Centralisation is a recurrent theme when the organisational structure of contemporary higher education institutions is on the agenda. This may be in large part because of the unsolicited effects of decentralised organisational structures. The aim of this study is to explore how professional support staff at higher education institutions perceive the organisational structure of support and the rationales for this organising. An analytical framework based on the dichotomy of centralisation/decentralisation was applied in 18 interviews with professional support staff at one Dutch university and one Norwegian university. A common theme in the findings was the consciousness among the professional support staff that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for the organising of efficient and effective support. The issue of centralisation and standardisation was clearly on the agenda, but their focus was on the elements of a well-functioning support structure, not the specific organisational solution. The study also highlights the objection to the trend towards centralisation, and that some organisational changes may be too short sighted to be sustainable. From the perspective of the professional support staff, it can be concluded that organisational structure is a continuous balancing act based on dialogue between the academic and support staff.

中文翻译：

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组织高等教育机构的专业支持人员：多维、持续的平衡行为

当当代高等教育机构的组织结构被提上议事日程时，集中化​​是一个反复出现的主题。这可能在很大程度上是由于分散的组织结构的主动影响。本研究的目的是探讨高等教育机构的专业支持人员如何看待支持的组织结构以及这种组织的基本原理。在对一所荷兰大学和一所挪威大学的专业支持人员进行的 18 次访谈中，应用了基于集中/分散二分法的分析框架。调查结果中的一个共同主题是专业支持人员的意识，即没有一刀切的解决方案来组织高效和有效的支持。集中化和标准化的问题显然在议程上，但他们的重点是运作良好的支持结构的要素，而不是具体的组织解决方案。该研究还强调了对集中化趋势的反对，以及一些组织变革可能过于短视而无法持续。从专业支持人员的角度来看，可以得出结论，组织结构是一种基于学术和支持人员之间对话的持续平衡行为。