Academic freedom in becoming: Rethinking management control in the managerial university

In this paper, we propose a dynamic conception of academic freedom as a way for academics to respond to an increasing managerialisation of their activity. We argue that contemporary threats to academic freedom do not arise primarily from external demands for relevance, impact or accountability themselves, nor from management control systems per se. Rather, threats arise both to academic freedom and to the notional objectives of university management, when these are translated into management control systems that prioritise ease of auditability over engagement with diverse and skilful practice, resulting in a more coercive approach to control. Our analysis builds upon a hermeneutic process following upon two collaborative workshops with academics from all career stages themed around the topics of research impact, academic relevance and civic engagement in a newly formed business school. Grounding our analysis in process philosophy, we argue that academic freedom, both within and across the career stages, is usefully thought of as an ongoing struggle of becoming. Achieving academic freedom is neither to cross a threshold, nor arrive at a known state, but an ongoing struggle for disciplinary-grounded expression within the shifting constraints upon which academic practice relies and with significant implications for academic identity. This struggle cannot be usefully structured, or nurtured, through a proliferation of standard metrics and processes, rather it calls for a more enabling conception of management control.