Transitions at the top

Abstract

Women are an underdeveloped yet quickly growing source of leadership in higher education during an era marked by high turnover and calls for significant organizational change. In order to attract, recruit and retain the necessary executive talent to tackle future challenges, colleges and universities must develop the careers of women leaders and understand the factors that motivate them to depart from, or begin, new roles elsewhere. This study sought to understand how women leaders in higher education describe and make sense of their career and work-role transition experiences. Research was guided by the critical reflection principles of transformative learning theory. Narrative was selected as the methodology, and seven women participants, who had stepped into new executive-level positions in the last three years at two- or four-year colleges or universities, took part in semi-structured interviews. Participants' stories of professional change suggested that self-reflection is a means to understanding assumptions and transforming perspectives; career transitions are experiences that can unfold over extended periods of time; early family and educational experiences are influential in the development of women's career orientations and behaviors; the support of associates, mentors, sponsors and role models is important to women's transitions and overall career success; and institutionalized gender and racial bias affects women's ability to successfully transition to and fulfill their new roles. Recommendations drawn from these conclusions should guide advancement of coaching and professional development models that are more responsive to women's unique work-role transition experiences, as well as aid colleges and universities to create practices and programs customized to women's career development needs, thereby preserving their future and long-term talent.