Results of Recognition & Rewards culture barometer provide guidance for further implementation of the change programme
The various ambitions of the Recognition & Rewards programme are widely supported by academics. For example, they firmly endorse the diversification of career paths and the focus on quality. In addition, over half of the respondents expect to be better able to make fundamental decisions in line with their preferences, talents and life stage, besides expecting that their work will be valued more broadly. This is shown by the outcomes of the first Recognition & Rewards culture barometer, administered at the start of 2024 among academics at the institutions collaborating in the national Recognition & Rewards programme.
20 June 2024
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The Recognition & Rewards culture barometer makes it possible to gain an insight in the programme’s progress. Besides highlighting the above-mentioned broad support for the programme, the culture barometer also reveals some areas of concern. For example, most respondents note that they have not yet seen any change, or much change, in the wake of the programme. Most of the changes experienced are policy changes, while systemic and culture changes are experienced less. In fact, a large group of respondents worry that Recognition & Rewards will not succeed in putting the programme’s ambitions into practice.
It is also notable that nearly a third of respondents fear that choosing a particular profile will limit mobility, both in the Netherlands and abroad. The institutions associated with Recognition & Rewards wish to avoid that career paths end at individual institutions. The insights from the culture barometer help enhance the dialogue on what else is needed to make this happen.
“We see that most academics, fortunately, feel they are recognised and rewarded. Even so, we believe there are too many academics in whose experience this is not the case. These employees, too, deserve to be rewarded for their talent. This motivates us to continue to work towards a culture change and to cooperate to ensure that various contributions to academic teaching, research and public engagement are recognised and rewarded.” – Kim Huijpen, Recognition & Rewards programme manager.
The Recognition & Rewards Barometer is commissioned by the national programme Recognition & Rewards and conducted by independent research firm Berenschot. A special edition of the Recognition & Rewards e-magazine (available to read here) elaborates on the results of the culture barometer, including an interpretation of the results, interviews with academics and the link to the full report of Berenschot.
Dialogue session
In the coming period, dialogues will take place both nationally and at participating institutions to discuss the results of the culture barometer and look ahead at how these results will help in further shaping the programme. The national programme team is organising a dialogue session to this end at the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam on Thursday, 29 August.
Today’s societal challenges require multidisciplinary collaboration among academics with a range of qualities. Dutch universities, university medical centres, research institutes and research funders have worked together in the Recognition & Rewards programme since 2020 to rebalance the recognition and rewarding of academic work. We want to give room to, recognise and reward the talents of academics, each of which has their own focus on academic teaching, research, impact, patient care or leadership.
