Research Projects
Academic Leadership Capabilities for Australian Higher Education
Project Director: Dr Hamish Coates
The University of Western Sydney, in collaboration with ACER and in partnership with up to ten Australian Universities, is currently conducting a project to identify the distinctive capabilities of leaders in different roles directly and indirectly concerned with effective quality and change management for learning and teaching in our universities.
The empirical results from this proposed research will identify systems, typically not generated directly from higher education research, that are currently being used across Australian Higher Education for leadership performance management and development. It will serve to validate what is identified in the capability statements in different higher education leadership position descriptions, assess the quality of current approaches to leadership development in higher education learning and teaching and will identify enhancements to recruitment and promotion processes.
The project outcomes will comprise findings and resources that will help advance the development of learning and teaching leaders in Australian higher education:
a comprehensive evidence-based profile of effective academic leadership in different learning and teaching roles;
an empirically-validated leadership capability framework;
a suite of resources and strategies that institutions can use to develop leadership; and
a methodology for linking the framework with leadership recruitment, development and review.
Staff: Dr Hamish Coates
Expected Completion Date: May 2008
Funding: Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
Deliverables: Report and key set of recommendations for the sector;
A summary report for the sector;
360 review instrument and process guidelines for its effective use;
A series of national workshops;
Paper for publication in a peer-reviewed higher education journal;
Articles and chapters for books on leading change and effective leadership identification;
Selection and development in universities;
Presentation of project outcomes at an Australian higher education conference;
Range of effective ways to use the results in formal and informal leadership development programs;
Review of validity of current position descriptions and ‘person descriptions’ for each role and/or development of model PDs for each role which are consistent with findings;
Identification of key changes necessary to enable effective leadership.