Cultivating connectedness and generosity in universities. A view of early career academic experiences in Aotearoa, New Zealand

Academic work is intense. Academics beginning their careers now carry an unprecedented weight of expectation across a wide range of roles. They must excel as teachers, researchers, supervisors, managers and public intellectuals who are technologically savvy, culturally aware, entrepreneurial and capable of competing on an international scale for students, research funds, patents, publication opportunities, media time, rankings, awards and tenure. Academics must also account for all these activities in a performative environment that is more managerial, market-oriented and international than ever before. Much higher levels of stress are reported by academics than professionals in other careers, partly due to the weight of their wide-ranging and demanding responsibilities (Guthrie et al., 2017). Yet, academics also experience significant freedom, flexibility and autonomy in comparison with other jobs. So how might new academics be encouraged to embrace the flexibility and autonomy of their careers, without resorting to selfishness and competitiveness? And how might a culture of connectedness and generosity be promoted in an increasingly fragmented academic world? This essay reflects on the experiences of early career academics (ECAs) in Aotearoa New Zealand universities, suggesting ways of creating supportive and collegial working environments for newcomers to academia. (DIPF/Orig.