Leading in turbulent times : an investigation of leadership practices in the Australian higher education sector

Abstract

Much of the turbulence experienced by the Australian higher education sector in recent years stems from longstanding issues such as uncertainties and reductions in government funding, and increased competition nationally and internationally. Other issues in the sector include the introduction of new education technologies and delivery models, and the changing and sometimes more demanding expectations of students. More recently the sector has faced fundamental disruptions surrounding a wide range of strategic and operational impacts of COVID-19 including uncertainties in the international student market. There are now growing calls for significant systemic change in the sector to deal with these challenges for higher education institutions. Clearly, this will have significant implications for leadership in the higher education sector, and this highlights the skills and practices required of leaders in the sector. This exploratory study has therefore been guided by the research question: 'How does turbulence in the sector impact leadership practices in higher education institutions?' While past literature on leadership in higher education has concentrated on the perspectives and practices of those in designated leadership roles, this study argues for a broader understanding of leadership in the sector by incorporating the perspectives of frontline academics. Therefore, the current exploratory study investigates leadership from the perspectives of leaders and academics at two public universities and two private non-university higher education providers. The findings suggest that higher education institutions increasingly operate in corporatist ways, often leading to some form of managerialist culture, which has then led to a rise in tensions between institutional leaders, on the one hand, and academics who argue for more collegial environments on the other. The sector showed signs of being at an impasse on this issue, although some participants found these tensions to be over-dichotomised and called for a sense of balance between these approaches. The leadership framework proposed in the study anticipates a dynamic interaction between the three domains: behaviours, mindsets and skills. The framework recognises that leadership can be represented not only by what leaders do, but also by the skills they adopt in their roles and the mindsets they possess in the performance of them. The development of this dynamic and integrated leadership framework represents a theoretical contribution to the existing knowledge and literature on leadership in higher education.

Date of Award	2021
Original language	English