The Hybrid Values in Universities of Applied Sciences: Board Members’ Perspectives

Abstract

This study explores the hybridity within Nordic higher education (HE), focusing on Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS). Recent governmental reforms, driven by new public management and governance paradigms, have introduced competing values and principles, adding layers of complexity to the HE landscape. Employing a mixed-method approach, this research utilizes quantitative and qualitative survey data from board members of Finnish UAS, supplemented by publicly available organizational and policy documents. We show how hybridity manifests at different levels of the nested systems of UAS. The findings contribute to the growing body of work on hybridity in HE by offering a novel analytical framework to further studies on hybridity in higher education institutions, specifically in UAS. Furthermore, we show how board members navigate and reflect competing values in UAS governance. This study also enriches the literature on university boards by incorporating the concept of hybridity, offering a theoretical framework to understand the complex dynamics of board governance in HE.