Nowadays, the role of higher education in the development of the national economy becomes fundamental in any nation (Kohoutek, Pinheiro, Cabelkova & Smidova, 2017). The existence of rapid economic, socio-cultural, and technological changes in the world necessitates educational institution leaders to make their institutions better and more competitive than before (Stevens, 2012). It is indisputable that HLIs leaders can influence significantly their institutions and the larger society in many ways, directly or indirectly. “Leadership is considered as a major factor in the success of the institution” (Zafar et al., 2019:37). Leading an HLI is becoming more challenging, due to the high expectations of the society, high expectations of nations in dealing with national and global issues, increasing student numbers and expansion of programmes (Kezar, & Holcombe, 2017; Black, 2015). More challenges are presented by the HLI’s numerous goals, traditional values, and organisational complexity (Mahdinezhad et al., 2018; Zafar et al., 2019). As the global economy becomes more competitive, governments realise that coping with competition depends increasingly on the development of a highly skilled workforce. This needs committed and trained teachers as well as sufficient resources. But they, in turn, require the leadership of highly effective top academic leaders and the support of middle management and other senior leaders (Mahdinezhad et al., 2018; Fraser, 2005; Bush, 2007).
HLI leaders are accountable for the fate of their institutions (Fahimirad et al., 2016). In many developing and developed countries, there is a widespread belief that the quality of leadership creates a significant difference in educational institutions and student outcomes (Bush, 2007). In other words, the quality of leadership ensures the quality of education and maintains the reputation of the HLIs. The existence of effective leadership in HLIs is central to their success in addressing social responsibilities, enhancing the educational quality, and thereby contributing to national development (Hofmeyer, Sheingold, Klopper & Warland, 2015). To be effective and address the demands of stakeholders, leaders in those institutions need to be self-motivated, knowledgeable, experienced, and visionary. Such academic leaders can be produced through a deliberate process of training (Bush, 2009) and experience. In the higher education system, academic leadership plays a major role in shaping students as well as society as a whole by providing quality education. Therefore, for the development
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of society and the nation as a whole, it is necessary to nurture and strengthen academic leadership with the necessary leadership skills to do the right thing with full capacity at the right time (Zafar et al., 2019).
3.3.1 Higher learning institutions’ leadership structure
As in other organisations, the leaders in HLIs operate their educational activities at various hierarchical levels (Lumby, 2012). In many contexts these hierarchies can be divided into three main levels which are common in many such institutions, namely the departmental level, which is led by the departmental head/chief and can be considered as the first-line leadership level; the college/faculty/school level, which is led by the dean, and can be considered as the middle leadership level; and the institutional level, which is led by the president and vice presidents, and can be considered as the top leadership level. In some countries, the president is named as a rector or provost, or vice chancellor.
Much research on HLI leadership mainly focuses on the top level, which is considered as the most influential leadership level that plays a significant role in decision-making and in the overall success of these institutions (Lumby, 2012). However, in leading institutional activities, there is increasing recognition of the fact that the top leadership level alone cannot exclusively resolve all organisational challenges and provide all the direction an organisation needs (Currie & Procter, 2005). According to Currie and Procter (2005), deans who also execute their leadership roles between the top leaders and the department heads are vital in the overall performance of the HLIs. Department heads are the first-line leaders who directly influence the quality of students’ learning by transmitting knowledge; they play a crucial role in the success of HLIs (Knight &
Trowler, 2000; Coats, 2000). This study focuses on the top level (president and vice presidents) and mid-level (college/faculty/school deans) leadership positions.
3.3.2 Defining leadership in higher learning institutions
Academic leadership is the concept of collaboration, empowerment of others, teamwork, and the art of forming alliances (networks). Collaboration and team-building involve reaching out and building alliances across programmes, departments, and institutional boundaries (Hendrickson et al., 2013). Leadership in higher education is defined as the combined knowledge, attitudes, and skills of academics needed for
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leading teaching and learning, consultancy services and research activities in inspirational, inventive, and critically contemplative ways (Aspland & Patel, 2014).
Academic leadership refers to the actions taken to build a community of scholars by setting direction in order to attain common goals and objectives through the empowerment of staff and faculty (Wolverton & Gmelch, 2002). This definition makes three assumptions about the actions academic leaders must take.
First, academic leaders must build a community of scholars by moving away from controlling and dominating the freedom of faculty members towards a participative and collaborative leadership approach. This allows the HLI to become a place where faculty members work equally in the activities of the institution, dedicated and loyal to their discipline and view their institution as a place of identification, companionship, academic home, and social responsibility. Therefore, academic leaders need to make faculty members feel a part of the group or the institution, be concerned with the feelings of the faculty members, treat them with respect, communicate ideas, and establish a sense of community. In line with such team orientation, the academic leaders must take responsibility for moving forward their institution towards a common goal.
Second, academic leaders need to set direction by involving faculty members and other stakeholders in planning the institution’s short- and long-term goals and how to get there. According to various research findings, there exists a strong correlation between student attainment and collective leadership of the institution head, institution administrator, parents, teachers and other academic contributors in decision-making (Zafar et al., 2019). Academic leaders must inspire, encourage and direct their academic colleagues to accomplish these common goals. Moreover, they must communicate their priority areas clearly, collaborate with others in defining vision, encourage others to share their vision, and be orientated towards action rather than the status quo. The vision gives the organisation and the leader a conceptual map of where the organisation is headed and clarifies the organisation’s identity (Caldwell et al., 2012). It also gives followers a sense of self-efficacy and ownership within the organisation.
Third, academic leaders must empower faculty members by making them part of the academic community and feel important, valuing competence and learning, engaging
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faculty in exciting work, and making expectations clear. Moreover, to achieve change, academic leaders must empower others by providing resources needed to do their job efficiently, helping faculty to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to perform their work effectively, rewarding and recognising faculty for effective performance, and sharing power. Therefore, to realise the common goals that define a future direction and to achieve the desired results, empowering faculty members is vital.
3.3.3 Effective leadership in higher learning institutions
The main role of academic leadership in HLIs is to demonstrate an impact on the progress of students’ learning outcomes and improve the competence and performance of the academic and administrative staff members. This can be achieved through increasing commitment, motivation, knowledge, skills, and by creating a helpful working environment for the employees (Mufeed, 2019). An effective leader has the potential to achieve organisational goals by motivating and mobilising followers. Effective participation of internal and external stakeholders in various decision-making processes has an enormous impact on the performance of HLIs (Rowlands, 2017). Therefore, to be effective, academic leaders need to create a system through which both external and internal stakeholders can participate at various levels of decision-making.
In the context of HLIs, a comprehensive review of the literature suggests that to be effective, leaders have to create shared organisational goals and vision, provide transparent and clear direction concerning the vision and paths of their institution, and treat academic staff equitably and fairly. Moreover, they must be trustworthy and reliable with a high level of integrity, give an opportunity for discussion with staff in making crucial decisions, and serve as role models for their staff (Mahdinezhad et al., 2018). In order to influence teachers, students and parents, academy leaders need to demonstrate the principles of colleagueship, expertise, commitment, fairness, self- efficacy, trust, and optimism (Hoy & Smith, 2007).
To be successful, academic leaders need to have a broad understanding of the structure, functions, and conditions of decision-making processes as well as the cultures, environments, traditions, and personalities that influence the working conditions of their HLIs. They must also develop relations with myriad stakeholders
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including students, faculty, alumni, and parents through various media outlets (Hendrickson et al., 2013). In other words, they must be knowledgeable about the effects of internal and external pressures on their institutions and design remedial strategies to resolve these influences.
On the basis of a wide literature review, it appears that effective academic leaders must possess several qualities (Zafar et al., 2019). Primarily they must be visionary and have strategies to achieve their vision; the vision must be articulated by every stakeholder and should be accepted by everyone. Academic leaders must come from an academic background, and be easy to approach, open to suggestions and welcome criticisms. Such leaders must also have the courage of conviction, share the truth with compassion and zeal, expect and respect conflict, be proactive, know the importance of commitment, be ready to take risks, be accountable to their team or followers, and to the higher authority to which they are associated and follow policies and procedures.
Furthermore, they must have honesty and integrity, the ability to create motivation and optimism, a high degree of confidence, ability to trust and empower others. They must be communicative, collaborative, and connected to all academic participants. They also need the ability to redesign the organisation in order to explore overall academic capacity and to facilitate the working environment to match the market demand and pace. Finally, they must have the ability to set the directions, develop and train future generation leaders, develop habits to learn, unlearn and relearn willingly and be creative, innovative, entrepreneurial, and think outside the box to face the ever- changing competitive world. Therefore, to cope with the current global competition facing HLIs, it is necessary to appoint effective academic leaders who are competent in creating and fostering partnerships with diverse stakeholders and are committed to implementing the shared vision, mission, and goals of the institutions based on common values (Hendrickson et al., 2013; Lumby, 2012; Currie & Procter, 2005).