Workload allocation models and “collegiality” in academic departments

Purpose – To present empirical research on the adoption of workload allocation models (WAMs) within the UK university system and relate these to the broader context of the new public management (NPM). Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on the historical sociology of the professions to highlight the dilemmas posed by the adoption of WAMs. Findings – University managers and academics are faced with some difficult choices. Managers are faced with a requirement to develop, implement and if necessary challenge a range of new tasks, business processes, projects to be managed and teams to be led. For staff, the choice is to accept the increased workloads or to lobby for increased resources. However, calls for “increased resources” is likely to entail further bureaucratisation. A more transparent and accountable approach to academic work may offer a more viable way forward than that implied by recourse to the fundamentally elitist notions of “collegiality”. Originality/value – The paper presents new research on WAMs and NPM.