Two faculties – one shared administrative hub

How do you build a new administration that retains what already works when the circumstances change?

When we open the doors to a joint administration centre on 1 September, Torben Durck says this is not a break with what we know. It is the next step. Torben Durck explains that we are moving from having a single, centralised faculty administration to a more ‘distributed’ model, in which the Faculty of Social Sciences and SDU Business School will both be supported by a joint administrative centre.

The aim is clearly set out in the vision we are continuing to work towards for the administration centre:
“With Excellent Academic Communities 2.0, we will be recognised for supporting the activities and strategies of SBS and SAMF professionally and effectively through seamless collaboration within the overall administrative community.”

Torben Durck emphasises:
- I believe in the ambitions behind the establishment of an independent Business School, and something positive will come out of the strategic work involving a new narrative for SAMF, which no longer needs to cover such a broad scope. The administration centre must support both strategic directions and development over time. But this will not happen overnight. That is why the SBS/SAMF administration centre is well placed to start more or less where we are now and develop in step with the two faculties.

The familiar is the foundation

According to Torben Durck, the starting point is simple:
We are therefore retaining the departments as we know them today, because they deliver high quality and are organised in a way that works. And it is the professional expertise of our skilled administrative staff and managers that makes it work. Colleagues at the two faculties will therefore find that the way tasks are carried out and the processes remain largely the same, and that relationships with them as users and collaborators remain intact – or are being built up, for example, within a new SDU Business School administration. This provides a strong foundation for the administration centre to deliver the quality we are known for.

Torben Durck elaborates:
- Of course, there is also a need for changes and adjustments to administrative practices across the various academic areas. Work is underway on this in the individual departments, in Central Administration and through a special programme for administration under the dean and the Head of SDU Business School. We have administrative colleagues who are working extremely hard to ensure we get everything sorted. A big thank you to them.

Concerns are part of the process

Torben Durck is aware that some staff members may be concerned, for example about being caught between several parties or about not being able to cope in a new structure. These are genuine concerns. They stem from a desire to be effective in carrying out one’s duties – quite simply, to do one’s job well and be recognised for it. ‘These are natural reactions in the current situation, just as the inevitable, minor changes can affect individuals. That is why it is important that we, as the management team as a whole, establish clear frameworks and priorities and are available when needed, says Torben Durck, continuing:
- To succeed, we as management must be able to work closely together and make decisions quickly, so that the organisation experiences clarity amidst a complex reality. We therefore intend to establish a structure based on close collaboration at management level within the Administration Centre, the SBS administration, the SBS management team and the departments at SAMF.

What will determine whether we succeed?

According to Torben Durck, we already have a strong culture of collaboration, with high staff well-being and skilled employees. What is new is that we must be able to navigate a reality in which the Administration Centre acts on behalf of two faculties. We must be able to represent the whole whilst keeping in mind the various perspectives that exist. The Administration Centre must therefore adopt a middle ground. We will succeed if we stick to what we are good at: our professional expertise.

- Relationships will be crucial, because a shared centre also brings with it greater interdependence. This requires us to find solutions together, even when it is difficult.
– We must find what might be called a third way – something we create together as we go along and through dialogue, says Torben Durck.

- I’m looking forward to ‘opening the doors’ on 1 September and saying: ‘Now we’re up and running, and we’ll gradually work our way towards a new identity as the Administration Centre and the two faculties’ path forward.’ Because what I want most of all is to see both faculties flourish and succeed in their ambitions, with the full support of the Administration Centre,” says Torben Durck.