LEAD2 Journals

This issue addresses academic leadership in the new context of internationalisation and presents the major outcomes of the LEAD2 project. It also highlights the LEAD Academic Network, which will keep the legacy and continue the momentum of the LEAD2 project. 

This issue focuses on Academic Networking and Collaborative Leadership in Higher Education. Don’t hesitate to read the issue now to get more insights and practical experience from LEAD2 experts and community members.

We are all experiencing how the digital transformation has changed large parts of society. Digital media and communications have transformed our institutions, working environments, service and production processes and everyday life to such an extent that the terms “analogue” and “digital” have often become inadequate as descriptive categories.

2021 is a year of transformation, be it in the digital world or the cultural field. How to lead more effectively these transformations at higher education institutions? Get more inspiration from our LEAD2 Journal Issue7.

The 6th issue of the LEAD2 journal focusing on university governance and academic leadership in times of pandemic. The new issue covers different topics including a briefing of the LEAD2 project activities in the last three months, a short report of the latest MOOC, and online workshops on university governance and academic leadership.

When universities are concerned, due to
their sophisticated structures, these institutions need efficient and effective leaders who would be responsive to the crisis situations and be creative to meet the challenges brought by the pandemic. On finding solutions to the issues, the university leader is expected to mentor, guide and encourage the staff as well as the institutions to be able to realize authentic research and innovation which would create sui generis results and opportunities for the good of all.

The effectiveness of the leaders should not only have quantitative measurements or indicators in terms of the numbers of students or research papers, etc., but also qualitative indicators that pay attention to
other crucial factors. 

Society in general, and academia in particular, needs to identify the barriers women are facing and reasons these are resistant to change, female academics need to take an active role in this change. It is not an easy task, It requires additional engagement and continuity.

I think effective leadership training and development should be two dimensional. First, you must bring good cases. The conversation and collaboration are in themselves informative for leaders, but I never underestimate the importance of formal
training. In my experience, if you are not trained in management, especially organizational behavior, then you try to rule with bureaucratic power. And this doesn’t work at a university. You must develop other skills, and realizing this only comes from training. 

The most rewarding part of leading people is when you can induce change, where change is necessary, and have people supporting you. Because some people think they know that something needs to be changed, but they don’t think about whether or not their peers actually support them in those ideas. So, they change something, and they don’t get rewarded because people don’t follow them.