Articles by Sophie Sowerby

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Leadership in higher education: building a unified framework

Organisation Development Consultant, Sophie Sowerby, writes about how the Framework for Leadership in Higher Education could transform how we understand and practice leadership in our sector.

The HE leadership development challenge

As an Organisation Development practitioner within higher education, I am often asked to support the development of individual leadership capabilities for a diverse range of colleagues from across the institution, using one-to-one coaching through to comprehensive leadership development programmes. These may be academics, researchers, teaching fellows, technicians, professional service leads, and third space leaders. Colleagues from each of these groups play a crucial part in the success of an institution and yet articulating what effective leadership looks like in these roles, which resonates with such a diverse range of colleagues is challenging.

Existing frameworks and their limitations

Various professional bodies provide frameworks that guide individual career development choices for colleagues from different professional groups. However, the multitude of frameworks and generic areas of focus often fail to resonate with the HE sector leaders I work with, who push back saying, “we just don’t do it like that within HE” or “that wouldn’t work in our context.”

In conversations with colleagues across the sector, it became apparent that many institutions are grappling with this conundrum. Some had developed their own leadership frameworks tailored to their specific context and strategic priorities. I was tasked by a Vice Chancellor to develop a localised framework for the institution. I used all the resources to hand where colleagues within the institution had stated what was expected from our leaders eg the institutional strategies and underpinning People Strategy, our progression criteria and behavioural skills frameworks as well as relevant professional bodies leadership criteria and regulatory agreements including the Technicians Commitment, CIPD, AUA as it was at the time, Concordat, to name a few. This framework went some way to addressing what we meant by being a leader within our institution, but did it resonate with all colleagues? Or indeed were all groups interested? Did it speak to all leaders at every stage within their development? Sadly, I think the answer was no.

So, with no universally accepted framework, where did that leave us? In my experience, Professional Services colleagues were more likely to engage with management and leadership development from an early stage in their careers. The Professional Standards Framework (PSF) introduced in 2006, galvanised many colleagues into action to enhance the professionalism of their approach to teaching which in turn supported their progression, and that of their students. The PSF is now a globally recognised framework for benchmarking success.

When Advance HE developed the Aurora programme establishing the importance of enhancing personal leadership capabilities at an early stage in their careers for women in HE, we started to see some traction with colleagues within the Academy. However, not all colleagues see developing leadership skills as a priority, with so many other demands on their time – the downside being that they may assume formal leadership roles with minimal leadership development and a limited understanding of the breadth and scope of their leadership portfolio until they have taken on the role – one might say too little, too late.

Benefits of a unified sector approach to leadership

Having worked in the sector for nearly 17 years, I have come to realise how important it is to gain a sector overview, learning from one another and informed by robust research – that is the way to win the hearts and minds of colleagues across an institution.

The work undertaken by Advance HE to date to identify the skills and attributes needed to successfully lead within an institution and successfully navigate its labyrinthine structures and develop consistent understanding of the same, is hugely helpful. People are often suspicious of what they don’t understand – the Framework for Leading in Higher Education aims to demystify leadership within the sector, regardless of the specific role one performs, breaking down the complexities of leading a multifaceted organisation, into component parts. The framework provides a consistent articulation of what constitutes leadership activities at different stages of an individual’s development – thereby providing a guide for development and succession planning- useful for those being led and leaders.

The framework outlines the competencies crucial for leaders across the sector while allowing for interpretation within local and individual contexts. Given the challenging times we face, enhancing the resilience of individuals and organisations is more important now than ever before. A framework that helps colleagues understand expectations and identify their own areas for development to support their progression is essential for improving individual and team capabilities, and helping institutions navigate the stormy environment we exist within.

Ultimately, the goal is to improve outcomes for individuals, institutions and the sector’s impact on global issues. The research and teaching focus of many colleagues and the support for academic endeavour will be enhanced by the individual’s ability to lead more effectively, whomever that might be and from wherever within an institution. The Framework for Leading in Higher Education raises awareness of what it means to be a leader within the sector, aiming to elevate the esteem of leadership skills and competencies on a par with that of researching and teaching thereby maximising the potential of the individual, the team, the organisation and most importantly, our students.