Staffing UK University Campuses Overseas: Lessons from MNE Practice

This article suggests that as their internal labor markets become more multinational in scope, UK universities may acquire similar staffing characteristics to commercial multinational enterprises (MNEs). Comparing evidence from four UK universities with several surveys of MNEs it concludes that, although there are broad similarities in the challenges posed by international operations, there are also several key differences: universities lack the infrastructure to manage overseas staff requirements; have different approaches to career development; view the role of secondments differently; and have a different attitude to dealing with contingency. It argues that, as the size and variety of overseas campuses expand, the staffing models applied in the early days of establishment will not work. If overseas developments are to become core functions of UK universities, mobility portfolios based simply on ad hoc secondments and business travel, international staff recruitment, and electronic communications will not sustain the quality-driven business model being adopted by UK universities. The human resource ethos of the home institutions will also have to change. (HoF/text adopted).