Leadership styles in higher education that work in the ‘new normal’

In changing times, university leaders need to adopt appropriate leadership styles according to the goals they face.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines leadership as “the action of leading a group of people or an organisation”. Such a definition may reflect how someone in charge is perceived (for example, a manager, supervisor or leader). However, “manager” and “supervisor” are job titles that imply delegating and getting a job done; in contrast, leaders are often associated with traits and responsibilities such as being strategic, taking risks and motivating others to achieve something greater than oneself.

What traits are characteristic of effective leadership styles in higher education?

A 2021 Post University article and another for Northeastern University’s graduate programmes website by Brian Eastwood in 2020 listed essential traits of effective leadership in higher education. According to these articles, leaders are:

1. Passionate about their work: Effective leaders in education are often people who have great passion for their work. They also understand the importance of continuous learning and growth to excel in their work.
2. Leaders by example: By setting a good example, leaders can inspire and motivate others to do the same. Teachers and students are more likely to listen to leaders who they see as trying their best to improve the school.
3. Planners: Leaders who can plan for short- and long-term goals are often more successful in organising support and resources for their cause. They often will collaborate with others to figure out how to achieve the goals.
4. Driven to help others: Educational leaders often have a strong desire to help their students and faculty members. They tend to focus on inspiring, and providing assistance to, students and teachers alike. This desire to help others also establishes respect and trust.
5. Risk-takers: Effective leaders take risks. They are not afraid to do things differently or take on challenges. They are familiar with the cost of doing nothing versus doing something that might or might not work.
6. Data-driven: Leaders in higher education should be comfortable with a data-driven approach. They will use data as resources to help them in making decisions. For example, focusing on enrolment trends can help project expansion or recruitment.
7. Open to new connections: They have the interpersonal and communication skills to help them connect with their students and faculty. This is especially important for leaders when they are trying to develop teams to accomplish their strategic goals for the institution.
8. Able to tolerate grey areas: Sometimes leaders are in a situation where they might not have all the information they need that to make a decision. Effective leaders should be flexible and be able to modify their decision-making process.
9. Able to empower colleagues: Effective leaders in education know it is vital to empower their colleagues to achieve their goals. They are willing to share the limelight with others if they are all striving for the same goals.

Are all leadership styles similar?

Beyond core traits required (or desired) for effective leadership in higher education, different challenges and situations need distinct types of leadership. To lead a group of students and teachers, one must adopt a leadership style that helps you prioritise and accomplish your goals.

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A  2022 article on recruitment website Indeed discussed leadership styles commonly found in higher education. There are four main leadership styles that can be summarised based on their contrasting management modes (centralised v democratic) and goal orientation (short-term v long-term).

Strategic leadership

Strategic leadership focuses on long-term planning. As a strategic leader, you would focus more on the frameworks that allowed others to achieve long-term goals. Strategic leaders also often consider collaboration as an important component in achieving major goals.

Transformational leadership

Transformational leadership focuses on clearly communicating goals and objectives at all levels. Transformational leaders believe in empowering others to create a shared vision to achieve goals. As a transformational leader, you would know how to encourage and motivate others to achieve university’s long-term goals.

Transactional leadership

Leaders in this category focus on results. Transactional leaders usually follow and adapt to the structure of an organisation. They are also more likely to measure success according to that organisation’s system of rewards and penalties.

Authoritative leadership

This style of leadership focuses less on collaboration and puts higher emphasis on supervision and regulation. Authoritative leadership is usually found in situations where strict policies are important to achieving goals. Authoritative leaders often use their expertise to garner respect from teachers and students.

What are the key differences between contemporary leadership and that of the past?

Higher education is facing a new normal, argued Joe Sallustio, executive vice-president at non-profit online institution Claremont Lincoln University, in 2021. He wrote that a new generation of higher education leaders must learn to adapt to a new environment. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic forced many higher education leaders to understand the importance of crisis management. They had to adapt quickly to unpredictable events to ensure the safety of both students and teachers, while ensuring the educational goals were still being achieved. Dr Sallustio also noted the need to be tech- and social media-savvy.

This is supported by Sandeep Krishnamurthy, dean of the School of Business at the University of Washington, Bothell, who affirmed in a 2020 article that the higher education system would undergo a decade of radical technology-led transformation. The more leaders are aware of the impact of technology and social media on the lives of their students and teachers, the more likely they will be able to serve them better. Their knowledge in this area will help develop future strategic goals that align with ever-changing societal demand.

Higher education has long been slowly innovating. Internally, a shared-governance model has replaced the old faculty governance. More stakeholders are involved in decision-making, including the governing board, university officials, faculty, students, alumni and sometimes special interest groups.

Externally, the pandemic and the internet have accelerated the revolution. Students and schools entered the era of online education ahead of time. Meanwhile, the proliferation of online education has allowed some companies to bypass university degrees and cultivate their own talent. 

For instance, non-degree programmes from companies such as Google or Intel could provide job skills training that industry needs. Grow with Google is one such training platform, designed to offer career-aligned skills in fast-growing specialties such as data analytics, digital marketing and e-commerce, IT support and user experience (UX) design. Intel offers a similar short training programme called Intel Edge AI Certification. In addition to these high-tech companies, China’s leading food delivery company, Meituan, has established a “university”. Its eight colleges offer courses in food service, beauty care, recreation, fitness and hotel management. In 2019, Meituan vice-president Mu Rongjun said that the university aimed to reach more than 100 million people in the next decade.

Future leadership in higher education

Leadership is more than management. Future leaders of higher education must be prepared to face the new normal and be able to adapt to the ever-changing environment.

To sum up, leaders in higher education should be highly aware of their specialised role and challenges rather than simply treating their responsibilities as those of a normal manager; simply controlling a group of teachers and students. The changing situations and upcoming challenges, especially the new normal after the pandemic, call for both adaptive awareness and state-of-art solutions. Future leaders of higher education must be prepared.

Gou Rui and Liu Chao are assistant professors in the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Macau University of Science and Technology.

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