Leadership Researchers on Leadership in Higher Education

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a study in which leadership researchers were interviewed regarding their experiences and perceptions of leadership in higher education institutions. In particular, the research was concerned with the types of leadership associated with effectiveness, particularly at the Head of Department level. While several forms of leadership were identified as likely to be effective and ineffective, no single type of leadership stood out. The authors consider the implications of the findings for the development of leadership competency frameworks, noting in particular that interviewees tended to be sceptical about them because the frameworks tend to underestimate the significance of contextual factors. The authors also consider why it may be that many of the issues identified from the interview transcripts relate to well-known established themes.