This paper deals with academic leadership in its relevant contexts, which are bound to change in time and place. The paper has two main premises. First, it relies on a contingency approach stressing that leadership is not a single-direction process, but there is dynamic interaction between a leader and his/her context. There is no 'one best way' of perfoming leadership, but different circumstances require different qualities if a leader wishes to be effective. Second, the paper functions as an attempt to employ multiple perspectives in the analysis of leadership, as suggested by various workers. I approach different pressures and possibilities of academic leaders in university departments by concentrating on five contextual aspects: (1) formal laws and statutes, (2) economic resources, (3) human competence and resources, (4) the cultural sphere, and (5) the sphere of power and interests. The contextual aspects, the field of possibilities, largely determine what is good and appropriate in terms of leadership and what is not. I also present a model of the field of possibilities. While no model is able to take everything into account, I hope that this heuristic model will prove to be a useful tool in diagnostic readings of diverse situations and contexts that leaders may face in different educational organizations. The illustrations and examples presented are based on empirical research dealing with academic leadership in the context of different disciplinary and departmental cultures at two Finnish universities.
Tijdschrift beschrijving