The Double Bind of Metrics

Higher Education (HE) in the UK, like much of the rest of the public sector, has undergone significant changes in the last 25 years. Changes to funding of UK universities have meant that they have come under increasing scrutiny and criticism and there has been an increased focus on results and accountability. As HE has expanded in the UK, it has increasingly been required to justify the expenditure of public funds. Those in charge of universities are now expected to ensure that value for money is provided and to be held to account for the ‘quality’ of the provision of their ‘products’. This chapter focusses on the use of performance metrics in managing in HE and explores the behaviours which emerge when middle managers in HE use metrics as a tool to measure organisational performance. Whilst recognising that metrics may be useful at an abstract level as a means of opening an exploration of what gets done and what is valued, this chapter identifies that metrics can be taken up in ways that may also be used to blame and shame others. Managing using metrics in this way can lead middle managers to feel as if they are stuck ‘in the middle’ and may present middle managers with a double bind (being stuck between two unpalatable choices) which can lead to feelings of futility and a lack of agency.