Two Worlds of Change. On the Internationalisation of Universities

Institutional change entails balancing multiple competing, inconsistent and often loosely coupled demands and concerns, often simultaneously. This article poses the following question: How are patterns of internationalisation of research among academic staff at universities balancing two worlds of change, that is, governance by the university leadership (H1) as well as initiatives by the faculty members (H2)? This article argues and empirically substantiates that internationalisation of academic staff tend to be a balancing-act between these two worlds of change. Whereas most universities increasingly formulate strategies for internationalisation (H1), the research behaviour of faculty members seems weakly associated with such strategies (H2). Variation in international research collaboration among permanent academic staff at universities is best explained by their positional level (H2). This article also suggests key conditions under which internationalisation of research results from collaboratory strategies between university leadership and faculty members.