Juggling quality labels with centralised analytics: How the first Nordic triple-crowned business school does it

Abstract

Higher education (HE) is a challenging area for quality professionals because of its highly complex operational nature. While neither quality management (QM) in HE nor applications of analytics in QM is a new research discipline, few studies have examined the applications of analytics in the context of QM in HE. This study calls for more attention to bridge the gap between these two established research disciplines by conducting a systematic literature review and an in-depth single-case study. A systematic literature review illustrates the missing link of analytics in quality management in HE in the literature; however, in practice, highly ranked universities worldwide demonstrate various ways in which an HE institution can embed analytics and business intelligence into their QM practices. The first Nordic triple-crowned business school was selected as a single-case study to illustrate how analytics can be a powerful tool for QM in HE. This study found that analytics and business intelligence, enabled by a centralised information system, offer great tools for quality professionals at HE institutions to manage by fact and consequently allow them to make more fact-based, data-based operational, tactical, and strategic decisions. The centralised information system also alleviates the challenges associated with applying for multiple accreditations. As this is a highly contextual phenomenon, this study also calls for future research in other contexts, such as in other disciplines or in other regions where HE has significantly different operational characteristics.