Five Critical Domains of Effective Leadership in Higher Education Administration

Higher education today consists of a complex myriad of varying levels with individuals tasked to perform multiple roles and responsibilities. Faculty and staff find themselves tasked with multiple responsibilities and fewer resources. Many who embark on the journey of becoming academic administrators and leaders in higher education often do so based on their technical expertise and successes as a faculty member within the institution. Few organizations prepare faculty to step into leadership roles with the appropriate training. One area which often lacks training is in the area of individual leadership capabilities and connecting with others within the organization to accomplish a common goal. This chapter will provide insight into five critical domains necessary for individuals to focus on developing before entering into a leadership role within a higher education institution. Within each domain are central and core competencies which help to determine effectiveness in higher education leadership.

Servant and Shepherd Leadership in Higher Education

To lead, you must serve, mentor, and teach others. Servant leadership is the systematic process of developing the needs of servants ahead of those leaders found within private or public institutions. Shepherd leadership individually provides others with empowerment and achievement to perform well. The principle behind effective leadership is based on the interplay of responsibility, respect, care, and working with people, not against people. Ultimately, leadership is about character and substance. Using the distinct characteristics of servant leadership and shepherd leadership is to promote and foster the development of successful individuals and relating well with individuals through care and a strong commitment. Honest and caring concern for others leads to empowerment and emotional support, which inspires the members to embrace the needs of the organization. This creates a mentoring and learning environment in higher education that is conducive to producing optimal performance from their faculty, staff, and students.

THE PHENOMENON OF LEADERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: A THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

the article points out that the scientific problem of training leaders in higher education institutions is aimed at developing new theoretical, methodological and practical principles that reflect the basic patterns of formation of leadership potential of future professionals. It is stated that the use of leadership potential and the implementation of leadership, which will significantly improve the effectiveness of solving difficult situations, will encourage effective interaction of all its participants. The focus is on the fact that the education system in the process of targeted leadership training should pay attention not only to the formation of the necessary set of knowledge and skills, but also to the development of future leaders' ability to influence people and inspire them to dream, learn and work more. The need to further study the phenomenon of spiritual leadership in modern science to improve the training of future professionals in institutions of higher education.

The role of leadership in promoting and supporting the Basic English curriculum design and delivery at two Vietnamese universities

<p>The purpose of this research study was to explore the role of leadership in supporting the Basic English curriculum design and delivery at two selected Vietnamese non-language major universities specialising in Finance and Accounting. Studies on academic leadership and distributed leadership in higher education are well documented in Western literature (Bolden, Gosling, O’Brien, Peters and Haslam, 2012; Bryman, 2007; Cardno, 2012); however leadership in higher education is largely under-researched in developing countries like Vietnam. Moreover, curriculum design impacts on the wellbeing and effectiveness of higher education (Barnett & Coate, 2005). Leadership is necessary to effect change (Oliver & Huyn, 2010) and therefore potentially to impact on curriculum design and delivery. The role of leadership in making the Basic English curriculum more relevant for graduate students and ensuring that they are better prepared for the workplace is of particular interest in the Vietnamese university context. This qualitatively-focused case study design, with a small quantitative component, guided by an interpretivist/ constructivist theoretical framework aimed to explore how academic leaders promote the Basic English curriculum design and delivery in the Vietnamese university context. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews with senior academic leaders and company directors, focus group interviews with English as a foreign language (EFL) lecturers, observations of a curriculum meeting, and an online survey by graduates from the two selected universities. The study employed thematic data analysis techniques. Research shows that the curriculum framework in Vietnamese universities promulgated by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) results in heavy workloads for academic staff (Gropello, Thomas, Yemenez, Chchibber, & Adams, 2008; Van, 2011). This negatively affects their wellbeing and may reduce their effectiveness as teachers and researchers. The findings from the study provided evidence that leadership practices in Vietnam were influenced by Confucian values. It also showed that the personal barriers academic leaders and EFL lecturers face vary according to gender. However, academic leadership in Vietnamese higher education contexts in this study reveals a mixture of distributed and collaborative leadership in curriculum design and delivery which can provide insights for other Vietnamese universities. It also revealed that senior leaders and EFL lecturers appear to work collaboratively to solve the issue of curriculum design and delivery. The findings have implications for policy development and practice. Suggestions made by employers and graduates to institutional leaders, curriculum developers and lecturers are to consider redesigning the curriculum to have a more communicative focus and more oral practice to ensure graduates are better prepared for work. The study has brought insights for senior leaders on how to create successful collaboration with their colleagues and partners in curriculum design and renewal and provided guidance on the enhancement of educational leadership practices in the two chosen universities. The results of this study have contributed to closing the current gaps in understanding how leadership at all levels in higher education impact on curriculum design and delivery. This study will be useful not only in the Vietnamese context but also in other countries where English is taught as a second or foreign language.</p>

The role of leadership in promoting and supporting the Basic English curriculum design and delivery at two Vietnamese universities

<p>The purpose of this research study was to explore the role of leadership in supporting the Basic English curriculum design and delivery at two selected Vietnamese non-language major universities specialising in Finance and Accounting. Studies on academic leadership and distributed leadership in higher education are well documented in Western literature (Bolden, Gosling, O’Brien, Peters and Haslam, 2012; Bryman, 2007; Cardno, 2012); however leadership in higher education is largely under-researched in developing countries like Vietnam. Moreover, curriculum design impacts on the wellbeing and effectiveness of higher education (Barnett & Coate, 2005). Leadership is necessary to effect change (Oliver & Huyn, 2010) and therefore potentially to impact on curriculum design and delivery. The role of leadership in making the Basic English curriculum more relevant for graduate students and ensuring that they are better prepared for the workplace is of particular interest in the Vietnamese university context. This qualitatively-focused case study design, with a small quantitative component, guided by an interpretivist/ constructivist theoretical framework aimed to explore how academic leaders promote the Basic English curriculum design and delivery in the Vietnamese university context. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews with senior academic leaders and company directors, focus group interviews with English as a foreign language (EFL) lecturers, observations of a curriculum meeting, and an online survey by graduates from the two selected universities. The study employed thematic data analysis techniques. Research shows that the curriculum framework in Vietnamese universities promulgated by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) results in heavy workloads for academic staff (Gropello, Thomas, Yemenez, Chchibber, & Adams, 2008; Van, 2011). This negatively affects their wellbeing and may reduce their effectiveness as teachers and researchers. The findings from the study provided evidence that leadership practices in Vietnam were influenced by Confucian values. It also showed that the personal barriers academic leaders and EFL lecturers face vary according to gender. However, academic leadership in Vietnamese higher education contexts in this study reveals a mixture of distributed and collaborative leadership in curriculum design and delivery which can provide insights for other Vietnamese universities. It also revealed that senior leaders and EFL lecturers appear to work collaboratively to solve the issue of curriculum design and delivery. The findings have implications for policy development and practice. Suggestions made by employers and graduates to institutional leaders, curriculum developers and lecturers are to consider redesigning the curriculum to have a more communicative focus and more oral practice to ensure graduates are better prepared for work. The study has brought insights for senior leaders on how to create successful collaboration with their colleagues and partners in curriculum design and renewal and provided guidance on the enhancement of educational leadership practices in the two chosen universities. The results of this study have contributed to closing the current gaps in understanding how leadership at all levels in higher education impact on curriculum design and delivery. This study will be useful not only in the Vietnamese context but also in other countries where English is taught as a second or foreign language.</p>