Navigating the Neoliberal maze: South African academics’ coping strategies in modern higher education

Orientation: The invasion of neoliberalism in higher education institutions as an ideology has significantly changed how these institutions are governed. The emergence is primarily aimed at emphasising market-driven and consumerist principles. In turn, it has impacted the academic work environment and academics. A clear example of the impact is the subjection of academics to surveillance processes to promote productivity. Research purpose: This study aimed to explore the coping strategies academics employ to navigate their academic work environment within this framework of the neoliberal university. Motivation for the study: Diminutive attention has been given to how academics adapt to and cope with the shift to and the demands of the neoliberal institution. The exploration of their coping strategies provided an in-depth understanding of how they navigate the perceived negative effects they experience in their work environment. Research approach/design and method: This study employed a cross-sectional, qualitative interpretative phenomenological research design. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with a diverse sample of 20 academics. Data were analysed following the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Main findings: The findings revealed that academics mainly rely on five key coping strategies. These strategies centred around social support, active coping, distraction coping, interpersonal communication and religiosity. Practical/managerial implications: To embrace and sustain the changes in the governance of the modern university, engagement between academics and new management needs to be authentic. Contribution/value-add: The findings of this study may aid managers in their efforts to address the ideological differences between academia and new management.