In today’s world, changes and challenges in higher education institutions are accelerating and becoming more severe and complex. Many academic department chairs enter this role entirely unprepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Note that the academic department chair’s possession of essential leadership competencies enables him to stimulate educational programs, help students progress toward graduation, and help his department move toward transformation. In addition, there is a set of essential leadership competencies for the academic department chair that, when mastered and used harmoniously, enable him to lead change in higher education institutions.
Essential leadership competencies for the academic department chair
1. Distinct strategic mindset
An academic department chair who wants to succeed in this competitive environment needs clarity about the new landscape of higher education and his department’s place in the education environment. This requires a distinct strategic mindset and a vision that enables him to know the future trends of higher education and how to deal with them. To build a strategic mindset, the academic department chair must balance the short-term and the long-term and expand his thinking outside his specialty and beyond academia. Therefore, the strategic thinking of the academic department chair helps him foresee the future, identify future opportunities and challenges, and translate them into strategies.
2. The ability to interpret
Working methods in higher education institutions have evolved, and the academic department chair has a sophisticated understanding of data and analytics. Today, the ability to conduct sophisticated market research and collect data on demographic projections, labor demand, and population shifts provides the academic department chair with unprecedented information. Therefore, he must synthesize all his inputs instead of reflexively seeing or hearing what he expects. He must recognize patterns, transcend ambiguity, and search for new insights. That is why he must have the ability to interpret.
3. Show interest and appreciation
At its core, this leadership competency highlights the importance of authenticity and seeing others’ humanity and worth. When the Academic Department Chair connects with people and shows authenticity and deep interest in their life experiences, they feel seen and valued. Additionally, they can foster their engagement with the faculty and staff they lead, thus showing them appreciation. By developing this competency, the academic department head can effectively mentor people with different viewpoints, thus creating a more dynamic and diverse department.
4. The ability to make decisions
The academic department chair often must make decisions despite a lack of information and often must do so quickly. However, he should insist on multiple options initially and not get involved prematurely in simplistic binary options. Once an academic department chair can establish a baseline of their values and behaviors as an academic leader, they are better equipped to make effective decisions. At the right time, it helps translate the strategy into specific implementation steps and follows up on implementation until the end.
Applying the essential leadership competencies of the academic department chair
If leadership competencies are for general purposes, then applying those competencies in education can remain unique. Like other industries or fields, education challenges academic department heads as leaders. Therefore, to develop equity and social justice, the head of the academic department is responsible for providing equitable education for all. This requires an exceptional level of cultural knowledge and communication skills. In addition, it must balance community standards and best educational practices to avoid increasing conflict between the latest knowledge and evidence in education and community standards.
These core leadership competencies present significant challenges. Therefore, the future of higher education institutions requires enhancing the role of the academic department chair, providing the necessary resources to support him, and strengthening his active leadership line.
-
-
-
-
