Higher education leadership and context: a study of university vice-chancellors and presidents

Abstract

PurposeUniversities claim to provide many benefits to their context. What remains less clear is what is meant by context. Whatever it is, context is fundamental to decision-making. Understanding what context means is crucial to understanding leadership in higher education.Design/methodology/approachTheoretically informed by Eacott's relational approach, this study is based on interview data from a purposive sample of ten English vice-chancellors and nine Canadian university presidents. Transcripts were analysed for the assumptions participants held regarding the work of universities and how that played out in practice.FindingsContext is not an external variable engaged with or acted upon. It is not separate to leadership and the work of universities but is constitutive of and emergent from activities. There is no single definition of context, and this has major implications for university activities.Research limitations/implicationsContext(s) is based on assumptions. Making explicit the assumptions of participants, without pre-defining them, is a key task of research on leadership in higher education.Practical implicationsLeaders need to explicitly articulate their assumptions regarding the work of universities. Assessment should be based on the coherence between the espoused position and activities undertaken.Originality/valueThrough the emerging resources of relational scholarship, this paper demonstrates how context is constitutive of and emergent from the activities of universities. More than novel vocabulary, the paper makes a fundamental point about the generative nature of context. De-centring entities (e.g. university, leader, context) and focusing on relations our approach provide a path forward by encouraging the articulation of intended purpose(s) and perspective on the work of universities.

"In the trenches": South African vice-chancellors leading transformation in times of change

“…It is in this context that the core agenda and ability of VCs to strategically direct social change remains vital (Shepherd, 2018). But this is not an easy task and scholars agree that VCs across the globe face challenges in articulating leadership and strategic direction for their institutions as well as implementing them; reasons here range from the pressures of market forces to the dynamics of the impact of race and class on leadership (Dewan & Myatt, 2008;Heffernan et al, 2021;Shen et al, 2020;Shepherd, 2018).…”

“…In other words, TFL seeks to create change and revise existing values by articulating visions and goals that work for the benefit of the organisation and surrounding community. Put simply, TFL tries to transform the organisational culture of universities (Heffernan et al, 2021). Bass (1985) noted that TFL involves inspiring a vision to challenge the status quo and to alter the environment.…”

“…In other words, TFL is not a uniform hegemonic account of leadership. The underlying assumptions of VCs and their transformational goals are constituted by, and emerge from, the contexts within which they are located (Heffernan et al, 2021). Understanding TFL in this way requires serious consideration of the contextual relations that create specific challenges and directs attention towards particular goals.…”

“…The role of leadership from the perspectives of VCs is multifaceted and complex (Croucher & Lacy, 2022;Heffernan et al, 2021). VCs need to be fully aware of the critical role of universities in creating social and economic change and providing strategic direction for the benefit of the whole institution and for broader social impact (Shepherd, 2018).…”

“…The idea of transformation as a core operating activity in the work of VCs is not unique to South Africa. As noted by several international scholars, transformation serves as a central organising principle for the ways in which VCs conceptualise their visions and challenges (Badillo-Vega & Buendía-Espinosa, 2022;Heffernan et al, 2021). However, to understand how VCs make sense of transformative goals requires an understanding of what they prioritise as goals and strategies necessary for transformation.…”