A Conceptual, Strategic, and Operational Approach to Leadership Education in Higher Education

• In Event: Leadership Development for Academic Leaders

Short Description

This presentation will describe one university’s conceptual, strategic, and operational approach to faculty and staff leadership education. The presenter will share key concepts and programs that may prove useful for those involved in the design and delivery of leadership education programs for organizations with multiple audiences, needs, and goals.

Detailed Abstract

This presentation will begin with a review of the current higher education landscape, focusing particularly on a number of leadership challenges that are most germane to colleges and universities across the globe. The presentation will continue with a review of the existing literature on higher education leadership needs and competencies and current approaches to providing leadership education. The presenter will then offer a case study of a leadership development framework and a portfolio of programs designed to address knowledge- and skill-development needs within higher education that has been developed by the Center for Organizational Development and Leadership (ODL) at Anonymous University. The framework has led to the creation of a portfolio of programs for academic and administrative leaders in varying stages of development that will be described in the presentation. It is the presenter’s hope that this comprehensive approach to leadership education – an approach that is conceptual, strategic, and operational – will serve as a useful model for scholars and practitioners across higher education. The key concepts and programs described in this session may prove useful for those involved in the design and delivery of leadership education programs for higher education, healthcare, and other large institutions with multiple audiences, needs, and goals. Furthermore, the differentiation of the conceptual, strategic, and operational dimensions may be a useful framework for those interested in the study and practice of leadership education.

The goals of ODL leadership programs, as discussed in this presentation, are to promote organizational advancement through the development, study, and adoption of best practices; to develop increased internal capacity for leadership among our existing academic and administrative leaders; and to develop leaders of the future. In approaching the development of a leadership education portfolio, these four fundamental precepts have guided our work:

1) Blending knowledge and skill
2) Integrating vertical and horizontal competencies
3) Building bridges between faculty and staff
4) Fostering collaborative engagement and sponsorship

Conceptual Dimension: ODL Leadership Curriculum

At the conceptual level, the ODL leadership curriculum includes a portfolio of programs and an array of modules grounded in relevant communication, leadership, and organizational theory. This curriculum focuses on the development of cross-cutting leadership concepts, competencies, and tools needed to advance one’s department, program, or school; and to be able to guide colleagues in creating and implementing a shared and compelling vision for the future. In order to create an integrated conceptual foundation for a number of leadership programs, collaboration, support, and resource sharing among various units and individuals are critical.

Strategic Dimension: Our Approach to Leadership Education

Although the ODL approach to leadership development varies to a certain extent based on the needs and goals of a particular unit, there are notable areas of convergence. Based on our experience of providing leadership education to wide array of audiences across the institution, we have found a number of strategic insights regarding leadership development to be useful in developing—and sustaining—highly regarded leadership education initiatives at our institution. For example, one of the strategic insights that will be discussed in this presentation, suggests that the complex and interdependent challenges facing higher education require attention from faculty and staff. Many existing approaches to training and development tend to isolate these individual groups, but we have found much success in bringing these groups together to address the cross-cutting challenges in higher education. It is likely the case that solutions to existing problems will demand collaboration from both stakeholder groups. Additionally, there seems to be no one single “correct” approach to leadership development in higher education. Individual learning preferences, coupled with the unique challenges of a unit, department, or institution, call for customized approaches to training and development that best meet one’s specific needs. Finally, no one workshop, multi-day program, or book can be expected to have a transformative effect on a person’s leadership capability. As Gmelch and Buller (2015) suggest, “if we assume that it takes ten to twenty years for a highly intelligent person to become an expert in an academic discipline, why do we assume that we can train academic leaders in a three-day workshop”? (p. 8). It is certainly the case that individual programs and leadership resources can introduce learners to new concepts, skills, and strategies, but leadership development is better understood to be an ongoing process that evolves over time and with practice.

Operational Dimension: Collaborative Leadership Development Programs

Building upon the aforementioned leadership curriculum and a strategic approach to leadership education, ODL offers a suite of collaborative programs for effective leadership development in higher education. The intended audience varies based on the program, as do the learning outcomes, delivery methods, and methods of assessment for each program. At an operational level, these programs seek to improve the leadership capacity of faculty, staff, and graduate students across the institution. At the same time, the involvement of current leaders as sponsors, mentors, and presenters broadens dialogue regarding organizational and leadership ideals and practices among all who are involved in any capacity with the programs. Indeed, broadening conversations and reflections about effective leadership practices across the campus may be one of the greatest indirect benefits of engaged leadership development programs such as these.

The leadership development initiatives introduced at our institution were designed to systematically address the challenges of higher education leadership. A conceptual, strategic, and operational framework, as briefly outlined in this proposal, was used to guide the creation of a portfolio of programs to address the leadership development needs of a variety of stakeholder groups at a number of levels and stages. This framework also serves as a useful theoretical model for better understanding the conceptual, strategic, and operational dimensions of leadership education across sectors.

Participant

• Ralph A. Gigliotti, Rutgers University