Abstract
The organisational status and the main tasks of a university language centre are given different interpretations in different universities. Some language centres find themselves in a challenging situation where the centre’s existence seems to be at stake, whereas others prosper and find positively encouraging opportunities for the future. All this is reflected in the work of language centre directors across Europe. To discuss these challenges and to further develop the cooperation of directors, a Focus Group on Management and Leadership has been established by CercleS. The aim of the focus group is to create a low threshold-network for directors for sharing challenges and questions and by doing this to provide collegial support in management and leadership issues. The focus group conducted a survey in 2015 to learn more about the management and leadership challenges and the support needs of directors. In this paper, we will discuss the results of the focus group survey. The target is to discern common themes and develop recommendations for directors’ future professional cooperation. There will be a particular focus on sharing experiences and ideas for strategy work, staff development and funding, by creating a supportive professional network. Such a network includes a coaching and mentoring system for directors within the CercleS member language centres. The common theme is empowerment: supporting directors in a collegial framework to share experiences, develop their centres further, and increase their own personal well-being at work.
Statistical Properties of a Generalized Threshold Network Model