Academic leadership programs in new higher education context: perceptions, effectiveness and impact

Given the context of increasing interests in academic leadership development (ALD) within and across academic institutions but a lack of research on academic leadership in Higher Education (HE) settings, this dissertation focuses on examining participants’ perceptions towards effectiveness and impacts of the ALD programs. To be more specific, the dissertation aimed at exploring: (i) how academic members and academic leaders perceive AL and its related aspects; (ii) which variables contribute to effectiveness of AL training programs; (iii) how the ALD intervention have impacts on individual participants and organizations in the mid-term period; and (iv) how to develop a comprehensive theoretical model of ALD in the new HE context. To that end, four research objectives (ROs) and eighteen research questions were addressed in this dissertation. A wide range of research methods, from focus groups, mixed methods to co-design methods, was ultilized to answer the research questions. Seven studies were conducted to address the research questions.

Main findings emerge throughout the different studies. Concerning perceptions of academic leadership (RO1), the results found that the notion of AL was perceived as a complex concept shared by academic members. The results also indicated that an effective academic leader, according to the participating academic members and leaders, possess a variety of capacities and specific leadership styles. Besides, motivations that encourage academic staff members and leaders to seek out leadership roles were uncovered. As for exploring related factors to the ALD training programs (RO2), the findings revealed the contributing roles of independent factors that correlate to effectiveness of AL training programs in online and F2F environments. With regard to the impact of the ALD programs at the individual level and the institutional level in the mid-term period (RO3), the findings indicated substantial changes on participants individually in two major aspects: personal growth and professional practices. At the institutional level, the findings showed that the ALD program had substantial influences on inter-institutional networking, collaboration, and partnership among partner universities. The results also illustrated the values and impacts of the ALD interventions on HE-related policies and practices in both Chinese and European contexts. The studies provided practical evidence and raised high awareness of what benefits the ALD programs can bring to individual participants and their institutions. Regarding the comprehensive ALD framework in the new HE context (RO4), the dissertation developed and validated a theoretical model that equally promote capacity building for academic leaders (leader development) and nourish collective leadership (leadership development). The final elaborated model consists of four main components: theoretical core, types of training and providers, training format, and ultimate goals.

All together, the findings in this dissertation directly benefit a wide range of related stakeholders including academic staff members and leaders, professional development designers, educators, and policy makers at different levels towards promoting ALD in academic settings. The findings are also relevant and applicable in other cultural contexts and contexts beyond higher education.