An Exploration of Academics’ Attitudes towards Research Metrics in the Corporatized University: The Case of a Business School

Abstract

The value of academic research is increasingly measured through research metrics, including individual, journal or institutional rankings. Extensive literature on metrification argues that the increasing use of metrics is detrimental to the research enterprise and academic freedom. The attitudes and perceptions of individual academics towards research metrics and their perceived and potential effects are less well understood. This paper reports findings from interviews with business school academics on how they make sense of and respond to research metrics. Our findings reveal a plurality of attitudes towards metrics, ranging from skepticism and distrust, to indifference, and even appreciation and acceptance. Participants identified publishing in top-tier journals and obtaining grant funding as key performance requirements. This narrow focus on measurable outcomes invites questions about what other aspects of academic life might be neglected or de-emphasized.