Effective Leadership Development in Higher Education: Individual and Group Level Approaches

Abstract

Research in commercial organizations has provided a multitude of examples on how leadership development can effectively foster employees' performance and work-related attitudes such as commitment or satisfaction. In contrast, to date systematic leadership development is largely lacking for employees in higher education. However, we suggest that the positive effects of leadership development in commercial organizations also apply to the academic context. Thus, the purpose of this applied article is to present two approaches to the development of leadership in higher education. More specifically, we provide a detailed description of two different programs offered to researchers at a large German university. The first program constitutes a leader development initiative for junior faculty on an individual level, whereas the second focuses on the development of leadership within university departments on a group level. We provide recommendations for establishing and evaluating effective leadership development in higher education.

Leadership and the ATHE

“…Quite often, faculty are appointed to a senior rank based upon their deep subject knowledge, experience, and scientific accomplishment (e.g., number of publications in international journals) -not based on leadership skills (Braun et al, 2009). In some situations, such as those associated with turnover or rotational terms, academic leaders may find themselves in the rather difficult -and often awkward -position of simply being a transitory role-holder (Black, 2015;Kubler & Sayers, 2010;Rowley & Sherman, 2003).…”

“…As a result of these two anomalous considerations, many faculty members wind up holding leadership positions without adequate preparation or proper training; are subsequently illequipped in terms of prior experience and aspiration; and in turn address the resulting workload unsatisfactorily (Braun et al, 2009;Johnson, 2002;Kubler & Sayers, 2010;Rowley & Sherman, 2003).…”

“…Leader development can be viewed as a "purposeful investment in human capital"; that is to say, the individual's value, worth, and/or cost to their parent organization (Braun et al 2009;Day, 2000;DeRue & Myers, 2014;Lepak & Snell, 1999). The emphasis of this developmental approach is the presumption that the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and abilities often associated with leadership (i.e., self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-motivation) will culminate in effective leadership practice (Day, 2000;DeRue & Myers, 2014).…”

“…Therefore, the successful development of effective leadership is critical for both performance and accomplishment. This is not just true of commercial organizations, but also of academic agencies (Bensimon & Neumann, 1992;Braun, Nazlic, Weisweiler, Pawlowska, Peus, & Frey, 2009;Rowley & Sherman, 2003). Arsenault (2007) states, "Universities are definitely not immune to this need for effective leadership as they face similar challenges as any other organizations" (p. 14).…”

Erfolgsfaktor Personalauswahl: Talente für die Wissenschaft gewinnen

“…Schließlich ergibt sich die Notwendigkeit, diverse Talente für leitende Positionen zu gewinnen auch daraus, dass Universitäten und andere Forschungseinrichtungen eine gesellschaftliche Vorreiterrolle innehaben (Peus, Welpe, Weisweiler & Frey, 2014). Sie verfolgen neben innovativer Forschung mit dem Ziel Wissen zu generieren auch die Kernaufgabe Studierende auszubilden und (zukünftige) Führungskräfte zu entwickeln (Braun et al, 2009 (Heilman, 1983(Heilman, , 2012 (Madera, Hebl & Martin, 2009). …”