A new line manager - what to do?
Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 9:17 pm
Sorry, but my response here takes this thread outside of CH.
Please let me reassure you. This is not CH specific but seems to be the way of the world. It isn't just Christ's Hospital. The University where I work (Chichester) is almost certainly the second smallest in the country but our standards have always been high and the achievements of our students well respected.
I have held the title of 'Head of Academic Standards' for the last ten years or more. I have been in the place for more than 28.5 years and hold its reputation in the highest regard in terms of my personal commitment to the institution. However, this year we've seen a revolution introduced by a new Vice-Chancellor who joined in April last year. Att his point (September, 18 months after he joined us) we have made redundant thirteen individuals including six academic Heads of School (many of whom were personal friends) and in their place introduced two Executive Deans of Faculty plus four Deputy Deans (two are academic undergraduate, and two are Research). On top of that there is a new layer of administrative managers, Very Highly Paid (to 'replicate' the structures in insitutions ten times our size).
One of these new people becomes my Line Manager (coming between me and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, for whom I have worked for 12 years, who I have known for all my career in the institution [and who came with his wife to my 60th birthday party]). The new boss is not happy (though he manages five departments, mine is the only one where the original line manager is still in place, although elevated) and he is throwing his weight around. He has accused me of undertaking activities (e.g. student complaints and appeals) which are incompatible with my situation, not replicated in other larger Universities, and which he claims prevent me from managing my department properly, and he also says that I am insufficiently keyed in to national trends and developments (let me remind you, fellow Old Blues, that Dame Ruth Deech, former Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education is a former Hertford Old Blue, and well known to me.....).
I have been forbidden to meet my previous Line Manager alone, ever again, without the new boss in attendance - but the most worrying aspect is that the new boss comes over very enthusiastic etc. etc. but doesn't listen and does not implement things he appears to have agreed (it's not only I who finds this, but one other of the Heads of Section which he now manages says the same). On top of which the new boss purloined one of my staff as his 'Personal Assistant' (he 'manages' five Heads of Section, of whom I am one, and under whom overall there must be 30-40 individuals) - he did this on a day when he knew that I was on leave and could not be involved in the discussions.OOhh dear. There are also other indications that the new boss may not be as comprehensively trustworthy as we might have hoped.
As I say, turning Education into Big Business seems to be the way of the world.
If I walk away soon (which is beginning to feel very tempting!) does anyone have any ideas about a different career which might at least help towards the mortgage?!
(Sorry to have deflected this thread....)
Kerren
Please let me reassure you. This is not CH specific but seems to be the way of the world. It isn't just Christ's Hospital. The University where I work (Chichester) is almost certainly the second smallest in the country but our standards have always been high and the achievements of our students well respected.
I have held the title of 'Head of Academic Standards' for the last ten years or more. I have been in the place for more than 28.5 years and hold its reputation in the highest regard in terms of my personal commitment to the institution. However, this year we've seen a revolution introduced by a new Vice-Chancellor who joined in April last year. Att his point (September, 18 months after he joined us) we have made redundant thirteen individuals including six academic Heads of School (many of whom were personal friends) and in their place introduced two Executive Deans of Faculty plus four Deputy Deans (two are academic undergraduate, and two are Research). On top of that there is a new layer of administrative managers, Very Highly Paid (to 'replicate' the structures in insitutions ten times our size).
One of these new people becomes my Line Manager (coming between me and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, for whom I have worked for 12 years, who I have known for all my career in the institution [and who came with his wife to my 60th birthday party]). The new boss is not happy (though he manages five departments, mine is the only one where the original line manager is still in place, although elevated) and he is throwing his weight around. He has accused me of undertaking activities (e.g. student complaints and appeals) which are incompatible with my situation, not replicated in other larger Universities, and which he claims prevent me from managing my department properly, and he also says that I am insufficiently keyed in to national trends and developments (let me remind you, fellow Old Blues, that Dame Ruth Deech, former Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education is a former Hertford Old Blue, and well known to me.....).
I have been forbidden to meet my previous Line Manager alone, ever again, without the new boss in attendance - but the most worrying aspect is that the new boss comes over very enthusiastic etc. etc. but doesn't listen and does not implement things he appears to have agreed (it's not only I who finds this, but one other of the Heads of Section which he now manages says the same). On top of which the new boss purloined one of my staff as his 'Personal Assistant' (he 'manages' five Heads of Section, of whom I am one, and under whom overall there must be 30-40 individuals) - he did this on a day when he knew that I was on leave and could not be involved in the discussions.OOhh dear. There are also other indications that the new boss may not be as comprehensively trustworthy as we might have hoped.
As I say, turning Education into Big Business seems to be the way of the world.
If I walk away soon (which is beginning to feel very tempting!) does anyone have any ideas about a different career which might at least help towards the mortgage?!
(Sorry to have deflected this thread....)
Kerren
If he has agreed to do something, you could drop him a note summarising your meeting with him and confirming the action points for both of you. 
