The Leadership Foundation has recently commissioned the following research projects:
Changing conceptions of academic leadership: Implications for practice and development
Jonathan Gosling, Richard Bolden, Anne O'Brien, Centre for Leadership Studies, University of Exeter
Michelle Ryan, Alex Haslam, Kim Peters, School of Psychology, University of Exeter
This research has a number of objectives:
In particular, the authors explore how academics become leaders outside of formal hierarchical structures by looking at the role of identity, and how informal academic leadership is bound up in the social identities of those who follow, such that influential leadership is dependent on the leader being seen to embody the most salient features of the group he or she represents.
Leading culturally diverse communities in higher education
Ghassan Aouad, Martin Hall, Lilian Madubuko, The University of Salford.
Higher education institutions, particularly those that are large and complex, contain and rely upon the work of many different professional cultures. As higher education has expanded and developed over the last two decades, in many institutions both its student and staff populations have become more culturally diverse, to include a variety of national cultures as well as different ethnic backgrounds.
Engagement with different cultures and communities both within the institution and across the boundaries is a core part of institutional functioning and business activity. Universities and colleges are also expected to play a central role, through teaching, research, enterprise and civic engagement, in developing and promoting the values and practices of active citizenship, democracy, and respect for diversity.
This research will examine the role responsibilities and expectations of those in formal leadership leadership positions at different levels of the institution. This will include both statutory responsibilities in relation to 'diversity' as well as formal and informal action and behaviours to promote, support and develop inter-cultural awareness and productive working relationships inside the institution and engagement with different cultures externally. The research will also identify leadership processes and practices outside formal positions that contribute to the same goals.
In particular this project, through engaging with a key stakeholder group in several HEIs intends to capture the lived experiences of a culturally diverse group of senior leaders, staff and students at all levels, plus those with direct experience of dealing with diverse communities internal or external to the community.
This report was published in January 2012 and is available in the Publication section of this website. The Self Assessment Toolkit is available to download.
Senior managers making the transition in to higher education
Steve Woodfield, Kingston University.
Although there is a growing body of literature on leadership and management in higher education, including the outputs of a significant number of influential research projects funded by the LFHE in recent years (e.g. Bryman 2007, Bolden et al 2008, Smith and Adams 2008), there is limited specific literature that directly focuses on leaders and managers from outside higher education who make the transition into HE.
This research will focus on the actual and potential contribution of leaders and senior managers with experience outside the sector to leadership and management in higher education institutions. Specifically the research will have two distinct strands. The first strand with focus on investigating the extent and nature of this contribution through gaining the perspectives of this group of staff on their transitions into HE, and the extent to which leaders and managers who make the transition into HE from other sectors have been able to apply their previous skills and expertise in a HE context (at both the institutional and departmental levels) to enhance leadership and management capacity and the achievement of institutional strategic objectives. The second strand will focus on whether or not this group requires specialised support in terms of induction, training and development to help enhance their contribution both in their current role, and also their future career development in HE and beyond.
A project outline which gives further information is available to view online.
Ruth Levitt and Stephanie Diepeveen, RAND Europe.
This research will (i) describe and map out HEIs' collaborations and partnerships; and (ii) describe and analyse the implications of HEIs' collaborations and partnerships for leadership, governance and management. Questions to address concerning leadership, governance and management include:
The extent and implications of HEIs' collaborations and partnerships, particularly the implications for the effectiveness and efficacy of existing leadership, governance and management, are not yet widely known and discussed. The LFHE is seeking, with this research, to address this this knowledge gap, and to build a stronger evidence base that could increase understanding and could guide those seeking to train and build individual, institutional and structural capabilities to manage and prosper through these changing networks.
The types of collaborations and partnerships under consideration can take many different forms, for example:
The final report is available to download from the publications section of our website.
For further details about the projects please contact Helen Goreham, Research Manager