In Search of Organizational Actorhood: Institutional Positioning Statements of Turkish Public Universities

This study explores the positioning strategies within the Turkish higher education sector, focusing on how public universities establish their organizational actorhood. The research involved analyzing the differentiation strategy sections from the strategic plans of 125 public universities in Türkiye. Using both deductive and inductive thematic analyses, the study revealed that Turkish public universities place a strong emphasis on research, which could potentially reinforce the existing hierarchy among the three core missions of modern higher education. The analysis identified fifty-one distinct positioning strategies, categorized into the themes of goal orientation, elaboration of formal structures, collective resources, social citizenship, identity, boundary spanning, accountability, and image. While the findings suggest that Turkish public universities are making strategic efforts, there remains a need to bolster regulatory environment-based incentives within a unique, tailored model.