Turnaround Leadership for Sustainability in Higher Education

1. Turnaround Leadership for Sustainabilityin Higher Education Geoff Scott Leith Sharp Daniella Tilbury Elizabeth Deane

2. Why undertake this project? • A turnaround moment for higher education world-wide • ‘Good ideas with no ideas on how to implement them are wasted ideas’ • Change doesn’t happen but must be led – and deftly

3. About the project Focus • The world of the EfS leader in HE • Key leadership capabilities & strategies • Key satisfactions, challenges, effectiveness indicators • Best approaches to leadership selection and development Four phases • Identification of experienced EfS leaders • Survey • Participant feedback on the results • Report and action on recommendations

4. Leaders of Education for Sustainability in HE - analogies describing their world Most common analogies • Cat herder • Tight rope walker/juggler of multiple perspectives and agendas • Swimming upstream, against the tide (at times with one paddle) • Waving a flag from the back of a crowd Senior leaders • Carer, a parent, or a guardian • Gardener • Captain of a large ship • Atranslator, intellectual broker • Quilter • Orchestra conductor/director a choir • Teacher, coach, guide of a diverse group

5. Leaders of Education for Sustainability in HE – their world cont’d Local leaders • Jumping into deep water, learning to surf, white water rafting • Leading a dynamic start up company; kindling fires • Being Tonto with the Lone Ranger at a bank-robbers’ convention • A bird that sings but no-one listens; dancing by myself; a lone voice in a sea of consumerism • Trying to interest people who like junk food in a healthy diet • Learning Spanish but finding myself in China; • Being a competitor on American idol • Being Stephen Bradbury winning gold at the Winter Olympics • Sisyphus, pushing a wheelbarrow of frogs down a steep hill • Pinning jelly to the wall; drawing treacle from a well

6. And the winner is….. • Really wanting to make a trifle, and being told that making a trifle is a priority, but no-one will provide money for the trifle bowl, the recipe keeps being changed and no-one tells me, and I know some people think they don't like jelly, and my arm has been tied behind my back, and I've been blindfolded

7. Leaders of EfS in HE - what has most surprised me Negative Difficulty in getting cross-disciplinary courses going Difficult staff Unresponsive, ‘silo’ structure, resourcing & processes How much bureaucracy is necessary Positive • Strong student interest • How many staff are ready to engage • The fun and satisfaction • Seeing systems run smoothly & productively • Falling in with a great international network

8. Key Influences Shaping the Work of the EfS Leader

9. Leaders of EfS in HE - key satisfactions & challenges Recurring challenges Silos and territorialism Resource levels that do not match expectations/demands Marginalised in governance HR & staffing issues Unclear direction/priorities Staff/Leaders hard to engage Inefficient processes, systems & meetings Contribution not noticed Constant ad hoc demands EfS: unclear concept and proving demand for EfS Recurring satisfactions • Working with a great team • Helping shape strategy • Implementing projects • Seeing systems run smoothly & productively • Senior staff support • Having autonomy & trust • Being recognised for work well done • Positive student response

10. Leaders of EfS in HE - one thing my institution could do

11. Leadership capability & competence • Capability vs competence • Our capability is most tested when things go wrong or the unexpected happens • Dimensions of capability • Personal • Interpersonal • Cognitive • Role specific competencies • Generic competencies • Capability studies over the past 15 years

12. Leadership Capability Framework Capability Interpersonal Capabilities Cognitive Capabilities Personal Capabilities Role-specific Competencies Generic Competencies Competency

13. Leadership Capability Scales Cognitive Diagnosis Strategy Flexibility & Responsiveness Competencies Management University operations EfS Self-organisation Personal • Self-awareness • Decisiveness • Commitment Interpersonal • Influencing • Empathising

14. EfS leaders in Higher Education - top 20/46 capabilities in rank order

15. EfS leaders in Higher Education - top 12/38 capabilities for effective performance in rank order (n= 121) 7th: Listening to different points of view before coming to a decision (IP - empathising) 8th : Understanding my personal strengths & limitations (P – self-awareness) 9th : Learning from errors (P – self-awareness) 10th : Persevering when things are not turning out as expected (P – commitment) 11th : Learning from experience (C - responsiveness) 12th Time management skills (S/K) 1st: Having energy, passion and enthusiasm for L&T (P – commitment) 2nd : being willing to give credit to others (IP – empathising) 3rd: Empathising & working productively with diversity (IP – empathising) 4th: Being transparent and honest in dealings with others (IP – empathising) 5th: Being true to one’s values and ethics (P - decisiveness) 6th: Thinking laterally and creatively (C - strategy)

16. Criteria EfS Leaders use to judge their effectiveness(in rank order top 8/25) • 1st: Achieving high levels of student engagement, support & commitment • 2nd: Establishing a collegial and collaborative working environment • 3rd: Successful implementation of new initiatives in EfS • 4th: Achieving high levels of staff/faculty engagement, support and commitment • 5th: Producing significant improvements in learning and teaching quality in the area of EfS • 6th: Building the EfS reputation of my organisation • 7th: Bringing EfS policies & practices successfully into action • 8th: Achieving effective alignment of planning, budget and resources with EfSinitiatives All these criteria attracted high rankings as a priority for staff development

17. Most productive forms of support for EfS leadership development • Learning by doing and reflecting using a proven capability framework • Being part of an EfS Network/peer support/community of practice/ad hoc conversations with ‘fellow travellers’ • Using national and international conferences/visits/meetings to build one’s networks • Having just in time & just for me access to solutions • Having an experienced mentor • Senior leadership support & encouragement • Having room to lead and learn • Valid and reliable selection & promotion criteria and processes

18. What is happening with selection and advancement...

19. Summary lessons from the leadership research so far Strong commonality of experience amongst EfS leaders. We need both individuals with the right capabilities AND organizations with the right systems and processes. The need for senior leadership engagement in addressing both. The findings speak to the need for a change capable institution with change capable individuals – something that would help with many other challenges other than EfS

20. Summary lessons from the leadership research so far • Strong commonality of experience amongst EfS leaders. • The findings speak to the need for a change capable institution with change capable individuals (feedback on this data indicates that this would help with many other challenges other than EfS) • We need both individuals with the right capabilities AND organizations with the right systems and processes. • The need for senior leadership engagement in addressing both. • We need selection, promotion and profession development to align with the right capabilities for a change capable organization • What’s unique to the EfS leadership challenge: urgency, stakes, boundary crossing nature, whole institution impact, complexity

21. Summary lessons from the leadership research so far Individual Formally value/integrate personal, interpersonal & cognitive capabilities Acknowledgement and support individuals to sustain their enthusiasm. Individuals need to be secure in their job and supported to elevate others Encouraged and rewarded individuals and teams for collaboration Senior leaders to model various individual attributes Formal opportunities to reflect upon experience Incentives for interdisciplinary and cross-departmental partnerships Institutional • Reform staff selection, promotion, review & support • Ready – fire – aim; learn by doing • Steered engagement • Consensus around the data/pilot not the table • From why don’t you to ‘why don’t we’ culture • Undertake a stock-take and build on what is already there • Track & reward successful performance on agreed indicators • Set up senior leadership team for institution wide integration • Change is learning

22. Implications for you & your institution

23. Further reading • Fullan, M (2011): Change leader: learning to do what matters most, Jossey Bass, San Francisco • Fullan, M & Scott, G (2009): Turnaround Leadership for higher education, Jossey Bass, San Francisco • Scott, G (2008): University student engagement & satisfaction, commissioned report to the Bradley Review of Australian Higher Education • Scott, G, Coates, H & Anderson, M (2008): Learning leaders in times of change, Office for L&T, Australian Government