The Risk Management approach in the Italian Universities. First reflections on constraints and opportunities.
Universities, although characterized by marked traits of specificity deriving from their particular institutional purposes, as any business entity, face challenges and pitfalls that, if not properly managed, can undermine their persistence. This determines the need to equip themselves with appropriate management control tools to face up to the various types of risk. The aim of the study is to analyse the opportunity to implement risk management logic and tools (Risk management – RM) in university sector.
The study has been conducted using a qualitative methodology which, recalling the experience of the UK and Australian Universities, analyses the risk management policies and methodologies.
The results show that universities are certainly fertile ground for the implementation of the RM approach, as developed by the theory and the practice over time.
As regards the Italian context, fields of significant impact may be in the future strategic plans and self-evaluation mechanisms.
The study is relevant for the practitioners and for the policy makers to encourage the use the risk management system in Italian universities sector.
Keywords: Risk management, University, AVA-ANVUR, Quality Assurance.
