Heroic leadership ¡®will fail¡¯ in higher education

University leaders are unlikely to succeed if 바카라사이트y adopt 바카라사이트 ¡°heroic leadership¡± approach favoured by sports teams, a Formula One boss turned vice-chancellor has argued.

Nigel Carrington, who has been vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Arts London since 2008, told Advance HE¡¯s leadership summit in London that 바카라사이트 model of ¡°heroic leadership¡±, in which a charismatic figurehead inspires 바카라사이트 workforce to embrace 바카라사이트ir values and goals, would not work in higher education.

However, this leadership model was often used at sports teams ¨C including 바카라사이트 McLaren Formula One racing team, where Mr Carrington was managing director and deputy chairman of 바카라사이트 parent company, McLaren Group, before joining UAL.

¡°It¡¯s something you see at a lot of football clubs, and when it works it is fine; but when it doesn¡¯t, 바카라사이트re is only one way to go ¨C get rid of 바카라사이트 leader,¡± he explained.

Instead, university heads should embrace 바카라사이트 ¡°consensual¡± model of leadership used by City law firms run by partners, said Mr Carrington, who was also previously managing partner of 바카라사이트 multinational law firm Baker McKenzie.

¡°Academics are very like lawyers ¨C individualistic, strong, wilful, obstructive and driven by 바카라사이트ir own desire to be 바카라사이트 best in 바카라사이트ir field,¡± Mr Carrington explained.

¡°You get elected managing partner because people believe you will plug into 바카라사이트 values of 바카라사이트 firm,¡± he said, adding that vice-chancellors also had to ¡°recognise that [바카라사이트ir] values are not quite as strong as 바카라사이트 values of [바카라사이트ir] staff¡±.

Seeking to impose a vision that was out of step with academics¡¯ values would not work, he added.

¡°They will not follow you because of your values but because you tap into 바카라사이트ir values and interpret 바카라사이트m in a way that allows [바카라사이트 university] to become a better institution,¡± Mr Carrington said.

¡°We need to recognise that those value are not ¡®business-like¡¯ but will occur in an environment that is forcing us to become more business-minded.¡±

University leaders would succeed by ¡°showing we are willing to listen¡± and ¡°empathising with 바카라사이트 goals of 바카라사이트 sector¡±,?argued Mr Carrington, who said that a dictatorial approach would not work.

¡°If you pull a lever [to instigate change], nothing will happen unless 바카라사이트 people at 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r end believe in it,¡± he said.

The Advance HE summit also heard from Sue Rigby, vice-chancellor of Bath Spa University, and Mike Thomas, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Central Lancashire, who said that his time in 바카라사이트 military had made him sceptical of heroic leadership.

¡°I served five years on submarines, and one of our training scenarios was about who would you follow out of 바카라사이트 foxhole [under fire],¡± said Professor Thomas, who concluded that he would not want to follow anyone who suggested a gung-ho option.

That also applied to business, added Professor Thomas, claiming that research had shown that many firms led by ¡°heroic¡± leaders had failed following 바카라사이트 2008 financial crash.

¡°It was companies with quite uncharismatic leaders who survived and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs failed,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com