasks such as those involved in the design and teaching of multi-media distance courses. Particular weaknesses occur at the interfaces between the Office of Curriculum Design (in the Planning Vice-rectorate) and the authors and full-time Academic Producers (located in the Academic Vice-rectorate); between the Tutor Coordinators (who prepare the assessment materials) and the curriculum designers (who have specified the course objectives that are supposed to be tested); and between the authors and the Tutor Coordinators, so that authors have very little awareness of the processes undertaken in the actual teaching of a course.
Decision-making
In UNED decision-making remains the preserve of the University Council which, with the exception of the Rector, is composed wholly of external lay members. The Council normally acts on the advice of the Rector and of the three Vice-rectors, who are in attendance at its meetings. The Rector also meets formally with his Vice-ectors on a weekly basis (Rectors' Council). It is here that the corporate management of the University is exercised. However, the usefulness of the Rectors' Council is reduced by its restricted membership and by the fact that only in very exceptional cases are non-members called upon to give their professional advice.
Below this level, the work of each Vice-rectorate is coordinated through the normally weekly meetings of the Vice-rectorate Councils, each of which is chaired by the appropriate Vice-rector and has as its members all the office heads in the Vice-rectorate. Persons from other Vice-rectorates do not normally attend such meetings. The whole emphasis of the structure is therefore hierarchical and departmental, culminating in the Rector and the University Council.
A certain measure of cross-function integration is provided by a number of standing committees and working groups, each of which work within well-defined terms of reference. These committees draw their membership from any of the Vice-rectorates, as required. However, my subjective view is that their effectiveness is undermined by a number of factors: firstly, the Rector and Vice-rectors do not normally attend such groups. This both lessens their importance and means that their recommendations can more easily be rejected by the Rectors' Council or University Council, should this be felt to be necessary, because such rejection can be done without compromising the position of any of the officers. Secondly, it is clear that such committees are devoid of any power to take decisions, even at a relatively low level, since they must either report (as a committee) to the Rectors' Council or, as individual members, to the appropriate Vice-Rector. The concept of joint decision-making is an alien one. This lack
of collective responsibility allows members who have failed to gain their way a ready opportunity to try to reverse a proposal by re-raising the issue outside of committee. It also means that there is a marked reluctance on the part of individuals to raise matters in committee, even where this might seem to be most appropriate. Indeed, an individual who wishes to ensure success for a proposal is far better off if he obtains the consent of his superior (and ultimately his Vice-rector) and then promulgates the matter as a management decision. The result is that there is considerable mutual suspicion and antagonism within the organisation. This gives senior officials considerable scope to play one group off against the other.
The structure is not without its advantages. It enables the officers to respond to problems quickly. However, it effectively works against the complex interdependent nature of distance teaching systems.
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