Leadership Foundation

Head of Department

Overview

The Head of Department programme is designed to engage and assist those facing the operational challenges associated with the leadership of academic, research and professional support teams. The programme draws on research by the Leadership Foundation on the work of heads of department in order to focus on individualised consideration – paying attention to followers’ needs, recognising personal differences and encouraging potential. Based on our original open Head of Department programme this programme has been specifically designed to be run within your organisation, and is aimed at head of departments who are at an early stage in their role but may have had previous experience of leading or managing teams or units. The participants will either have an academic background and be leading a teaching, research or knowledge transfer department, or be leading an administrative, or professional services department, for example, student support services, information technology or services, marketing, campus services.

• Head of Department: bespoke
• Head of Department: adding Programme Plus to the learning benefit
• Download the  Head of Department Programmes' Comparison

HoD has given me an excellent opportunity to work with colleagues from a number of diverse institutions to develop my leadership and management expertise. The interactive nature of the programme allowed me to reflect upon the theory and model this theory in my own practice. The programme offered me important time-out to reflect upon my leadership role and gave me valuable space in which to consider upcoming opportunities and challenges.

Head of Department participant

Head of Department: bespoke programme

Head of Department is typically for those more senior than participants on Introduction to Head of Department, and provides more of a classroom experience than Leading Departments. It is run as two two-day modules and with a mix of small group work, classroom presentation, talks from experienced leaders, an actor intervention for ‘ways of helping people’ a feedback and coaching conversation, and Olivier Mythodrama to deliver a session on power and politics using Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The programme also covers management styles and emotional intelligence, working with conflict, building and developing teams, motivation, dealing with paradox and complexity, and networks and networking. Action learning sets are also a key feature, but these run only during the actual modules there is no additional day.

An optional 360° degree feedback process will allow for a greater in-depth look into the participant and the start of their senior leadership journey. When a 360° element is used, the modules are eight weeks apart, but without this the second module can run from four weeks after the first. Small group and some individual work provides for interaction, but clearly less than would ensue from the Leading Departments type approach. The costs are kept down by using only one facilitator rather than the two usually used on the open programme. The programme can successfully run with between 10 and 24 people.

For LF members the typical cost of the in-house Head of Department, for 15 participants, is £15,430 (excluding expenses), equating to £1,029 per participant or £514 per participant day. The detailed breakdown of these costs can be found in the Head of Department Programmes' Comparison. Non-member institutions should contact the consultancy team for the costs of a Bespoke Head of Department programme. Participants can opt to add Programme Plus to their experience as required at a cost of £500 for members and £615 for non-members.

Head of Department: adding Programme Plus to the learning benefit

Head of Department is one of a number of senior leadership development programmes whose participants are eligible to apply for Programme Plus, the Leadership Foundation fellowship scheme.

The Leadership Foundation Fellowship is our support for individual leaders in higher education. It is a straightforward way for you to turn the experience of a Leadership Foundation programme into tangible evidence of effective learning and continue to receive the nurture and inspiration that leaders need. Through continuing professional development and access to unique networking opportunities, the LF Fellowship scheme will provide that inspiration well beyond the lifetime of the initial programme. More information can be found at LF Fellowship

Contact solutions@advance-he.ac.uk to find out more.