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China-Australia Executive Leadership Program: Cross-border Leadership Development in the Asian Century. Associate Professor Ting Wang Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics, University of Canberra, Australia
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China-Australia Executive Leadership Program: Cross-border Leadership Development in the Asian Century Associate Professor Ting Wang Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics, University of Canberra, Australia The 2nd Untested Ideas (UI) International Research Conference, June 27-29, 2014, Rhodes, Greece
Overview • It presents findings of a qualitative study on the perspectives of Chinese university executives who participated in the two-week 2013 China Australia Executive Leadership Program in Australia. • An in-depth, semi-structured interview approach was utilised to explore their experiences of the program and observations of comparative strengths and challenges of both higher education systems. • Discusses the implications of cross-border executive leadership development model in the Asian century.
Introduction • The China Australia Executive Leadership Program (CAELP) helps to build strong person-to-person and institution-to-institution links between China and Australia in higher education. • It encourages two-way knowledge transfer between Australian and Chinese universities, providing exposure to comparative practice in higher education management and research and research management. • A group of Vice Presidents from eight Chinese universities visited Australia for two weeks in July 2013.
The Asian Century • Asia’s rise is changing the world. This is a defining feature of the 21st century—the Asian century. • The Australia in the Asian Century White Paper has set out a strategy for developing knowledge and capacities to deepen understanding and build stronger connections and partnership across the region. • Globalisation and the evolution of the knowledge-based economy have also caused fundamental changes in the functions of higher education in China.
Research Design • The design of the study was primarily qualitative. • An in-depth, semi-structured senior executive interview approach was utilised. • Participants deemed it as culturally inappropriate for the researcher to record their interviews. • The author, an experienced researcher and a bilingual academic, conducted face to face, individual interviews in Chinese and took detailed notes during the interviews.
Data Collection and Analysis • Five Vice Presidents out of eight participants (three females and 2 males) were interviewed in their host university located in Brisbane and Sydney. • A detailed information sheet and interview questions in a bilingual form were emailed to interviewees. • Five individual interviews were conducted in a mutually agreed timeslot and meeting venue on campus. • Each interview lasted approximately 60-90 minutes. • Data analysis took the form of constant comparative analysis whereby themes were identified and coded as they surfaced.
General Comments • A successful program evidenced by professionalism, commitment and meticulous attention to details. • The expertise and professionalism of the leadership training team. The leadership training was considered a significant component of the two-week program. • The shadowing experience at the host university was a fruitful and rewarding experience. • Well-organized activities, in-depth exploration of the operation, policies and governance of the host university.
Observations about Two Higher Education Systems • The program was valuable and enabled them to explore the leadership challenges and future development in teaching, research and higher education management across both China and Australia. • The cross-border leadership development experiences enhanced their intercultural learning and understanding about the Australian higher education in general and institutional practices in the host university.
Implications • The program provided an opportunity for them to critically examine the differences and similarities between two higher education systems, and reflect upon their leadership practices and institutional procedures. • Interviewees cautioned against indiscriminate borrowing and highlighted the importance of reciprocal learning and adapting new insights to the Chinese cultural and institutional contexts.
Conclusion • A comprehensive evaluation of the program will inform the development of new models and strategies. • Despite the limitation of a small scale self-reporting study, this research investigated the current model of China Australia Executive Leadership Program and discussed implications for the future. • The study highlights the benefits of the shadowing program approach and sheds lights on cross-border executive leadership development initiatives in the Asian century.
