Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The power of institutional isomorphism: an analysis of the institutionalization of performance-based pay systems in Korean National Universities

  • Published:
Asia Pacific Education Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the introduction of the performance-based pay system (PPS) in Korean national universities through the perspective of institutional isomorphism. Using three isomorphism concepts of coercive, mimetic, and normative, and further framing the PPS within the overarching theoretical frameworks of governmentality, neoliberalism, myth, and policy convergence, this study explored the historical and social background of the PPS, the reason the Korean government pursued the PPS form used in the US higher education, and the main factors that affected its introduction in Korean national universities. The result of this analysis shows that while the institutionalization of the PPS in Korean national universities seemed closely associated with the radical political, economic change in Korean society, it was in fact an exemplar of isomorphism from the US model of public and private higher education. This isomorphic activity functioned simultaneously as a norm, social order, and myth within Korean higher education while faculty displayed an anti-isomorphic tendency against the power of the institutional isomorphism of PPS in national universities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, J. E. (2000). Public policymaking: An introduction (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bae, B. I. (2002). The relationship of social status under an annual pay system and contract system. University Education, 116. Retrieved from http://magazine.kcue.or.kr/ (in Korean).

  • Ballou, D. (2001). Pay for performance in public and private schools. Economics of Education Review, 20(1), 51–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, H., Cohen, J. L., Jeffries, P., & Rosen, W. (1988). Coping with merit pay. Academe, 74(6), 19–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beckert, J. (2010). Institutional isomorphism revisited: Convergence and divergence in institutional change. Sociological Theory, 28(2), 150–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beer, M. (1983). The technology of organization development. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 937–993). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. New York: Anchor Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernasconi, A. (2006). Breaking the institutional mold: Faculty in the transformation of Chilean higher education from the state to market. In H. D. Meyer & B. Rowan (Eds.), The new institutionalism in education (pp. 187–202). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bieber, T., & Martens, K. (2011). The OECD PISA study as a soft power in education? Lessons from Switzerland and the US. European Journal of Education, 46(1), 101–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, H. R. (1978). Academic compensation: Are faculty and staff in American higher education adequately paid? New York: Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association.

  • Byun, K. (2008). New public management in Korean higher education: Is it reality or another fad? Asia Pacific Education Review, 9(1), 190–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byun, K., & Kim, M. (2011). Shifting patterns of the government’s policies for the internationalization of Korean higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 15(5), 467–486.

    Google Scholar 

  • Choi, S. H. (2010, October 15). The Korea Federation of National University Professor associations demanded a retraction on a proposal to advance national universities. The Kyounghyang Newspaper. Retrieved from http://news.khan.co.kr/ (in Korean).

  • DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1991). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality. In W. W. Powell & P. J. DiMaggio (Eds.), The new institutionalism in organizational analysis (pp. 63–82). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drezner, D. W. (2001). Globalization and policy convergence. The International Studies Review, 3, 53–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubois, D. D., & Rothwell, W. J. (2004). Competency-based human resource management. Mountain View, CA: Davies-Black Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eskew, D., & Heneman, R. (1996). A survey of merit pay plan effectiveness: End of the line for merit pay or hope for improvement? Human Resource Planning, 19(2), 12–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franck, E., & Opitz, C. (2006). Incentive structures for professors in Germany and the United States: Implications for cross-national borrowing in higher education reform. Comparative Education Review, 50(4), 651–671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frumkin, P., & Galaskiewicz, J. (2004). Institutional isomorphism and public sector organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 14(3), 283–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, E. S. (2010). Positioning higher education for the knowledge based economy. In B. Pusser, I. Ordorika, & K. Kempner (Eds.), Comparative education (2nd ed., pp. 219–231). Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gielen, A. C., Kerkhofs, M. J. M., & van Ours, J. C. (2010). How performance related pay affects productivity and employment. Journal of Population Economics, 23(1), 291–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenwood, R., & Hinings, C. R. (1996). Understanding radical organizational change: Bringing together the old and the new institutionalism. Academy of Management Review, 21(4), 1022–1054.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ha, Y. S. (2004). Institutional analysis. Seoul, Korea: Dasan Publisher. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoecht, A. (2006). Quality assurance in UK higher education: Issues of trust, control, professional autonomy and accountability. Higher Education, 57(4), 541–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hursh, D. W. (2007). Making education: The rise of standardized testing, accountability, competition, and markets in public education. In E. W. Ross & R. Gibson (Eds.), Neoliberalism and education reform (pp. 15–34). Creskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • International Institute for Management Development. (2010). World competitiveness yearbook. Retrieved from http://www.mosf.go.kr.

  • Jang, D. H. (2009). A study on the analysis of the institutionalization process of college admission officer system: Application of the isomorphism theories of neo-institutionalism. The Journal of Educational Administration, 27(3), 121–144. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Jo, D. J. (2007, December 4). IMF 10 years: Disappeared in business, lost employees. Weekly KyoungHyang. Retrieved from http://newsmaker.khan.co.kr (in Korean).

  • Johnson, S. M. (1984). Pros and cons of merit pay. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joo, Y. H., & Reyes, P. (2010). A political analysis of the policy process of the open recruitment system of principals in Korea. KEDI Journal of Educational Policy, 7(2), 233–255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang, N. H. (1998). Neo-liberalism offensive of IMF and cultural change. Economy and Society, 38, 91–118. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, Y. J. (2003). A study of the perceptions of administrators and faculty members toward merit pay for faculty at junior colleges in Korea (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Austin, TX: The University of Texas at Austin.

  • Kim, T. (2005). Internationalisation of higher education in South Korea: Reality, rhetoric, and disparity in academic culture and identities. Australian Journal of Education, 49(1), 1–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, S. T. (2010, February 20). The PPS for professors in national university in 2015. The Joongang Daily. Retrieved from http://news.joinsmsn.com (in Korean).

  • Kim, Y. S., & Lee, Y. Y. (2009, December 22). An iron-made rice container would be broken: The performance-based pay system for faculties and teacher performance appraisal. The Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved from http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr (in Korean).

  • Kim, M. R., Park, T. J., Chae, C. K., Kim, S. W., & Ryoo, J. W. (2010). The labor market for college professors in Korea. Seoul, Korea: Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight, J. (2001). Explaining the rise of neoliberalism: The mechanisms of institutional change. In J. L. Campbell & O. K. Pedersen (Eds.), The rise of neoliberalism and institutional analysis (pp. 27–50). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korea Federation of National University Professor Associations. (2010). Opposing statement on the introduction of the PPS in national university faculties. KFNUPA. Retrieved from http://faculty.andong.ac.kr/ (in Korean).

  • Korea Labor Institute. (1998). A study on the introduction of annual pay system. Seoul, Korea: Korea Labor Institute. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Koss, S. K. (2008). Solving the compensation puzzle: Putting together a complete pay and performance system. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwak, S. G. (2002). Higher education system reform. Private School, 102, 22–28. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwon, H. J. (2010, September 28). Early implementation of the pay for performance in national universities. The Kyosu Newspaper. Retrieved from http://www.kyosu.net (in Korean).

  • Kyoungbook National University. (2010). Withdraw the introduction of the performance-based pay system for faculties in national universities right now. The KNU Faculty Assembly. Retrieved from http://prfa.knu.ac.kr/ (in Korean).

  • Larner, W., & Walters, W. (2004). Introduction: Global governmentality. In W. Larner & W. Walters (Eds.), Global governmentality: Governing international spaces (pp. 1–20). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavy, V. (2007). Using performance-based pay to improve the quality of teacher. The Future of Children, 17(1), 87–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. S. (2001). IMF economic crisis and the change of labor-management relationship in Korea. Korean Society, 4, 173–204. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. S. (2002). The neoliberal economic restructuring and the change of labor market in South Korea: Paradox of flexibility. Korean Journal of Sociology, 36(3), 25–45 (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S. H. (2002, March 5). 32.3% of Private enterprises adopted annual pay system. The Maeil Economy Newspaper. Retrieved from http://news.mk.co.kr (in Korean).

  • Lee, H. C. (2004). Achievements and prospects of Korea’s educational reform. Korean Journal of Comparative Education, 14(3), 1–11 (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, G. S. (2007). A history of Korean education in the 20th century. Paju, Korea: Jipmoondang. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, M. N. N., & Healy, S. (2010). Higher education in South-East Asia: An overview. In B. Pusser, I. Ordorika, & K. Kempner (Eds.), Comparative education (2nd ed., pp. 334–340). Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, K. J., & Lee, H. Y. (2007). A study on the effect of a discriminatory expectation on the performance of civil servants. Korean Review of Public Administration, 41(2), 117–140 (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy, D. C. (2006). How private higher education’s growth challenges the new institutionalism. In H. D. Meyer & B. Rowan (Eds.), The new institutionalism in education (pp. 187–202). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mandl, U., Dierx, A., & Ilzkovitz, F. (2008). The effectiveness and efficiency of public spending. Directorate general economic and monetary affairs. Retrieved from http://ideas.repec.org/s/euf/ecopap.html.

  • Martinez, E., & Garcia, A. (2007). What is “neo-liberalism”? A brief definition. Retrieved from http://www.globalexchange.org/.

  • Massy, W. F., & Wilger, A. K. (1995). Improving productivity: What faculty think about it—and its effects on quality. Change, 27(4), 10–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, J. W. (1994). Rationalized environments. In W. R. Scott & J. W. Meyer (Eds.), Institutional environments and organizations: Structural complexity and individualism (pp. 28–54). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, J. W., Boli, J., & Thomas, G. M. (1994). Ontology and rationalization in the Western cultural account. In W. R. Scott & J. W. Meyer (Eds.), Institutional environments and organizations: Structural complexity and individualism (pp. 9–27). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, J. W., Ramirez, F. O., Frank, D. J., & Schofer, E. (2005). Higher education as an institution. Stanford, CA: CDDRL Working Paper.

  • Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. The American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1992). The structure of educational organizations. In J. W. Meyer & W. R. Scott (Eds.), Organizational environments: Ritual and rationality (pp. 71–97). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, H. D., & Rowan, B. (Eds.). (2006). The new institutionalism in education. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • MGT of America. (2002). Faculty productivity issues in the state universities. Tallahassee, Florida: MGT of America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milkovich, G., & Wigdor, A. (1991). Pay for performance: Evaluating performance appraisal and merit pay. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, R. I. (1988). Merit pay in the United States postsecondary institutions. Higher Education, 17, 219–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education. (1998). The 50-year history in education. Seoul, Korea: The 50-Year History in Education Compilation Committee. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education, Science, Technology. (2010a). Guidance materials on the plan of the performance-based pay system in national universities. Seoul, Korea: Ministry of Education, Science, Technology. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education, Science, Technology. (2010b). A proposal for advancing national universities. Seoul, Korea: Ministry of Education, Science, Technology. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Public Administration and Security. (2011). The Korean civil servant’s pay system. Retrieved from http://pac.mopas.go.kr/salary/this.jsp?idx=0 (in Korean).

  • Mok, K. H. (2007). Questing for internationalization of universities in East Asia: Critical reflections. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3–4), 433–454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Archives and Records Services. (2011). The National Committee on Education. Retrieved from http://www.archives.go.kr/next/main.do (in Korean).

  • Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2010). Education at a Glance. Retrieved from http://reader.eblib.com.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu.

  • Park, G. Y. (2009). Critical analysis of MB government’s higher education policy. Trends and Outlook, 77, 50–75. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Park, J. S., Kim, B. J., & Lee, H. C. (2008). Policy study on the governance reform for developing the incorporation of national universities. Seoul, Korea: Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Podgursky, M., & Springer, M. G. (2007). Credentials versus performance: Review of the teacher performance pay research. Peabody Journal of Education, 82(4), 551–573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Presidential Commission on Educational Reform. (1995). The education reform plan for establishing new-education system to lead the times of globalization and information-oriented society. Seoul, Korea: Presidential Commission on Educational Reform. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Public Agenda. (2010). Changing the conversation about productivity: Strategies for engaging faculty and institutional leaders. Retrieved from http://www.publicagenda.org.

  • Rhoades, G., & Sporn, B. (2002). Quality assurance in Europe and the U.S.: Professional and political economic framing of higher education policy. Higher Education, 43(3), 355–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rizvi, F., & Lingard, B. (2000). Globalization and education: Complexities and contingencies. Educational Theory, 50(4), 419–426.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, E. W., & Gibson, R. (Eds.). (2007). Neoliberalism and education reform. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, W. R. (1995). Institutions and organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, W. R., & Meyer, J. W. (1994). Developments in institutional theory. In W. R. Scott & J. W. Meyer (Eds.), Institutional environments and organizations: Structural complexity and individualism (pp. 1–8). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seoul National University. (2010). Opinion about remuneration regulations for Public officials. Seoul, Korea: Seoul National University. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Seoul National University Faculty Council. (2010). A study on the legal problems of the introduction of the PPS in national university faculties. Seoul, Korea: Seoul National University Faculty Council. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sidhu, R. (2007). GATS and the new developmentalism: Governing transnational education. Comparative Education Review, 51(2), 203–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sidhu, R. (2010). GATS and the new developmentalism: Governing transnational education. In B. Pusser, I. Ordorika, & K. Kempner (Eds.), Comparative education (2nd ed., pp. 287–302). Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, T., & Ingram, P. (1997). Organization and ideology: Kibbutzim and hired labour, 1951–1965. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(4), 784–813.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solmon, L. C., & Podgursky, M. (2000). The pros and cons of performance-based compensation. Retrieved from http://web.missouri.edu/podgurskym/articles/files/Pros_cons.pdf.

  • Sun, H. S. (2000). Developmental directions on the annual pay system and the open recruitment system. Seoul, Korea: Korea Labor Institute. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutton, T. P., & Bergerson, P. J. (2001). Faculty compensation systems: Impact on the quality of higher education. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. L., Hunnicutt, G. G., & Keeffe, M. J. (1991). Merit pay in academia: Historical perspectives and contemporary perceptions. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 11(3), 51–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Theodoulou, S. Z. (1995). Making public policy. In S. Z. Theodoulou & M. A. Cahn (Eds.), Public policy: The essential readings (pp. 86–104). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaira, M. (2004). Globalization and higher education organizational change: A framework for analysis. Higher Education, 48(4), 483–510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Välimaa, J. (2004). Nationalisation, localisation and globalisation in Finnish higher education. Higher Education, 48(1), 27–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weidman, J. C., & Park, N. K. (Eds.). (2000). Higher education in Korea. New York: Falmer Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weistroffer, H. R., Spinelli, M. A., Canavos, G. C., & Fuhs, F. P. (2001). A merit pay allocation model for college faculty based on performance quality and quantity. Economics of Education Review, 20(1), 41–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, H. A., & Preziosi, R. C. (2004). Analysis of the proposed performance pay system for academic staff at the University of Technology, Jamaica. Journal of College Teaching and Learning, 1(8), 27–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Youido Institute. (2009). The need of national university corporation and policy direction. Seoul, Korea: Author. (in Korean).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The BK21 Project Group for Globalizing Teaching & Research in Education, The Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Young Hyeo Joo

  2. Halx Consulting Group, Washington, DC, USA

    Mark D. Halx

Authors
  1. Young Hyeo Joo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mark D. Halx
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Young Hyeo Joo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Joo, Y.H., Halx, M.D. The power of institutional isomorphism: an analysis of the institutionalization of performance-based pay systems in Korean National Universities. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 13, 281–297 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-011-9194-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-011-9194-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation