A Study On The Conflict Between Academic Power And Administrative Power In Academic Management Of Chinese Universities

Modern universities differ from traditional ones, especially those in Middle ages, in its increasingly close ties with outer world and its current central social position. With the increasingly multi-folded influence on universities and the increasingly more complex inner structure of universities, the power structure of universities is now affected by many factors. Though the power structure vary a lot from country to country, they still share many similarities in power elements such as diversified influence on the development of universities, and increasing complexity of university power composition; the important role of academic and administrative power in school authority; the great importance attached to the professor community by all governments. Besides learning from other countries' successful experience, the formation of different power structure modes mainly depends on their own cultural tradition, political system and etc. Every mode has its own developing environment and advantage.Among all kinds of power modes, academic power and administrative power have their own legal bases and functions. The legality of academic authority stems from their special knowledge and the achievements of their academic organizations and members. The academic power attaches more importance to the development of different disciplines. The legality of administrative authority originates in the improvement of management efficiency, the interest balance of different parties, the reasonable distribution of resources and its adaptability and sensitivity to society. By comparison, administrative power pays more attention to school collective interest as a whole and its harmonious relation with outer world. The effective cooperation between the two powers can ensure the effective management of academic and administrative affairs.Under the leadership of Chinese government, the establishment and development of modem Chinese universities has its unique developing pattern. After the foundation of People's Republic of China, Chinese government began to reconstruct the universities which originally belonged to academic institution in order to meet the requirement of planned economic system and centralized authoritarian political system. Chinese government kept the universities as its affiliates and the government totally controlled the management of universities. This situation did not change until 1990s'. Since then, Chinese government has begun to give universities decision-making power increasingly and has established president responsibility system under the leadership of the Communist Party. In the meantime, a series of reforms on management have been conducted in universities so the leading academic position of universities have improved a lot. A series of laws and principles were passed in 1998, for example the Higher Education Law of the People Republic of China, proposing to establish academic institutions like academic committee so as to make full use of its inspection and consultation in teaching plan, curriculum arrangement and personnel affairs and so on . But they still fail to have the decision-making power in the academic management. Based on the analysis of the power structure development and related laws, administrative power still plays a leading role while academic power only a minor role in Chinese universities.There exists a conflict between academic power and administrative power in the management of academic affairs, centering on the distribution of academic resources. Academic resources play an irreplaceable role in academic research, especially in the era of bigscience and engineering. The control of resources means having developmental opportunity, priorities and even precedence. The same goes to administrative power, for it plays a prominent role in gaining academic resources, reasonable allocation of academic resource and the fulfillment of academic resource allocation plan. So there is a conflict between academic power and administrative power in terms of controlling and distributing academic resources and it also becomes the focus of the conflict. This study is employed to make a study on the question of academic distribution such as the design of teaching plan, the evaluation and establishment of school projects, the assessment of teachers' promotion and students' degree awarding and comes with a conclusion that the decision-making of the academic resources distribution is under the control of administrative authority while scholars are arranged to carry out their function under the direct and indirect control of administrative authority. University teachers apply to administrative authority for academic resources through systematic or non-systematic system. During the process, non-systematic system such as bribe and conspiracy is used.The cultural analysis of the relations and conflict of academic and administrative authority can explore the origin of power conflict in depth. University is an academic, educational and cultural organization with strong cultural characteristic. University organization is different from other organization in its own culture. There are different sub-cultures such as academic and administrative authorities in university organization. Academic and administrative authorities have different value pursuit. The former pursues academic innovation while the latter the improvement of organization efficiency and effect; the former, which is related to academic innovation, emphasizes academic freedom and autonomy and attaches the quality of the results; the latter, which is related to organization efficiency and effect, emphasizes system standardization, the establishment of hierarchy, the quantitative of result and the frequency and systemization of testing. So the conflict between academic power and administrative power is the conflict between their corresponding cultures. Their conflict has both positive and negative functions. Traditionally only negative ones received much attention and positive ones were largely ignored.Both traditional and present Chinese culture has a significant influence on the structure of Chinese university and the conflict of academic power and administrative power. To put it clearly, on behalf of Confucianism, traditional ethics political Chinese culture plays a leading role while academic culture is rather weak in the whole society cultural system; in present China, centralization culture plays a leading role in cultural system and is reflected in powerful influence such as collective culture, systematic essence culture and unit culture. Both traditional and present culture offer a basic foundation for the university administrative power and maintain the competitive relationship between academic power and administrative power.The conflict between academic power and administrative power can't be avoided in the academic management. So taking effective measures to control and balance them is not only the need of management but is the need of improving academic production and pushing the systematic development of university organization. First of all, changing traditional attitude, forming correct opinion of power and power conflict and actively cultivating academic culture. Second, laying out systems and principles to push reform and offering the decision-making power of the distribution of academic resources to academic power on the macroscopic level. At the meantime, intensifying teachers' collective power and perfecting appealing system. Third, carrying out the reform of university's inner structure and truly realizing the hierarchy management of university, college and department. Finally, improving scholars' collective capacity and strengthening academic influence are very necessary to raise the position of academic powers and even bring it into play.