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Stratified University Strategies: The Shaping of Institutional Legitimacy in a Global Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Bjørn Stensaker
  • Jenny J. Lee
  • Gary Rhoades
  • Sowmya Ghosh
  • Santiago Castiello-Gutiérrez
  • Hillary Vance
  • Alper Çalıkoğlu
  • Vannessa Kramer
  • Shuiyun Liu
  • Mahmoud Sayed Marei
  • Leslie O’Toole
  • Ivan Pavlyutkin
  • Cassandra Peel

Abstract

Globalizing forces have both transformed the higher education sector and made it increasingly homogenous. Growing similarities among universities have been attributed to isomorphic pressures to ensure and/or enhance legitimacy by imitating higher education institutions that are perceived as successful internationally, particularly universities that are highly ranked globally (Cantwell & Kauppinen, 2014; DiMaggio and Powell, 1983). In this study, we compared the strategic plans of 78 high-ranked, low-ranked, and unranked universities in 33 countries in 9 regions of the world. In analyzing the plans of these 78 universities, the study explored patterns of similarity and difference in universities’ strategic positioning according to Suchman’s (1995) 3 types of legitimacy: cognitive, pragmatic, and moral. We found evidence of stratified university strategies in a global higher education landscape that varied by institutional status. In offering a corrective to neoinstitutional theory, we suggest that patterns of globalization are mediated by status-based differences in aspirational behavior (Riesman, 1958) and “old institutional” forces (Stinchcombe, 1997) that contribute to differently situated universities pursuing new paths in seeking to build external legitimacy.

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  • Bjørn Stensaker & Jenny J. Lee & Gary Rhoades & Sowmya Ghosh & Santiago Castiello-Gutiérrez & Hillary Vance & Alper Çalıkoğlu & Vannessa Kramer & Shuiyun Liu & Mahmoud Sayed Marei & Leslie O’Toole & I, 2019. "Stratified University Strategies: The Shaping of Institutional Legitimacy in a Global Perspective," The Journal of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 90(4), pages 539-562, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:uhejxx:v:90:y:2019:i:4:p:539-562
    DOI: 10.1080/00221546.2018.1513306
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    Cited by:

    1. Bror Giesenbauer & Georg Müller-Christ, 2020. "University 4.0: Promoting the Transformation of Higher Education Institutions toward Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-27, April.
    2. Leahey, Erin & Barringer, Sondra N., 2020. "Universities’ commitment to interdisciplinary research: To what end?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(2).
    3. Nafari, Javid & Honig, Benson & Siqueira, Ana Cristina O., 2024. "Promoting academic social intrapreneurship: Developing an international virtual incubator and fostering social impact," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    4. Yoon, Hyungseok & Belkhouja, Mustapha & Wei, Yingqi & Lee, Sangho, 2021. "Born to be similar? Global isomorphism and the emergence of latecomer business schools," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(5).

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