Leadership Foundation

To coincide with the Leadership Foundation’s sponsorship of the Inspiring Leaders award (in collaboration with The Guardian) we are now publishing What Do We Know about Leadership in Higher Education?  This Review Paper comments on the research that the Leadership Foundation has commissioned and published over the past few years.

The author, Professor Jacky Lumby, is a professor of education at the University of Southampton, and her work on leadership encompasses a range of areas including comparative and international perspectives.

Professor Lumby’s paper analyses the work that the Leadership Foundation has published  and concludes that  ‘... what we know about Leadership in higher education is that a good deal has been achieved in establishing the distinctive nature of leading in higher education and depicting the kaleidoscopic richness of players and their approaches to leadership.’

What Do We Know about Leadership in Higher Education?  asks questions about the distinctiveness of higher education; who the leaders are; leadership to what end; what leaders do; and the importance of leadership.

While the paper suggests that there is no certainty as to what makes for the most effective leadership; the author notes that people in higher education, nonetheless believe that leadership is important.

A key element of Professor Lumby’s paper looks at who the leaders are and here she highlights that amongst many views, one of the most persistent within higher education literature is that ‘the research distinguishes institutional management from leadership, and sees the latter as widely and fluidly dispersed, including, but not limited to, those in formal leadership roles.’

This links directly to the Leadership Foundation’s support for the Inspiring Leaders award (launched by The Guardian today – Tuesday 18 December 2012), which celebrates the work of a range of higher education staff, who have undertaken significant projects for their organisations, not all of whom are at the top of their organisations. Consistent with the findings of research and its experience in practice, the Leadership Foundation recognises that leadership is both diverse and distributed.

The Inspiring Leaders award celebrates the fact that leadership is likely to take place anywhere in an institution and provides the opportunity to discuss, compare and contrast what leadership in higher education means in practice. This is an award that invites contribution from anyone in higher education in, so to cast your vote visit: Guardian HE network where full details of the shortlisted candidates, and more information about the Inspiring Leaders award can be found.

The voting period ends on Friday 18 January 2013.

Notes

·         For a copy of the Leadership Foundation’s Review Paper: What Do We Know About Leadership in Higher Education? by Professor Jacky Lumby use this link: WDWKAHE for a pdf copy, or email info@lfhe.ac.uk for a hard copy of the report – postage costs will apply.

·         The Inspiring Leaders award shortlist: Martin Bean, vice-chancellor, The Open University; Professor Bob Cryan, vice-chancellor, University of Huddersfield; John Dishman, director and chief executive, Coventry University College, Coventry University; Alison Johns, head of leadership governance, and management of Hefce; Tricia King, pro-vice-master for student experience and director of external relations, Birkbeck, University of London; Dr Malcolm McVicar, vice-chancellor of the University of Central Lancashire; Mike Nicholson, director of undergraduate admissions and outreach, University of Oxford and Mary Stuart, vice-chancellor, University of Lincoln.

·         The winner of the Inspiring Leaders award will be announced on Wednesday 27 February at the Guardian University Awards and also online on the Higher Education network.

About the Leadership Foundation

The Leadership Foundation was founded in 2004 to provide a dedicated service of support and advice on leadership, governance and management for all the UK’s universities and higher education colleges. Ewart Wooldridge CBE, the founding chief executive, retires at the end of 2012, and the Board is led by Sir Andrew Cubie.

For more information about the Leadership Foundation’s sponsorship of the Inspiring Leader award or Professor Jacky Lumby’s Review Paper contact: Tricia Wombell, Director of Marketing & Communications tricia.wombell@lfhe.ac.uk