Integration of quality standards into the university activities: Social regulators and their sociological assessment

The wave-like development of social structure, rejection of “old” standards and adoption of their “new” versions in the rapidly changing geopolitical situation, digitalization and informatization of public relations make not only researchers but also managers take a different look at standardization - primarily in the sociological perspective. The basic principles of quality standards determine the significant role of sociological diagnostics in understanding the penetration of standards into the activities of management entities. The choice of an educational institution as an object of the study is explained by the peculiarities of both university activities and their results. It is in the higher education institution that the attitude towards quality standards is formed on the part of individuals representing different groups of university community. The article provides the authors’ description of the penetration of quality standards into educational activities, identifies formal and informal social regulators, presents an integral indicator of the level of satisfaction of students with educational process at the A.I. Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University (index of educational process quality), a matrix of management decisions that can be implemented by the educational organization based on the results of the sociological study and recommendations for improving the management of quality system. The authors admit that the results of their study require expert discussion that can confirm or refute the presented sociological description of the penetration of quality standards, which can become typical for educational organizations and ultimately affect the quality policy of most of them. The authors see prospects for continuing the research work in the development and expansion of management strategy for introducing quality standards into the functioning and management of educational institutions.