Process to practice: The evolving role of the academic middle manager in English further education colleges

Abstract

The English further education sector has undergone significant change since the Further and Higher Education Act (1992) encouraged a culture of entrepreneurship, competition and the use of what was seen as best practice from the commercial sector. This led to a cultural shift and the introduction of many new initiatives – a situation that still exists now. The implementation of these initiatives was often delegated to middle managers – a group of people who occupied the gap between the senior leaders and the lecturers in the classroom. Current austerity measures, restructuring and the shift towards the creation of larger organizations have resulted in reorganizations that could present opportunities for middle managers to participate in the strategic processes and leadership of the organization, further developing their role (Greatbatch and Tate, 2018). The purpose of this article is to investigate the leadership and management aspects of the middle-manager’s role within the context of further education in England. Although many managers in the sector are reluctant to identify as leaders (Briggs, 2006), our research shows that their role has evolved so that they are undertaking a range of activities that could be classified as leadership. We suggest that using ‘practice’ rather than ‘process’ as a descriptor of the role would reframe, identify and bring forward the leadership aspects of what they do. Encouraging a focus on a holistic, practice-based approach, rather than a succession of process-driven tasks, could help managers to perform their role more effectively. Findings taken from interviews with 32 participants and a questionnaire with 302 responses are used to illustrate our argument.

Perceived Changing Academic Roles of Deans in Higher Education: A case of Makerere University

“…The higher education sector has undergone significant changes for instance the English further education sector has undergone significant change since the Further and Higher Education Act (1992) that encouraged a culture of entrepreneurship, competition, and commercialization sector. As a result, research shows that many managers especially academic deans' roles have evolved so that they are undertaking a range of activities such as working as entrepreneurs (Wolstencroft & Lloyd, 2019). One of the factors that has caused these changes is neo-liberalism meaning that the production of quantitative data to prove that targets have been achieved has become a key focus for the middle managers such as the deans.…”

“…One of the factors that has caused these changes is neo-liberalism meaning that the production of quantitative data to prove that targets have been achieved has become a key focus for the middle managers such as the deans. As a result of neoliberalism, the deans' roles have become diverse and complex yet these academic leaders' needs have been neglected which is also related to the downplaying of the importance of the position (Peter Wolstencroft & Lloyd, 2019).…”

“…However, despite this shift, they remain responsible for the student experience within their areas, from initial recruitment through to achievement and everything in between (Snyder, 2018). Furthermore, conclusions from a study carried out by Wolstencroft and Lloyd (2018) in English Further Education Colleges stress that the role of academic middle leaders has changed to include designing and delivering the curriculum within parameters set both externally and internally, and these leaders are held accountable for all education performance measures. Also, Thompson and Wolstencroft (2018) acknowledge that the variety of middle manager roles has expanded to include tasks like generating income, innovativeness, and relevancy, alongside the more traditional roles of heads of departments, curriculum managers, and cross-college managers with academic responsibilities.…”

Embedded in two worlds: The university academic manager’s work, identity and social relations

“…These managers also act as brokers, creating common meaning and being central to organizational change efforts (Beresford and Michels, 2014). Although viewing themselves as managers rather than leaders, these role incumbents creatively support professional values in their efforts to improve student learning and curriculum development (Wolstencraft and Lloyd, 2019).…”