Institutional responses to university rankings: A tale of adaptation and cognitive framing

In this chapter we take the opportunity to observe the response of Italian universities to two successive waves of research assessments, culminating into national rankings. We observe the differences in media coverage obtained by the universities between the first ever ranking instance, where universities were unprepared to manage the results, and the second wave of rankings, where universities were fully prepared and aware of the potential consequences on their image and reputation. The first wave of rankings is modelled as an external shock, where the determinants of university visibility were uniquely the number of podiums and top-ranking positions received. However, this changed in the second wave. Building on several theoretical perspectives around university image such as attitude formation theory in social psychology, customer satisfaction and brand equity in marketing, studies of organizational image in organizational theory, and studies in public relations, we posit an adaptive behaviour by universities, to reframe and manipulate the communication around the second wave of rankings to boost their image. Regression results are consistent with the two scenarios, telling a story of adaptation and strategic cognitive framing and categorization.