Reframing Academic Leadership (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Reframing Academic Leadership Rishi Sriram Reframing Academic Leadership. Lee G. Bolman and Joan V. Gallos. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011, 288 pages, $40.00 (hardcover) If what Birnbaum (1988) says about the differences between colleges and businesses is true, then college administrators need more than a business book to teach them about organizational culture and leadership in higher education. For almost two decades, Bolman and Deal's (2008) theories - or frames - have influenced higher education governance and the curriculum of graduate preparation programs in higher education and student affairs. Now, Bolman and Gallos provide a book that applies the frames specifically in the context of higher education administration. The married couple, who both serve as professors of leadership at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, aim to offer "a readable, intellectually provocative, and pragmatic approach" (p. xi) to the distinct work and possibilities of higher education leadership. Bolman and Gallos divide Reframing Academic Leadership into three parts. In part 1, "Leadership Epistemology: When You Understand, You Know What to Do," they make the case for thinking and learning as the heart of effective leadership. Chapter 1 uses the real-life example of former Harvard president Lawrence Summers to illustrate the need to reframe—to shift perspective in order to see the same situation in multiple ways. Chapter 2 presents the concept of sensemaking and conveys the importance of shaping meaning-making in higher education leadership. In chapter 3, Bolman and Gallos focus on the issue of learning from experiences in order to better understand one's strengths, weaknesses, and overall tendencies. Part 2, "Reframing Academic Challenges," presents the four frames of Bolman and Deal (2008) in the context of the four biggest concerns endemic to higher education administration. Rather than emphasizing the frames themselves, however, Bolman and Gallos focus on the roles that leaders must play when using the frames. Chapter 4 uses the structural frame to discuss the leader as analyst and architect. Chapter 5 emphasizes the political frame while describing the leader as compassionate politician. Chapter 6 uses the human resource frame to present the leader as servant, catalyst, and coach. Chapter 7 discusses the leader as prophet and artist on the basis of the symbolic frame. Part 3, "Sustaining Higher Education Leaders: Courage and Hope," addresses the personal and sometimes difficult relationship between higher education administrators and their work. The first four of these six chapters focus on common college leadership challenges. Chapter 8 provides advice on how to manage conflict, chapter 9 tackles the issue of leading from the middle, chapter 10 presents strategies for leading difficult people, and chapter 11 focuses on managing your boss and leading up. The final two chapters of the book emphasize the importance of resiliency in higher education leadership. Chapter 12 provides insight on sustaining health and vitality in stressful roles, while chapter 13 encourages the reader to continually view higher education leadership as a calling and developmental journey. In Reframing Academic Leadership, Bolman and Gallos provide a meaningful and beneficial text for those in higher education leadership. While building upon the foundation of Bolman and Deal (2008), the authors present a better tie-in to the process of sensemaking and how leaders can specifically utilize the four frames to improve sensemaking processes. Moreover, Bolman and Gallos offer vivid examples that directly pertain to higher education administration. Most of these examples come from their own experience [End Page 860] in college leadership. However, some examples are real case studies, such as Lawrence Summers from Harvard and Michael Crow from Arizona State University. The chapters are well-written, accessible, and relevant to issues that college leaders face daily. Chapters often begin with an illustration, present the content, and then connect the content back to the illustration. Lists and outlines are regularly used to clearly convey the primary points of a chapter. Bolman and Gallos also draw from other well-respected authors in leadership, such as Heifetz (1994; 2002). The pages spent on the spiritual aspects of leadership are needed and appreciated, and they draw much from Palmer's (2000) work in this area. The pragmatic approach is helpful and orients the text toward immediate application in practice. However...