Leadership and the Use of Technology: Health Implications

How sustainable is the governance for sustainability in higher education? Insights from an Italian case study

“…A recurring theme among respondents is that participatory and collaborative decision-making is important, but must be supported by top-management to be effective, similar to Richardson and Lynes' (2007) findings, namely, that the lack of committed leadership toward sustainability can be a barrier to SD in HE. Characteristics of leadership, very similar to those of authentic leadership (Avolio and Gardner, 2005), such as coherence, ethics and democracy have emerged as relevant to sustainability workers in HE, both in scientific literature (Epstein, 2008; Walumba et al , 2008; Dolce et al , 2021; Nedelko and Potocan, 2021) and in this research.…”

“…Several directions were given about how top management should make decisions concerning sustainability: be clear about policies’ objectives and timing of actions; consider development at different levels and in different contexts; set innovative and proactive long-term goals; collaborate with scientists (Kemp and Martens, 2007); rely on complexity and solidarity (Martínez de Anguita et al , 2007). Authentic leadership could be an appropriate leadership style to promote sustainability in university, characterized by features such as confidence, optimism, hope and resilience; ethical and transparent decision-making; authentic and ethically sustainable actions; promotion of follower development (Walumba et al , 2008; Dolce et al , 2021). Culture change is not easy to accomplish, and the role of the leadership in this change is crucial (Schein, 1992).…”