The idea of organizational culture helps in comprehending and analyzing the factors and variables that cause educational organizations like universities to be organized, dynamic, and effective. A variety of trends may be found by analyzing academic organizational culture. Additionally, it enables the development of improvement and reform initiatives for universities and schools’ management. In institutions that mix teaching and research, the Humboldtian academic paradigm of teaching and research is centred on academic independence and the creation of pure knowledge. This model has its ups and downs, which may be critically examined and altered to fit the always shifting educational landscape.
Understanding and assessing the variables that contribute to a school’s or university’s structure, growth, and fulfillment of its obligations is easier using organizational culture. The Humboldtian approach, which emphasizes the neo-humanist ideal of selfless learning and scholarly inquiry, is founded in the educational philosophy of the Enlightenment (Fullan & Ballew, 2020). The individual and the global citizen were two Enlightenment concepts on which Humboldt’s vision was built. Humboldt felt that the university and education, in general, should enable students to develop their logical thinking in an atmosphere of academic freedom (Kobylarek, 2019). This would enable them to become independent individuals and global citizens. By allowing students to forge their paths, Humboldt envisioned an ideal of education beyond just imparting professional skills through studying along a predetermined course of study.
The Humboldt model emphasizes the integration of research and teaching across fields, while other institutions retain their independence even if they receive only public funding. The faculty has complete autonomy over the production of subject matter and instructional strategies and the selection of research topics and methodology. According to the Humboldtian model, universities must be self-governing, grant academic independence, and combine teaching and research. As a result, science has become more cohesive, and all academic fields are represented inside the walls of a particular university. This strategy calls for constant contact and engagement among all university personnel so that students can integrate as learning researchers and researchers through close cooperation with their instructors (Shaw, 2019). The foundational components of the Humboldt model were strengthened as universities committed to upholding the government, business sector, and society’s expectations regarding the value of university research and educational outcomes.
Academic independence is the basic tenet of the university system based on the Humboldt model. This implies that students and teachers are free to design their courses’ subject matter and curriculum. The second tenet is the value of scientific inquiry and instruction. University teachers must be scientists who can perform scientific research, write for scientific publications, and participate actively in the modern scientific community. Humboldt developed this aspect to safeguard higher education against deterioration (Falkowski & Ostrowicka, 2021). The author also saw an organizational culture that went beyond educational environments.
It should be highlighted that neither during Humboldt’s lifetime nor afterward has the Humboldtian paradigm ever been fully fulfilled. However, many colleges, particularly in Europe, have used it as a vital source of inspiration for higher education. As a result, several components of the Humboldtian model are no longer relevant or need to be re-examined, particularly those that deal with the interaction between the state and institutions. Governments, businesses, and society are now putting their expectations on the full utilization and advantages of university research and education output, even if academic independence and self-government are still stressed (Hord & Hall, 2019). Particularly, criteria for usefulness and advantages are being added to tenders by state and international public grant providers. University proposal writers are very aware of this. Additionally, the present application procedures for professorships are designed to choose candidates with solid contacts outside of academia.
From a contemporary vantage point, it is possible to infer from Humboldt’s approach that did not see one field as intrinsically more significant than the other but that both are required to produce well-informed, whole persons. Philosophy is one of the most critical topics in the Humboldt model. However, many philosophers and historians contend that while philosophy may be used to discover the truth, freedom and truth are highly changeable concepts that are frequently the targets of propaganda and deception (Falkowski & Ostrowicka, 2021). So, the Humboldtian method has its disadvantages and critical points. It can be faulted for serving as a model for propagating aristocratic and bourgeois educational notions without including all facets of society (). Additionally, this paradigm was historically supported by a bourgeois elite ideology whose goal of intellectual aspiration and self-improvement had nothing in common with steadfast commercial and social growth ideologies.
Mixed outcomes have been seen in the early 21st century due to the implications of the Humboldtian approach and the tension between market and idealistic approaches to higher education. While elite private colleges in the US charge expensive tuition, the institutions and their students also gain from government funding and philanthropic donations (Etzkowitz, 2019). The rich financing that arises from this combination of resources dramatically exceeds the budgets of German universities, which are publicly sponsored and offer nearly free tuition.
The Humboldtian methodology is, however, once again urging individuals to promote transdisciplinary learning in all topics in today’s globalized society. By establishing courses covering scientific and humanities issues, starting points might be developed for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Students should be encouraged to take on more responsibility for designing their curriculum. Although, in theory, this is often permitted for students in the US and Europe, these prospects are constrained by extensive study and, in particular, test requirements tailored to a single-level curriculum (Tomicic, 2019). A far more profound knowledge of human experience and meaning in a linked but unstable world is urgently needed in fields including environmental issues, resource conservation, urbanization, and healthcare.
Naturally, since Humboldt’s time, science, environment, and circumstances have changed, making it difficult to adopt his approach without any modifications. However, fundamental organizational principles based on the university’s position as a pioneer in interactions with business and the government are always applicable. These connections are made to foster knowledge, creativity, and growth, as well as to create a group of independent-minded and creative individuals across a range of fields. While the world is evolving, it is also getting more complicated. The same is true of universities as they take in new corporate ethical standards, yet the Humboldt university model continues to serve as an example for contemporary institutions. Despite its flaws and critiques, the Humboldtian model of higher education allows flexibility and is consistent with modern principles. This model still serves as the foundation for the university system in many nations today, and its standards are still in high demand.
References
Etzkowitz, H. (2019). The second academic revolution: antecedents and consequences of academic entrepreneurship. In Handbook of Universities and Regional Development. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Falkowski, T., & Ostrowicka, H. (2021). Ethicalization of higher education reform: The strategic integration of academic discourse on scholarly ethos. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 53(5), 479-491. Web.
Fullan, M. & Ballew, A. C. (2020). Leading in a culture of change. John Wiley & Sons.
Hord, S.M. & Hall, G. E. (2019). Implementing change: Patterns, Principles and Potholes. Pearson
Kobylarek, A. (2019). Social responsibility of science. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 10(2), 5-11. Web.
Shaw, M. A. (2019). Public accountability versus academic independence: tensions of public higher education governance in Poland. Studies in Higher Education, 44(12), 2235–2248. Web.
Tomicic, A. (2019). American dream, Humboldtian nightmare: Reflections on the remodelled values of a neoliberalized academia. Policy Futures in Education, 17(8), 1057–1077. Web.