Strategic University Leadership for Aligning the Worlds of Academia and Business

Abstract

The environment universities face today is increasingly complex and characterized by decreasing public funding and increasing reliance on university-industry collaboration to generate funds for research and development activities. Universities are facing competing pressures to embrace a user-led focus in leading and managing their institutions. The increasing administrative and reporting accreditation requirements have made it increasingly difficult for universities to strike a balance between meeting the demands of both corporate and academic worlds. Building and maintaining academic rigor, while facing increasing internal and external regulations, is the most pressing challenge for universities today. Another connected challenge is making sure that universities are prepared to face the age-related attrition of human resources that is expected in the years to come. This paper reviews the practices relating to management and leadership of universities and analyzes various external influential factors that could possibly affect the succession planning in the universities. Some ways are also suggested to positively utilize the organizational complexity of the universities to achieve national objective of a positive and buoyant future.