Challenges of Implementing a Performance and Reward System in Higher Education Institutions in Pakistan: Perceptions of Top Leaders in Contending Regulatory Bodies

Abstract

Abstract This article is a study of the challenges of implementing a performance and rewards management system for academics (Tenure Track System - TTS) in Pakistan over the last decade. The main empirical focus is on the perceptions of the leading implementer, the Higher Education Commission (HEC). These are supplemented by the perceptions of the Provincial Higher Education Commission (PHEC) in Punjab. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis were the two methods used to collect data. The study is based on two perspectives from organizational theory, a structural and a cultural perspective. The main findings highlight how leaders implemented TTS despite its incompatibility with the structure and culture of public universities in Pakistan. The study also revealed tensions between two reward systems – BPS and TTS – as well as the effects of the 18th constitutional amendment on the implementation of higher education programs. This study contributes insights into the reform of the higher education system in developing countries in the context of NPM.