Turnaround Leadership for Higher Education Leading Quality

1. Turnaround Leadership for Higher EducationLeading Quality Geoff Scott University of Western Sydney AUQF2009 Internal & External Quality Assurance: Tensions & Synergies1 – 3 July 2009, Alice Springs

2. Workshop Overview • Why bother focusing on leadership for quality? • Review the key findings from research on leadership and change in Higher Education • Identify the key implications for those responsible for quality management • Explore the implications for how we might best engage senior leaders in the process

3. Evaluating Quality in Higher Education Judgements of quality can be made about: Inputs 1. Plans and documented processes 2. The extent to which support and administrative systems are aligned, agile, responsive and add value Outcomes • Consistency & effectiveness of implementation • The extent to which the impact on those intended to benefit has been positive – e.g. a demonstrably positive change in students’ capabilities and competencies

4. Need for leadership researchin Higher Education • Higher Education is at a turning point • Change, quality assurance, improvement & innovation don’t just happen – they must be led – and deftly • We have a leadership succession crisis • There is little empirical research situated in the specific context and the many different leadership roles in tertiary education institutions • There has been little exploration of the links between leadership for change on the one hand and quality improvement and innovation in universities on the other

5. Broad Global stresses - need to address key issues of social, economic & environmental sustainability - need now for graduates who are ethically aware change agents fit-for-purpose New world players Exit of the baby boomers IT revolution Fractious divisions Higher Education Related Opening up of access Funding pressures & new sources of income Growing competition User pays & changing patterns of participation Changing expectations Maintaining ‘standards’ TEQSA – a focus on the quality of outcomes not just inputs Universities & the challenges of the 21st century

6. History of the research approachused in the Learning Leaders study • Alan Tough – the Adult’s Learning projects • Australia’s Skill Olympians • Successful Graduates in nine professions • NSW DET School Principals (322) • The ALTC project • Online Leadership Learning System for HE • Next: VET, ATEM, UNESCO-Microsoft Conference Paris July 2009

7. The ALTC studyLearning Leaders in Times of Change • Experienced leaders identified as being effective • 512 from DVC to Head of Program • National & international scrutiny of the results for veracity and implications (n=1500 leaders) • Countries involved: Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, USA and the UK

8. Common Herding cats, turtles Juggling Head of Program & School Meat in the sandwich Swimming in a tidal pool Having a Ferrari with no fuel Surfer in a rough sea Working with a dysfunctional family Minister in a church where only the converted come Plumber Working in a bar Sole parent Flying a plane with limited ground support and no co-pilot Tour guide with people all wanting to do different things Advancing through a bureaucratic mud Trying to nail jelly to the roof whilst putting out spot fires with my feet Oarsman without an oar Living in a medieval castle Being in groundhog day DVC/PVC Gardener Conductor Keeping a flotilla going in one direction Trying to turn around an iron ore carrier 21st century Sisyphus Analogies

9. Most important areas of activity in the role of Head of Program(Rank order 1 – high to 25 -low) • Working on student matters (HOS 16)(DVC/PVC 21) • Identifying new opportunities • Developing learning programs (DVC/PVC 18) • Managing relationships with staff • Managing other staff • Reviewing teaching activities (HOS 10)(DVC/PVC 17) • Participating in meetings • Scholarly research (HOS 14)(DVC/PVC 25) • Strategic planning (HOS 4)(DVC/PVC 2) • Responding to ad hoc requests (HOS 23)(DVC/PVC 22) (HOS ranking that is significantly different from HOP) (DVC/PVC ranking that is significantly different from HOP)

10. Key indicators used to judge your performance(Rank order) • Achieving high quality graduate outcomes • Receiving positive user feedback(HOS 12)(DVC/PVC 15) • Producing significant improvements in L&Tquality (DVC/PVC 9) • Successful implementation of new initiatives • Bringing innovative policies intopractice(HOS 13) • Improving student satisfaction ratings • Establishing a collegial working environment(HOS 1)(DVC/PVC 2) • Delivering agreed tasks or projects on time and to specification • Producing successful learning systems(HOS 18)(DVC/PVC 19) • Achieving positive outcomes for reviews of my area (HOS ranking that is significantly different from HOP) (DVC/PVC ranking that is significantly different from HOP)

11. Impact of different influences on daily work as a HOP (Rank order) • Balancing work and family life(DVC/PVC 13) • Decreased government funding • Managing pressures for continuous change • Slow administrative processes(DVC/PVC 9) • Finding and retaining high qualitystaff(DVC/PVC 1) • Handling unexpected events(DVC/PVC 15) • Growing pressure to generate new income(HOS 2) • Rapid changes in technology (HOS 17)(DVC/PVC 14) • Dealing with local university cultures • Clarifying strategic directions(DVC/PVC 2) (HOS ranking that is significantly different from HOP) (DVC/PVC ranking that is significantly different from HOP)

12. Key challenges in your role • List out 2 -3 key factors that most get in the way of you delivering your role effectively • Think of a time when you have felt your capability has been most tested in your job – what happened?

13. Some key challengesfor our Learning Leaders • Staff – relationships, complaints, engagement & quality • Having to manage both up and down • Managing change • Bureaucracy and ‘value-add’ • Appropriate administrative support • Student matters • Balancing time and workload • Working with reduced resources • Limited recognition by senior staff

14. Your experience of UniversityLeaders • Think of the most impressive higher education leader you have encountered • List out 2 -3 key reasons why you chose this person over others

15. Higher Education Leadership Capability Framework Interpersonal Capabilities Cognitive Capabilities Personal Capabilities Capability Role-specific Competencies Generic Competencies Competency

16. The capabilities that count for Heads of Program(Top 10 rank order) • Understanding my personal strengths and limitations (P) • Being able to organise my work & manage time effectively (SK) (8) • Remaining calm under pressure or when things take an unexpected turn (P) • Having energy, passion and enthusiasm for learning and • teaching (P) (12) • Being transparent and honest in dealings with others (IP) (1)(1) • Empathising and working productively with staff and other key players from a wide range of backgrounds (IP) (3) • Admitting to and learning from my errors (P) • Being true to one's personal values and ethics (P) (2) • Making sense of and learning from experience (C) • Being willing to take a hard decision (P) (5)(6) (HOS ranking that is significantly different from HOP) (DVC/PVC ranking that is significantly different from HOP)

17. DVC/PVC Capabilities ranked much higher than HOPs or HOSs • Motivating others to achieve positive outcomes (IP)(3) • Having a clear, justified & achievable direction (C)(4) • Understanding how universities operate (SK) (5) • Influencing people’s behaviour & decisions in effective ways (IP) (7)

18. Listen, link & lead with a menu & rationale Listen to resisters Listen to key players before a meeting Discuss first then confirm with an email Leader as model Model the attributes of a change capable culture whenever possible Deft use of meetings Leader as Teacher Peer group counts Link to successful solutions via tracking systems – in the same course and context Learn by doing under controlled conditions Leader as Learner Strategic networking Use of OLLS RATED CLASS A works for you as it does for staff & students Putting the capabilities into practice

19. How have you become betterat doing your job? • What sorts of formal or informal experiences and what sorts of people or resources have been most helpful (and least helpful) in helping you develop your capability in your current role?

20. Learning LeadershipHeads of Program results(rank order on effectiveness) • Learning ‘on the job’ • Ad hoc conversations about work with people in similar roles • Informal mentoring and coaching • Participating in peer networks within the university • Completing a relevant tertiary qualification (13)(16) • Study of ‘real life’ workplace problems • Attending learning & teaching conferences (18)(18) • Participating in peer networks beyond the university • Undertaking self-guided reading on leadership • Participating in higher education leadership seminars (HOS ranking that is significantly different from HOP) (DVC/PVC ranking that is significantly different from HOP)

21. Effective leadership succession & selection • This is best seen as being a process not an event • Sharper & more explicitly complementary position descriptions • Self-assess using OLLS – ‘Is this role a good fit for me?’ • Existing leaders identify people with potential using the top 10 capabilities for each role • Secondments and Shadowing which follow best practice in using the practicum for learning • Just-in-time, just-for-me gap learning • Use the top capabilities for diagnosis and coaching when most challenged • Mentors are carefully selected & trained in using the above • Strong senior sponsorship for the system

22. Key lessons from this research • The focus now is on implementation • Listen, link then lead • Leader as model, teacher & learner • Change capable leaders = change capable professionals, teachers and cultures • Change is learning (and unlearning) • What engages students in productive change (learning) engages staff and leaders • Position descriptions, selection & succession planning need to be validated against the experience of successful performers in each role

23. Undefensive & responsive Evidence-based Outcomes focused Set priorities Can take a hard decision Clear who is responsible & accountable Acknowledge complementary role played by all staff Judicious use of bureaucracy to manage risk Effective use of meetings Transparent and collaborative – listen, link then lead Consensus around the data not around the table Strategically networked Change-capable universities

24. Online Leadership Learning System for Australian HE • Just in time & just for me – easy access & my role • Survey and benchmarked results back immediately • Key dilemmas x role and how to handle • Use alone, with a mentor, in a role-specific staff development program, as part of a 360, for succession planning or as part of a PDR project • A productive Leadership Learning framework • A focus on role specific capabilities and clear terms • A learning system that engages and retains leaders • Supportive and aligned context • National & international testing underway

25. Developing the OLLS case studies- key challenges x role & how best to handle them • A classic challenge – dilemma for a role like yours • A situation where it arose • Suggested ways to productively handle it • Alignment of this approach with the key findings from the Learning Leaders study on the capabilities that count

26. Clear roles & accountabilities Trial under controlled conditions, track, refine then scale up Listen, link then lead Training of key players including users – change is learning the ‘gaps’ Motivation to engage: relevant, clear, feasible, productive Peer group counts How staff like to learn = how students like to learn Implementing a system like OLLSGood ideas with no ideas on how to Implement them are wasted ideas

27. Further reading • Fullan, M & Scott, G (2009) : Turnaround Leadership for Higher Education, Wiley/Jossey-Bass, San Francisco • Scott, G., Coates, H., & Anderson, M (2008): Learning Leaders in Times of Change, ALTC, Sydney