Citizens of the academic community? A societal perspective on leadership in UK Higher Education

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a research project on academic leadership in UK higher education (HE). Rather than taking a leader-centric perspective, however, people were asked to respond from their role as ‘citizens’ of HE. A ‘listening post’ methodology was employed, in which participants engaged in associative dialogue about their hopes, anxieties and aspirations in regards to their membership of an academic community. Thematic analysis revealed six key themes: bipolarity; vulnerability and exclusion; lack of transparency; growth of managerialism; changing nature of HE; and citizenship and community. Whilst findings indicated a fair degree of disengagement from institutional governance, they also pointed towards a genuine sense of passion and commitment to the aims and purpose of HE. The implications of these findings for leadership within these contexts are discussed, as well as consideration of the linkages between leadership, identity and citizenship in HE.