Exploring new ways of leading in higher education...

Being the leader of an academic school or department or leader of a professional service in a university is a tough job, particularly in this period of unprecedented change.

Academic Heads have to interpret and respond to demands from many different sources. These demands may emanate from the turbulent and changing external environment, their Deans and other senior university leaders and of course from their staff, students and the wider university. Most academic heads have varied leadership responsibilities including for courses, modules, assessment, academic quality and standards, the student experience, learning and teaching, research and external income generation along with staff management. Each of these responsibilities creates its own specific demands.

Heads of Professional Services also have a challenging range of responsibilities including staff leadership and development of their specialist services, whether these be IT, Finance, HR, Marketing, Estates, Library, Academic Registry or others. All professional services have important contributions to make to the overall success of any university. Pressures on Heads of Services seem to be increasing. They are frequently being asked to lead technological changes and continuing improvement projects in their services, make efficiencies and to anticipate and interpret needs beyond their own services, implementing changes internally in response to the increasingly complex external environment.  

In summary, leaders in these important roles in Faculties and Services require a new approach to leadership development to enhance their skills and abilities to lead effectively whilst responding to ongoing and unrelenting change. Importantly leaders need to find new, more creative ways to lead.

Leaders in those important roles in Faculties and Services require effective leadership development to enhance their skills and abilities to lead effectively whilst responding to ongoing and unrelenting change.

What does entrepreneurial leadership have to offer?

The development of entrepreneurial leaders in higher education, with mindsets and behaviours such as creative thinking, the willingness and ability to innovate, lead change and take calculated risks, in order to lead skilfully at this time of unprecedented change, has never been more important. Embedding entrepreneurial leadership at all levels can enable a university ( or specific parts of it) to deal with challenges, seize opportunities, develop a competitive edge and achieve success. 

Entrepreneurial leadership can enable a university to deal with challenges, seize opportunities, develop a competitive edge and achieve success. 

What is entrepreneurial leadership? 

Entrepreneurial leadership is an approach to leadership that embraces the need for passion, vision, focus and the ability to inspire others, along with the mindset and abilities to develop new ideas, explore new opportunities, face challenges and crises and influence others to foster innovation and change. Entrepreneurial leaders are able to solve problems creatively and use resources effectively and are more likely to be better able to deal with challenges and crises thrown up in the current turbulent higher education environment. Being an entrepreneurial leader requires you to think creatively, seek new opportunities proactively and to be agile, brave and courageous enough to make swift decisions about risks in order to secure benefits and success. 

Being an entrepreneurial leader requires you to think creatively, seek new opportunities proactively and to be agile, brave and courageous enough to make swift decisions about risks in order to secure benefits and success. 

Become an Entrepreneurial Head! 

The Entrepreneurial Heads is a recent addition to the NCEE portfolio and introduces Heads of Schools (or academic departments) and Services, via a series of three linked interactive study days to the concepts of entrepreneurial leadership and change management and how to implement these concepts in practice. Entrepreneurial Heads is designed to enable you as a Head or Director to respond positively and creatively to the challenges, brought about by uncertainty and the rapidly evolving HE landscape.

Five benefits of becoming an Entrepreneurial Head

1. an increased understanding of the concepts and theories of entrepreneurial leadership and change management.
2. new knowledge, entrepreneurial skills and tools to implement change in your School, Department or Service.
3. opportunities to network with like-minded individuals who are facing similar challenges.
4. a clearer understanding of the changes and challenges impacting on the sector and how an entrepreneurial mindset and behaviours can be used to confront them.
5. opportunities for leadership development and career progression with the option of progressing to the NCEE Entrepreneurial Leaders Programme.

Next steps

For further information on Entrepreneurial Heads please see below

For more information please contact me, Prof Lesley Dobree at [email protected] or Amy Maher at [email protected] Please submit your application as soon as possible to join us on the next programme in October 2019.

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