TTS as a recipe to enhance the performance of academic staff in public sector universities of Pakistan

The study reviews the tenure track system (TTS) as a performance management system in Pakistan’s higher education sector. It aims to understand the factors that contributed to the success or failure of the system by considering structural, cultural, political, and institutional aspects of performance management. The researchers adopted a multiple case study approach involving five public universities in Pakistan. The data was collected through 70 semi-structured interviews, including face-to-face individual and focus group interviews and document analysis. The study moved away from traditional approaches that focus solely on rational instrumental analysis of performance data, instead considering contextual, institutional, and cultural factors influencing the behaviors of individuals involved in the performance management process. The study’s findings reveal several challenges and issues in implementing TTS. There is a need for more congruence between the disciplinary and contextual realities within organizations regarding difficulties in aligning the TTS model with the specific needs and characteristics of different disciplines and universities. Political tensions and power struggles are rampant, undermining the effectiveness of the performance management system and hindering its ability to achieve its intended objectives. A one-size-fits-all approach to performance management systems may be unsuitable for different universities due to the difference in professional discipline requirements and the underlying political and contextual logic. Recommendations are provided to improve the implementation of performance management systems in the higher education sector. Overall, the study shed light on the complexity and nuances involved in implementing performance management systems in Pakistan’s higher education sector and highlighted the need for a more contextualized and adaptive approach to ensure the effectiveness of such reforms.