Transitioning into leadership: from faculty member to department chair

Abstract

A single case study with embedded units (Yin 2014) was selected as the most appropriate methodology, given scope and aim of the project. Qualitative, semistructured interviews were conducted with six department chairs and one academic dean. Participants were selected through stratified, purposeful sampling 2 (Patton 1990) to ensure a specific range of interviewees. Framework analysis was utilized: interview data was organized thematically for analysis and display.The literature review focused on trends in leadership theory, leadership development, and leadership issues specific to department chairs. Three key themes emerged from this review: 1) role, responsibilities and competencies; 2)context; 3) and, transition into leadership. The three research questions above were addressed through discussion and analysis of the research results, within the context of these three themes. Role Responsibilities and CompetenciesResearch revealed that analysis of both responsibilities and competencies provides a balanced understanding of the department chair role: key responsibilities differentiate each chair's position, while consistency in key competencies unifies the roles. ContextThe importance of the context in which leadership takes place (Berdrow 2010;Day and Antonakis 2012) was revealed in the literature review. Shared governance provides a College-wide organizational and cultural context and, within this, each department has its own set of contextual factors.3 Transition into LeadershipThe transition into leadership process was analyzed in three phases: background, preparation, and training and development. Research results highlighted needs and gaps. RecommendationsRecommendations arose from the research analysis and results, indicating a need for:1) a comprehensive job analysis encompassing the unique role, responsibilities and competencies of the job, within the framework of the department and the College as a whole;2) leadership development programming that includes dealing with ambiguity;3) distributed leadership initiatives implemented within and across departments; 4) the assistant chair role formalized as a mechanism for preparation, training and leadership development; 5) a formal orientation for new department chairs; 6) further and more indepth research to determine optimal training methods; 7) a more systematic mentorship system structured around group learning; and, 8) a comprehensive development framework that encompasses all recommendations.4 Operating at the centre of the institution and serving all of its key constituents: students, faculty, senior administration, alumni, administrative and student support staff, community and professional associations, the academic department chair is one of the most crucial and complex academic leadership roles in this time of change (Gmelch and Miskin 2010). Despite its significance, the department chair role is often under supported by the institution, and individuals who assume this Table 1 below. From these conclusions, six recommendations emerged (see Table ...