Effective organisation
Effective organisations need efficient organisational structures and clear policies and procedures to underpin their activities. Historically, ANU was structured as a set of Research Schools, which largely conducted research, and Faculties, which had both a teaching and research mission. The legacy of this structure is research intensity – a concentration of highly research-active staff and Schools found in no other Australian university. The aim that the vast majority of ANU academic staff be highly research-active, will further strengthen this legacy.
The ANU Colleges, which encompass the research-intensive Schools and units of the University, were created as an embracing organisational construct.
- ANU will continue to develop the ANU College structure and ensure there are clear policies, procedures, reporting lines and accountabilities across the University.
ANU has a devolved administrative structure, which is appropriate for an institution that has a broad range of discipline norms and local missions. To work efficiently, such a structure requires:
- clear organisational lines
- clear policy guidance
- efficient, integrated information systems evolved under best practice ICT governance.
ANU will ensure that administration university-wide can be successfully measured against these criteria and is fit for purpose, across functions including: finance, development, human resources, research, student management and information services including learning support.
Some measures of success
- The policies and procedures governing University activities will be reviewed for completeness, clarity and efficiency (to be completed by the end of 2012).
- An integrated and efficient suite of administrative systems will be established by 2015.
- By 2015, embedded mechanisms will be in place to ensure useful innovations developed by one Division or College are shared across the University.
- Improvements for administration and support functions university-wide will be identified through detailed reviews.
