The 2020 pandemic experience signals a pivotal opportunity for a transformation in universities, critically through narrowing and sharpening a distinctive mission and aims for each campus. A series of strategies are proposed for university leadership, commencing with a move towards hybrid delivery of teaching and a reconceived support of the…

Using an analytical-interpretative autoethnographic account of my move from a professional staff manager to an academic manager in a university, I highlight how career transitions can result in othering due to the academic' professional divide, the strength of academic identity in disciplines and the continued role of women being in positions of…

This exploratory paper articulates the development, characteristics and nature of global university presidents and their leadership. It draws insights from a growing project which so far has involved in-depth interviews with 18 presidents of major globally focused universities. Analysing and reporting these interview results reveals the enigmatic…

In recent years, university sectors worldwide have undergone intense reforms under the influence of the global ideas of 'new public management' and 'new managerialism'. National policies have widely adopted global scripts with advocacy for strengthening academic leadership as the essential ingredient of successful university transformation.…

This paper examines an important aspect of academic medicine leadership, in which leaders are expected to be highly collaborative yet responsible for organizational control and compliance. Management studies identify two coherent yet competing discourses that shape our understanding of leadership: discourses of coercion and discourses of care.…

The academic department is a key administrative unit in universities, and so heading, or chairing, a department is a key role. However, it is also known to be a challenging role and academics are often reluctant assume this position. Despite its importance, the head's role has not received sufficient academic attention and needs further…

Universities in most countries have become more managerial, but in different ways, for different reasons, and with different results. This article explores the collegial and managerial roles and qualifications of Canadian university deans. The study analysed 223 job advertisements published between 2011 and 2015. The analysis distinguishes between…

Research confirms the positive effect of collaborative learning environments when students are considered as one homogeneous group. Little has been done to provide a detailed view of the performance of subgroups of students within collaborative settings. This quantitative and longitudinal study uses survey responses to explore differences in the…

In the UK and elsewhere, the idea of "distributing leadership" in universities is becoming more popular. Yet, there is surprisingly little research on this topic. This paper reports on a funded study which explored how one institution had implemented a newly conceived "distributed" leadership model, specifically to investigate…

Management is one of the most studied phenomena in higher education. Most of these studies are conducted in the framework of higher education policy, academic work and quality of education and research. The management is often seen as an independent variable explaining the changes in higher education in the context of New Public Management and…

Across the vast majority of countries women are a significant minority in senior academic positions, and as of 2013 only 17% of vice chancellors (VCs) of UK universities and 12% of German Universities were women. This paper discusses findings from a study consisting of interviews with eight female VCs of British and German higher education…

Associate deans serve critical leadership roles in the functioning and management in higher education administration, but there is little professional preparation for the role. This study surveyed the perceptions of a random sample of 527 associate deans in colleges of arts and sciences, business, and education at US research-extensive and…

Although it has been decades since gender inequality in academe was first highlighted, institutions around the world continue to struggle with how best to address the problem. Policies and procedures intended to increase women's representation appear to have had limited impact in many departments, especially those in science, technology,…