Being the leader of an academic school or department or leader of a professional service in a university is a tough job, particularly in the current climate of change.
Academic Heads have to interpret and respond to demands from a range of different sources. These demands may emanate from the turbulent and changing external environment, their Deans and other senior university leaders and of course from their staff, students and the wider university. Academic Heads usually have wide ranging leadership responsibility including for courses, modules, assessment, academic quality and standards, the student experience, learning and teaching, research and external income generation along with staff management. Each of these responsibilities creates its own specific demands.
Heads of Professional Services in universities also have a challenging range of responsibilities including staff leadership and development of their specialist services, whether these be IT, Finance, HR, Marketing, Estates, Library, Academic Registry or others. All services have important contributions to make to the overall success of any university. Expectations of Heads of Services are are increasing. They are frequently being asked to lead technological changes and continuing improvement projects in their services, make efficiencies and to anticipate and interpret needs beyond their own services, implementing changes internally in response to the increasingly complex external environment.
In summary, leaders in those important roles in Faculties and Services require effective leadership development to enhance their skills and abilities to lead effectively and to respond and lead change.
Leaders in those important roles in Faculties and Services require effective leadership development to enhance their skills and abilities to lead effectively and to respond and lead change.
How can Entrepreneurial Heads help to enhance your leadership?
Entrepreneurial Heads is a new programme offering an introduction to entrepreneurial leadership for heads of schools/ departments and services. The three day interactive programme introduces the concepts of entrepreneurial leadership and change management and how to put them into practice. Entrepreneurial Heads also encourages participants to work across academic and service areas to enhance and promote interdisciplinarity and innovation. The programme runs nationally on selected dates throughout the year ( the next programme commences on 8th/9th October 2019) and is also available as an in-house programme.
Who is Entrepreneurial Heads for?
• Heads of School or academic departments
• Heads or Directors of professional services
• Deputy Directors of professional services
• Others in mid- organisation leadership roles in universities.
What is entrepreneurial leadership?
Entrepreneurial leadership is an approach to leadership that embraces the need for passion, vision, focus and the ability to inspire others, along with the mindset and abilities to develop new ideas, explore new opportunities, face challenges and crises and influence others to foster innovation and change. Entrepreneurial Heads are able to solve problems creatively and use resources effectively and are, therefore, more likely to be better able to deal with challenges and crises thrown up in the current turbulent higher education environment.
Entrepreneurial leadership is an approach that embraces the need for passion, vision, focus and the ability to inspire others, along with the mindset and abilities to develop new ideas, explore new opportunities, face challenges and crises and influence others to foster innovation and change.
How will you benefit from Entrepreneurial Heads?
• You will gain an increased understanding of the concepts and theories of entrepreneurial leadership and change management from range of senior staff who have expertise and experience of working at senior levels in the higher education sector.
• You will acquire new knowledge, skills and practical tools to promote new ways of working and implement change in your schools, department or service.
• Opportunities will be created for you to network with like-minded individuals who are facing similar challenges.
• You will gain a clearer understanding of the changes and challenges impacting on the sector and how you can start to apply an entrepreneurial mindset in your day-to-day work in order to deal with them.
• Entrepreneurial Heads will assist your leadership development and facilitate career progression. You may be interested to progress onto the NCEE Entrepreneurial Leaders programme in order to learn more.
For more information please click on the link below or contact amy.maher@ncee.org.uk