An Evaluation of Early Developments in Higher Education Quality Management

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Abstract
This paper contends that the growth of Quality Management (QM) has been fuelled by the government's concern for greater accountability and the rise in managerialism in higher education institutions. It also notes that some members of the academic community have perceived certain aspects of QM to be a challenge to traditional academic autonomy. The differing QM roles of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Higher Education Quality Council are examined and various stakeholders’ initial concerns with early QM structures and systems are explored. Harvey and Green's (1993) typology is used as an analytical framework to uncover the rationale for the blend of QM that is developing. There has been the tendency to utilise more mechanistic systems such as ISO 9000 and Total Quality Management because of the problems of measurement with more qualitative approaches. The paper concludes by warning that there needs to be far greater agreement amongst stakeholders on the nature of quality and the QM structures and systems if the objective of an effective, consumer‐orientated form of higher education is to be achieved.

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