Leadership In Higher Education Research Articles

Destructive leadership behaviors: The case of academic middle leaders in higher education

Destructive leadership, characterized by abusive behaviors and a lack of ethical integrity, undermines organizational morale and performance. This phenomenological study investigates destructive leadership behaviors exhibited by academic middle leaders in higher education, examining them through the lens of faculty members. Six faculty members from six Arab States participated in three rounds of interviews to capture their lived experiences. Data were supplemented by reflective journal entries, allowing researchers to examine their preconceived notions of the phenomenon under study. A whole-part-whole approach was utilized for data analysis. Findings illuminate specific instances of destructive leadership, including micromanagement and control, vitriolic communication, a detrimental organizational climate, and encroachment upon faculty members’ work-life balance. The study explores the impact of these behaviors on faculty morale, productivity, and overall organizational culture. This study contributes to a deeper understanding and discussion of the challenges presented by ineffective middle leadership in higher education environments.

Recent developments in higher education in Africa: partnerships for knowledge transformations

PurposeThis paper explores some of the recent developments and transformations in Africa's higher education.Design/methodology/approachIt employs an extensive review of literature based on some dominant thematic areas characterizing the main trends and developments in Africa's higher education.FindingsThe paper mainly highlights the impacts of academic partnerships on these transformations, with a focus on research, postgraduate training, mobility and some new intra-African initiatives. Following the unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization comes out as an important turning point for Africa's higher education, which should be exploited for more opportunities. The paper calls for collaborative efforts to address the challenges facing Africa's higher education for the repositioning of Africa as a meaningful player in the unfolding global knowledge society.Practical implicationsThe outcomes could be useful to researchers focused on international education, policymakers and higher education leaders and international development partners working on higher education in Africa. It could also be useful for structuring future collaborations between Africa and other regions of the world.Social implicationsThe paper calls for enhanced and mutually beneficial collaborations and disruption of the imbalances that have characterised North–South collaborations. It proposes some possible approaches and alternatives that could be used for redress.Originality/valueThe paper is original and relies on some of the new developments in Africa, including the impacts of COVID-19 and digitalization on the future of higher education collaborations with Africa.

Navigating neoliberal waters: Building capacities and skills for effective instructional leadership in higher education.

In the current era, leadership in higher education faces unprecedented challenges as a result of neoliberalism's influence. To effectively provide instructional leadership, higher education leaders and administrators need to acquire new skills and strategies. The issues of inadequate funding, increased workload, massification, and marketization in universities necessitate skillful navigation to uphold educational quality. This integrated literature review examines the impact of neoliberalism on teaching and learning and explores the specific skills and capacities required by university leaders to deliver effective instructional leadership. Through a comprehensive review, we shed light on the essential leadership skills necessary within the context of neoliberalism. By addressing these challenges head-on, leaders can navigate the neoliberal waters and build the capacities needed for successful instructional leadership in higher education.

Breaking down silos: Postsecondary leaders collaborating to advance One Health in education.

This contribution describes how leaders from the University of Calgary Knowledge Engagement team, the manager of One Health at UCalgary and faculty members from Werklund School of Education came together to form a leadership team and plan a transdisciplinary initiative for future implementation in K-12 schools. The One Health initiative at the University of Calgary is committed to tackling complex problems at the convergence of people, animals, and the environment, and the underlying economic and social factors that determine the opportunities for health across all ecosystems. Systems thinking and inviting different perspectives into the conversation provided a greater understanding of the scope of global challenges and how our individual actions impact others and the environment we all share. The authors used a collaborative and dialogic approach to plan a knowledge engagement session with regional public-school educators to consider how inclusion of the One Health approach into existing curriculum could benefit students. In this chapter, the authors reflected on how matchmaking brought the team together as a boundary-spanning and transdisciplinary team and describe their collective actions and leadership in building collaboration and connections with community partners to lay the foundation for a robust outreach program. The reflections suggest that leaders in higher education can break down silos using a complexity paradigm for their leadership and work together across different departments to combine diverse expertise for community engagement.

Recruiting the next generation of project managers: Student interests, industry needs, and marketing messages

Businesses need well-trained project managers but recruiting students to this field is a challenge. This three-part study examines motivational factors that influence students to pursue a project management degree, industry requirements for project management careers, and graduate program marketing messages. The purpose of the study is to determine the degree of alignment among these three variables and make recommendations for graduate program marketing stakeholders and industry leaders to improve recruitment strategies for these programs. Study 1 seeks to understand prospective student opinions and trigger factors when applying to a graduate program using a survey with regression and cross tabulation statistical analysis. Study 2 analyzes the relationship between project management certifications and work experience and salary using regression analysis. Study 3 is a content analysis that examines how graduate programs market their project management programs to prospective students. Study findings indicate industry leaders and higher education stakeholders need to use informational marketing campaigns to bridge the knowledge gap between market demand and student perceptions. Higher education leaders need to design curriculum that includes industry certifications and practical skill courses if they want to increase enrollment and career placement for project management students.

Transforming educational leadership in higher education with innovative administrative strategies

In developing nations particularly in Africa, innovative administrative strategies are essential for educational leaders to navigate inherent challenges in education. This study aims to explore how educational leaders in higher education can be equipped with innovative administrative strategies to cause a positive change in education delivery. A systematic literature review was conducted to achieve this aim, drawing on the transformational leadership model as its theoretical underpinning. The search encompassed scholarly publications from major repositories like Scopus, Web of Science, and International Bibliography of the Social Sciences and Textbooks from 1967 to 2023. The search process went a series of exclusive and inclusive processes and yielded 43 research articles. The synthesized findings were analyzed using a thematic approach. The findings indicate that transformational leadership has the potential to incorporate innovation into higher educational administrative practices. It was also found that innovative administrative practices in higher education can be achieved through staff motivation, technology integration, adoption of agile methodologies, collaborative research, interdisciplinary collaboration, seminars, workshops, and positive organizational culture. Based on the findings, professional development programs for managers and administrators in higher education were highly recommended. These programs would help enhance the knowledge and skills of employees in educational administration.

Workers united: a non-assimilatory approach to Indigenous leadership in higher education

Indigenous leaders in higher education are restive, disaffected, and dissatisfied with the slow gyrations of change. Using Interest Convergence Theory, this paper will unravel the constraints inherent in institutional reform that delimit the influence of Indigenous senior leaders in the sector. Positioned amidst the burgeoning impact of neoliberalism, an architecture of colonial governance models, and systemic resistance to change, Indigenous leaders are affecting reform. By providing examples of reform-driven agential actions shouldered by senior Indigenous leaders across Canada, Aotearoa, America and Australia, this paper, underpinned by relationality, details how Indigenous leaders are engaging with Indigenous Institutional work and Entrepreneurship, speaking back to interest-driven institutional policies and practices in the sector with a pronounced focus on nation building. Drawn from an international, comprehensive qualitative study, we investigate how Indigenous leaders in higher education are disrupting systemic racism to promote equity and justice within higher education amid macro-level resistance to change.

Responsible leadership in higher education in developing countries

Responsible leadership in higher education in developing countries

Effect of Workplace Spirituality and Servant Leadership on Service Quality in Higher Education: A Mediation Model of Job Satisfaction

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact of workplace spirituality and servant leadership on service quality in higher education. Design/methodology/approach: This was done by examining the function of job satisfaction as a mediator in this relationship. The study was carried out in a tertiary educational institution in Bali, Indonesia, and the data was analysed using PLS-based SEM (Structural Equation Model). Findings: The study findings indicate that (1) workplace spirituality and servant leadership in higher education have an impact on job satisfaction, (2) workplace spirituality and servant leadership do not have a direct effect on service quality in higher education, and (3) job satisfaction acts as a mediator between workplace spirituality, servant leadership, and service quality in higher education. Research limitations/implications: Research was carried out using scientific procedures and methods, but in its implementation, some limitations provide room for improvement in the future. Other variables that are decisive to service quality in education should be involved in future studies. Originality/value: Based on the findings, this study introduces a novel paradigm offering theoretical and practical advancements in ensuring quality of service in higher education. Additionally, it suggests fostering spirituality in the workplace and adopting servant leadership to guarantee lecturers' contentment to enhance the quality of service in higher education.

Confronting Mean Girls Niceness: Conceptualizing Whisper Care to Disrupt the Politics of Niceness in Academia

While the current literature on Niceness in higher education has examined the discourses and practices of Niceness in academic spaces, making it more identifiable, less is known about how minoritized faculty navigate and disrupt the culture of Niceness. The purpose of this article is to offer a resistance-based framework to combat academia’s Niceness culture through the lens of the authors. Using theory in the flesh as theory and methodology, we use collaborative autoethnography to conceptualize Whisper Care to give language and articulate an orientation and philosophy rooted in Kindness. Our findings present a process to confront Niceness while guiding, supporting, and protecting each other in higher education institutions. We conclude with implications for future research and practice for faculty and higher education leaders.

A model of senior Indigenous leadership in Australian higher education: An Indigenous academic perspective

PurposeSenior Indigenous leadership positions across the Australian higher education sector has increased over the past decade. Despite this advancement, there is limited understanding in terms of how to best integrate Indigenous leadership into existing governance structures of Australian universities. In 2018 the Walan Mayiny: Indigenous Leadership in Higher Education project commenced, aimed at establishing a model of best practice for the inclusivity of Indigenous leadership in higher education governance structures. This article presents key findings from the project, namely, a model of senior Indigenous leadership within the Australian universities based on the perceptions of a group of Indigenous academics.Design/methodology/approachThrough qualitative semi-structured interviews with Indigenous academic staff, the perceived value, characteristics and challenges of senior Indigenous leadership were examined. The varying opinions held by Indigenous academics in relation to the qualifications and experience required to fulfil a senior Indigenous leadership position were also highlighted. In doing so, a model of senior Indigenous leadership within the Australian higher education system is presented. The model of best practice presented in this article is underpinned by Indigenous Institutional Theory (Coates et al., 2022), a theoretical framework developed from the Walan Mayiny study.FindingsThe research findings highlight the diverse opinions of Indigenous academics in relation to the qualifications and experience required to fulfil a senior Indigenous leadership position. The six essential components are built upon the core characteristics, values and behaviours that senior Indigenous leaders need to have according to Indigenous academics, in order to advance Indigenous success within the academy.Originality/valueGiven Australian universities are being called upon to ensure that senior Indigenous leaders are in the best position possible to forge institutional change, senior Indigenous leaders within the academy may find the contextual Indigenous leadership model beneficial. The model allows one to uphold cultural integrity and fulfil the responsibilities and obligations of their higher education institution, while being able to serve their Indigenous colleagues and communities, leading to the advancement of Indigenous higher education outcomes. Importantly, the model can be adapted to suit all First Nations Peoples globally, who also find themselves working within the shackles of Western institutions.

Presidential leadership in higher education: Balancing collaboration and competition in a time of systemic change

AbstractResearch on senior leadership in higher education systems is urgently needed, particularly in the context of system‐wide transformations. This study focuses on a critical juncture in Ireland, during which Institutes of Technology (IoTs) collaborated to undergo ‘redesignation’ as Technological Universities (TUs). Based on interviews with the fourteen presidents of the IoTs, this research employs the Community of Practice framework to analyse their interactions, strategies, and approaches to a policy‐initiated, systemic change. Despite decades of pervasive competition, these senior leaders formed a community of practice as they worked collectively to achieve the common goal of TU status. Four key themes emerged: Embracing a more expansive external role; Acknowledging obstacles to collective leadership; Forming groups, collaborating and competing; and Leading calmly and fostering unity. The findings of this study advance our understanding of three interconnected fields: senior leadership practices in higher education, the interplay of collaboration and competition in higher education; and the facilitation of policy‐induced systemic change within higher education systems. Our findings have significant implications for institutional leaders, policymakers and scholars aiming to comprehend and improve leadership practices in higher education.

Internationalising student learning at the meso level: the impact of grassroots leadership in a university in Central Europe

AbstractThis study investigates the meso level impact of an academic development programme on internationalisation. We demonstrate the relevance of the framework of grassroots leadership in higher education in the Central European context and show how individual programme participants acting as grassroots leaders influence departmental attitudes and practices regarding internationalisation and student-centred learning. We identify two successful strategies—single-issue and multifaceted—for grassroots leadership. The study finds that established faculty member participants who are also active as grassroots leaders facilitate the spreading of the influence of an internationalisation programme beyond the individual level, highlighting the differences and similarities in the activism of faculty grassroots leaders in Central Europe vis-à-vis the USA.

Women leadership in higher education: past, present and future trends

PurposeGender bias and stereotypes are universal issues in today’s society. This study presents a comprehensive review of women’s leadership based on bibliometric analysis. The feminist approach to leadership is helpful in many ways, and it could be the type of leadership needed in the challenging world of academia. Women present unique characteristics and traits, particularly their motherly approach to leadership.Design/methodology/approachA review of the literature based on bibliometric analysis by mapping the knowledge structure of the subject is conferred by uncovering the past, present and future trends based on three bibliometric analyses.FindingsThe finding suggests that gender equality, stereotypes and barriers in women’s leadership are at the forefront of the subject in HEIs. The overall system, mindset and willingness for institutional transformation are needed to change the mindset of accepting women as leaders of HEIs.Research limitations/implicationsThis study brought the significant idea of increasing women’s empowerment in HEIs, eventually strengthening institutional leadership’s capability towards advanced education.Originality/valueThis study would present a crucial foundation in women’s empowerment, particularly from the HEIs perspective and from the generic women’s leadership literature.

An international snapshot of peer leadership in higher education

PurposeThis paper describes an exploratory, international research collaboration that seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the development and experiences of peer leaders in higher education across different international contexts, namely the USA, Canada (CAN), Australasia (Australia and New Zealand) (ANZ), the United Kingdom (UK) and South Africa (SA).Design/methodology/approachData are summarized and compared across each of the participating countries, providing a more global context and depth of perspective on peer leadership (PL) in higher education than is currently available in the literature.FindingsThe findings highlight some apparent differences between countries in relation to student engagement in peer leader roles and the ways in which PL is supported by higher education institutions, as well as some similarities across the different international contexts, particularly in the way peer leaders view the benefits of their involvement in PL.Originality/valueThese insights provide a valuable addition to the literature on PL and practical information to higher education institutions for supporting student leadership development and involvement.

Considering the sensory and social needs of disabled students in higher education: A call to return to the roots of universal design

Universal Design for Learning is a pedagogical approach that aims ‘to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn’ (CAST website, n.d.). Originating in the context of K12 education in the United States, the core principles involve the provision of multiple means of representation, engagement, and action/expression. Despite high instructor satisfaction with UDL, evidence of effectiveness for students’ learning is insufficient. Effectiveness aside, the purpose of this policy research note is to describe additional issues in UDL specifically relating to disabled students. First, I argue that the core tenet of UDL to meet all learners’ needs by emphasizing variability in approaches to learning (and consequently avoiding reference to ‘disability’) may inadvertently marginalize disabled students. Second, I argue that the focus on instructional design as a panacea to meet the needs of ‘all people’, including disabled students, is insufficient. This potentially distracts well-intentioned educators from more substantive challenges experienced by disabled students, relating to the built environment. Until the sensory and social needs of disabled students are met, instructional approaches like UDL cannot provide an equitable learning experience for many disabled students. Therefore, I argue that higher education leaders should attend to the sensory and social environments of university campuses before retrofitting inclusive pedagogies to the current typical university campus.

An Imperative Responsibility in Professional Role Socialization: Addressing Incivility

AbstractThe study used a thematic analysis to examine student and faculty responses to two qualitative questions focused on their perceptions of the consequence of incivility and solutions that would embed civility expectations as a key element to professional role socialization in higher education. Participants included students and faculty across multiple academic programs and respondent subgroups at a regional university in the southern United States. A new adapted conceptual model using Clark’s in Nursing Education Perspectives, 28(2), 93–97 (2007, revised 2020) Conceptual Model for Fostering Civility in Nursing Education and Daniel Goleman’s in Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books (1995) Emotional Intelligence domains was used as the framework for this study to give meaning and context to its findings. For this group of respondents, the study found that seventy percent of faculty and students agree that incivility has the largest impact on the emotional intelligence domain of self-management, which includes negative emotional outcomes, loss of respect, negative professional and student outcomes, poor academic outcomes, attrition, and less success. Leadership in higher education will strengthen their institutions by using a relational approach centered on communication skill-building to ensure that faculty have been socialized to the importance of civil professional behavior and that stakeholders collectively explore and agree on the meaning and organizational integration of civility.

The leaky pipeline: where ‘exactly’ are these leakages for women leaders in higher education?

ABSTRACT Almost a quarter-century has passed in the new millennium; howoever, the phrase ‘Nihil Novum Sub Sole' is still valid for females struggling to move forward amid a male-dominant world. Structural, cultural, and organisational barriers continue to prevent women from achieving academic leadership positions within educational contexts, the so-called ‘leaky pipeline' phenomenon. This study set out to challenge the overarching influence of patriarchy with its ramifications extending far into female academics’ social and professional lives in higher education institutions. Therefore, two research questions are specified: (1) What prevents women within the faculty from engaging in leadership roles? (2) How can barriers to leadership roles be categorised for women in higher education? This study employed a qualitative paradigm and was conducted with 15 female colleagues working within various faculties of universities situated in the capital of Türkiye. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Peer debriefing is referred to. This enhances the likelihood of preserving rigour and trustworthiness. The transcriptions of the recordings are sent to the participants asking for any changes. The findings reveal female faculty possess dissimilar concerns about leadership roles: personal, societal, or structural. Our study is uniquely positioned as it provides novel insights into barriers to progress into leadership.

Empowering Women Leaders in Higher Education: The Path to Conscious Awareness

Empowering Women Leaders in Higher Education: The Path to Conscious Awareness

Students’ Perception of Sustainable Development in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia

The role of higher education institutions in laying the foundations of sustainable development is undeniable. As the principal educators of tomorrow’s leaders, such institutions can tremendously contribute to implementing and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many studies highlighted the significance of the students’ awareness and the level of their active engagement as crucial elements in achieving the desired results. Therefore, measuring such awareness and its effect on their daily life and behavior is fundamental in implementing the SDGs. The current study employs an online survey to explore the awareness level of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Saudi universities. SPSS will be utilized to generate the statistical results of the study. The importance of this study stems from the scarcity of research in the field, especially in Saudi higher education institutions. The current research fills in a significant gap at the national level as it provides future researchers and higher education leaders with the much-needed data to prepare strategic plans for future enhancement of the application of the SDGs. It will also propose a set of practical strategies that can be advanced to augment Saudi students’ awareness of the SDGs and their possible application in their daily lives and practices.