The administration–management distinction in higher education

Abstract

Administration and management, like leaders and managers, play a crucial role in achieving effective quality management in higher educational institutions. The concepts of administration and management as well as manager and leader have however remained a hiatus to many stakeholders in higher education, in terms of how they differ and relate. This study is based on a literature review of scholarly work addressing the concepts of administration, management, managerial theories, quality assurance and quality management, as well as synergies in managerial leadership. The purpose of this chapter is therefore to examine the distinctions between administration and management in higher education, taking the perspective of quality management effectiveness. Specifically, the authors answer four questions: What is the origin of the concepts of ‘administration’ and ‘management’? How is administration different and similar to management? What are the quality assurance perspectives of managerial leadership? What code of practice is suitable for managerial leadership to achieve effective quality management in higher education? The findings show that whereas administration and management are distinct in many ways, they possess a lot of common features. Recommended is a synergetic leadership–management relationship as a code of best practice for social justice and societal development in educational and other organisations.