A Remedy for Improving the Culture in Higher Education

Author(s):  
David B. Ross ◽  
Rande W. Matteson ◽  
Melissa T. Sasso ◽  
Gina L. Peyton

The purpose of this chapter is to examine how servant-centered leadership should align with the values of higher education institutions than other forms of leadership. Servant leadership follows a value system, ethical philosophy, rather than a standard set of leadership practices. This chapter explores adult education and leadership-power philosophies, the historical perspective of leadership and management, followed by literature of servant leadership and toxic leadership. In addition, crises of higher education were discussed as well as the need to remedy a toxic culture toward servant-centered environment and that institutions of higher education must be the proactive educators. The researchers concluded that in order for an academic institution to thrive, the utilization and implementation of servant-centered leadership is paramount. It is also equally critical to teach students the philosophy of servant leadership so they in turn can give back to their communities.

Author(s):  
Birol Başkan

There has been sparse research explicitly looking at toxic leadership, a more complex and comprehensive destructive leadership style in higher education settings, despite the breadth of literature on destructive leadership styles and their impact on organizational culture, mission, and individuals. With the introduction of the term “toxic leadership” in 1996, the corporate world and military agencies began to examine whether leadership could lead to a toxic culture. As of 2007, studies have been unable to connect the concept of learning in higher education systems to the phenomenon of "social learning." To better understand how studies have changed since they were conducted in the 2000s, the authors use their analysis of the literature on toxic leadership in higher ed from three different perspectives: 1) Understanding how toxic leadership affects organizational culture and employee morale. 2) Summarizing the role of toxic leadership in shaping the environment in which employees operate. 3) Speculating on what can be done to manage the risk of building and sustaining such environments.


2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pernilla Liedgren ◽  
Lars Andersson

This study investigated how young teenagers, as members of a strong religious organization, dealt with the school situation and the encounter with mainstream culture taking place at school during the final years in Swedish primary school (age 13–15 years). The purpose was to explore possible strategies that members of a minority group, in this case the Jehovah’s Witnesses, developed in order to deal with a value system differing from that of the group. We interviewed eleven former members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses about their final years in compulsory Swedish communal school. The ages of the interviewees ranged between 24 and 46 years, and the interviewed group comprised six men and five women. Nine of the eleven interviewees had grown up in the countryside or in villages. All but two were ethnic Swedes. The time that had passed since leaving the movement ranged from quite recently to 20 years ago. The results revealed three strategies; Standing up for Your Beliefs, Escaping, and Living in Two Worlds. The first two strategies are based on a One-World View, and the third strategy, Living in Two Worlds, implies a Two-World View, accepting to a certain extent both the Jehovah’s Witnesses outlook as well as that of ordinary society. The strategy Standing up for Your Beliefs can be described as straightforward, outspoken, and bold; the youngsters did not show any doubts about their belief. The second subgroup showed an unshakeable faith, but suffered psychological stress since their intentions to live according to their belief led to insecurity in terms of how to behave, and also left them quite isolated. These people reported more absence from school. The youngsters using the strategy Living in Two Worlds appeared to possess the ability to sympathize with both world views, and were more adaptable in different situations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Y. McGorry

Institutions of higher education are realizing the importance of service learning initiatives in developing awareness of students’ civic responsibilities, leadership and management skills, and social responsibility. These skills and responsibilities are the foundation of program outcomes in accredited higher education business programs at undergraduate and graduate levels. In an attempt to meet the needs of the student market, these institutions of higher education are delivering more courses online. This study addresses a comparison of traditional and online delivery of service learning experiences. Results demonstrate no significant difference in outcomes between the online and face-to-face models.


Author(s):  
Илья Егоров ◽  
Ilya Egorov ◽  
Диана Наумова ◽  
Diana Naumova

The paper states the authors’ view of the civic worldview phenomenon. The civic worldview is considered as a value system and a conscience core, whose attributes are maturity of personality, pro-social activity and social identity. The civic worldview is a step upwards of a kind and a basis for the civic worldview formation, while the establishment of the civic worldview results in the geographical, historical and environmental consciousness. The research describes the types and kinds of the civic worldview, social and pedagogical conditions and the program of its formation in the college youth.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Darwin

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges and obstacles encountered in the implementation of a mentoring program for Master of Business Administration (MBA) students at the University of South Australia (UniSA) Business School. The paper starts with an exploration into the need for a mentoring program, the trial and subsequent four years of implementation. The paper also explores the network model of mentoring and the reasons why this, rather than a more traditional model, was chosen for the program’s implementation. Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory case study uses data from over 600 students and their alumni mentors over a five-year period to evaluate and improve the program as well as cultivating a critical community of adult learners. Findings – Feedback from students indicates that the mentoring program is regarded by most as a value-added feature of their early learning as it offers support, if and when it is required, from those who have been there before. Research limitations/implications – Results are limited to one institution. However, as research into mentoring for higher education students is thin on the ground, this study contributes to our understanding of the positive impacts of mentoring on student success. Practical implications – This paper emphasizes the importance of business leaders giving back to their alma mater through mentoring current MBA students. It shows how mentoring can support learning and management development. Originality/value – This is an original study which explores ways to increase the learning of higher education students for positive social outcomes.


2017 ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Tomás Marín Troncoso

ResumenLa desnormativización de la vida social en la época contemporánea está dejando a nuestras juventudes con un problema de crisis de sentido. El repliegue de las instituciones tradicionales que otorgaban significación implica una progresiva individualización de los proyectos de vida, que se manifiesta como un sentimiento de permanente búsqueda. Las juventudes viven en una situación de “intemperie moral”, en donde ya nadie les garantiza que sus comportamientos estén en lo correcto en un sentido claro y único. Frente a ello, una solución posible corresponde a la emergencia de una configuración valórica en torno a la noción de autocuidado. Esta involucra la formación de una cautela reflexiva, que permite la protección de la propia subjetividad en un mundo donde las normas están relativizadas, evitando consecuencias no deseadas y sorteando, provisoriamente, el problema de la demanda por sentido. Para analizar adecuadamente este fenómeno, se recurrió a una estrategia metodológica cualitativa, a partir de la técnica del grupo de discusión. Cabe señalar, por último, que el presente artículo fue realizado en el marco de una tesis de pregrado becada por el proyecto FONDECYT Nº 1070105: “Cultura juvenil y producción valórica en estudiantes de educación secundaria y de educación superior”.Palabras clave: Crisis Normativa, Proyecto De Vida, AutocuidadoAbstractThe tendency to having a lack of regulations of social life in contemporary times is leaving our young people with a problem of sense crisis. The retreat of the traditional institutions that gave meaning implies a progressive individualization of life projects, which is shown as a feeling of permanent search. Youngsters live in a situation of “moral neglect”, where nobody is able to guarantee that their behavior is correct in a clear and unique sense. In this respect, a possible solution corresponds to the emergence of a value configuration around the notion of self- care. This involves the formation of a cautious reflection, which allows the protection of their own subjectivity in a world where the rules are relativized, avoiding unintended consequences and to avoid, temporarily, the problem of demand of meaning. To properly analyze this phenomenon, a qualitative methodological strategy was used, based on the group discussion technique. It should be noticed, finally, that this article was conducted as part of an undergraduate thesis scholarship from the FONDECYT project No. 1070105: “Youth culture and values production in students of secondary and higher education.”


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaf Zawacki-Richter ◽  
Yasar Kondakci ◽  
Svenja Bedenlier ◽  
Uthman Alturki ◽  
Ahmed Aldraiweesh ◽  
...  

Abstract In many countries, open and distance education is perceived as a way to meet the growing need for higher education. This paper explores the development of online and distance education in three countries that are still a white spot on the landscape of international distance education research although they have implemented elaborated distance education systems: Turkey, Russia and Saudi-Arabia. In order to understand the current state of distance education systems in the three countries, their respective systems are described from a historical perspective, compared in regard to their organization, important institutions for open and distance education and current developments. This comparative analysis directs the focus on little investigated education systems and contributes to an enhanced understanding of their past, present, and future.


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-47
Author(s):  
Felisa Roldan

“The feminine” is a philosophy, a style, a value system, which is at the centre of the way I work as a psychotherapist. In this paper I wish to share the practical applications of this approach in a group therapy setting with young women aged 16 to 23. As a psychotherapist and psychiatrist, I am well versed in the more masculine value system. I use concepts like transference and counter-transference, defence mechanisms, diagnostic criteria, and all the other ways of understanding what is happening in our therapeutic experience. Moreover, I teach a lot of these concepts. I am therefore not intending to devalue the usefulness of these theoretical concepts. It is much harder to define and bring into dialogue the values of the feminine. It is not a measurable concept that can be packaged in skills training or researched with placebo control studies and published in a scientific paper. In spite of that, I believe it is an important concept to introduce and to discuss in the psychotherapy world. In this paper I describe some clinical applications of the concept of the feminine in order to demonstrate its value to our work. Whakarāpopotonga He rapunga whakaaro, he kōpuratanga, he whakatakotoranga uara te uha, ā, pokapū tēnei ki te āhua o tāku mahi i aku mahi kaiwhakaora hinengaro. E hiahia ana au ki te tohatoha i ngā mahi haratau o tēnei momo mahi ki waenga i tētahi haumanau awheawhenga taitamāhine mai i te 16 ki te 23 nei ngā tau. Mai i ōku kaiwhakaora hinengaro, rata mate hinengaro, e tino mātau ana au ki te whakatakotoranga uara tānetanga. Mahia ai e au ngā tū āhua ariā pēnei i te whakawhiti me te awherangi whakawhiti, ngā momo waonga, te paearu whakatau mate, me ērā atu anō o ngā mātauranga whakamārama kei te aha ngā whakanekenekehanga o ō tātou wheako haumanu. Otirā, ākonga ai e au te maha o ēnei ariā, ā, me pēhea hoki e taea ai te whakaiti, te painga o ēnei ariā. He uaua kē atu te tautuhi uara taitamāhine ka whakauru mai ai ki ngā kōrero. Ehara i te ariā inea ka taea nei te tākai whakangungunga pukenga rangahaua rānei ki tētahi akomanga whakahaere tohipa ka tā ai ki tētahi pepa pūtaiao. Ahakoa tērā, e whakapono ana au he ariā whai tikanga hei whakamōhio hei aromatawai i roto i te ao whakaoranga hinengaro. E whakamārama ana au i ētahi ariā mahinga haumanu o te taitamāhine hai whakaatu i ōna uara ki ā tātou mahi.


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