The micro-politics of micro-leadership
Exploring the role of programme leader in English universities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4545263 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mark Murphy (0000-0002-8326-7119, University of Glasgow), Will Curtis (Higher Education Academy) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 34-44 |
| Publication date | 2013-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1360-080X • E-ISSN: 1469-9508 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1360080x.2012.727707 |
| OpenAlex | W2040692412 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 17 |
This study is based on interviews with 25 programme leaders at two universities in \nEngland. Programme leadership is ubiquitous and essential to effective university operations, yet there is surprisingly little research on the role. It is an ambiguous and complex \nform of leadership, existing as it does in the space between standard academic and manager profiles. Existing literature on other leadership roles highlights such ambiguity as \na major source of stress and cause of inefficiency. Drawing from the perspectives of current programme leaders, four main areas of difficulty are identified: role confusion, the \nmanagement of others, the status and demands of leadership, and bureaucratic burdens. \nThe paper suggests that the role of programme leader should be taken more seriously \nat both a research and institutional level, and that sufficient support should be implemented in relation to the four challenges mentioned above. Any real engagement with \nleadership at programme level, however, should also take into account the micro-politics of institutional management, a politics that combines issues of values, status and \nidentity with more prosaic concerns over role definition, workload and student support
Ambiguity · Bureaucracy · Identity (music · Inefficiency · Leadership studies · Leadership style · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Higher Education and Employability · Higher Education Governance and Development · Higher Education Practises and Engagement
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Academic middle leaders, middle leading and middle leadership of university learning and teaching
Strategic agency and institutional change
Lived experiences of study programme leadership in Norwegian higher education
Flying solo
Hybrid configurations of leadership in higher education employer engagement
A critical exploration of collaborative and distributed leadership in higher education
The effects of leadership traits on transformation
Academic labour and the politics of quality in higher education
The micropolitics of quality
Effective leadership in higher education
Why restructure
Management and Leadership in the Contemporary University
Conceptualising Middle Management in Higher Education
Identity, Conflict and Reputation in the University Setting
Quality or Control? Management in Higher Education
Surfacing' the Micropolitics as a Potential Management Change Frame in Higher Education
Preparing for Leadership
Academic Middle Management in Higher Education
Academic manager or managed academic? Academic identity schisms in higher education
Jugglers', 'copers' and 'strugglers
Leadership behaviour displayed by heads of school - its extent and importance
Department-level Cultures and the Improvement of Learning and Teaching
Collegial participation in university governance
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2026 (13) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |