4 - The Culture of Middle-level Academic Management at a Comprehensive South African University

Using Critical Realism (CR), which emphasises the interplay of structure, culture, and agency, this conceptual article reflects on culture middle- level academic management at a comprehensive South African university was result merger historically disparate institutions. It is important for layer to be understood because it nexus senior management’s strategic initiatives concerns staff members students. The thus recommends implementation practices embed corporatist senior-level into those aspects middle-level are function structural contexts in middle managers operate as well managers’ collective individual agency. result, envisages, could an enhanced makes improved institutional governance response multiple challenges being faced by institution, such slow pace transformation; increased student enrolments; under-preparedness; ever-present possibility protests; demands corporatism impact Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) teaching learning unanswered questions around relevance some programmes.