Academics’ perception of identity (re)construction: a value conflict created by performance orientation[La perception de la (re)construction de l'identité par les universitaires : un conflit de valeurs créé par l'orientation vers la performance]

University autonomy and performance orientation have been the central points of the French higher education modernisation reforms since the 1990s. These reforms have met with criticism and opposition from academics for introducing new values and professional norms that they argue are incompatible with the academic profession. The present research analyses the experience of French academics from three public universities of the new, performance-oriented management model. It explores academics' perception of the effects of this evolution on their professional identity. Thirty-seven semi-structured interviews were analysed using NVivo software. The results show that the new governance model stressing managerialism with an empowered president, combined with the growing importance of performance measurement systems, has created tensions between traditional norms, values, and practices on the one hand and the objectives and culture of the emerging formal institutional structure and management on the other. The research sheds light on an important value conflict in the context of the transformation of academic identity as a result of the competitive and performance-oriented culture. This evolution has influenced (at least partially) the way academics perceive their profession and reduced the admiration they had before.