A conceptual approach for blended leadership for tertiary education institutions

• Published in: Journal of higher education policy and management Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 418 - 429
• Main Authors: Jones, Sandra, Harvey, Marina, Lefoe, Geraldine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 01.08.2014; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Accountability; administrative management; Administrative organisation; Administrative Organization; Capacity Building; College Faculty; Colleges & universities; Cooperation; Cooperative planning; Distributed leadership; Educational Administration; Educational leadership; Higher education; Instructional Improvement; integrated; Leadership; Leadership qualities; Leadership styles; Postsecondary Education; Professional development; Professional Personnel; Strategic planning; Teaching; University administration; Australia
• ISSN: 1360-080X; 1469-9508
• DOI: 10.1080/1360080X.2014.916469

Over the last 20 years, the tertiary education sector has adopted new administrative management approaches, with the aim of improving accountable and strategic focus. Over the same period, the question of how to build leadership capacity to improve learning and teaching and research outcomes has led to discussion on what constitutes academic leadership. While both these advances are needed, what is missing is integration between the two such that academics and professional staff are engaged collaboratively to achieve learning and teaching and research outcomes that are accountable within a strategic focus. This article builds on research into the use of distributed leadership to build leadership for learning and teaching that resulted in the design of a conceptual framework for distributed leadership. Based on this conceptual framework, it proposes a conceptual blended leadership approach to engage academics and professional staff working in collaboration.