There is little doubt that leaders and future leaders in higher education need to constantly update their skills and competencies in a complex and increasingly competitive HE sector. But are institutions doing enough to develop those skills in their employees, and actively developing the next generation of leaders?
Where should the responsibility for succession planning and skills development lie - with the institution or the individual? And what will the most important skills be for senior managers in HE over the next decade?
The trend is there. Recently there are few researchs on succession planning in higher education institution. It is a good start for the university to have their own succession planning program.
Having just graduated and looking for jobs for over 4 months that are in any way relevant to my career choice, I would have to give a big surprising NO! Although these are yes ‘difficult times’ with the jobs market ever more competitive, I feel that much of university is geared towards the world of academia, and less towards concrete transferable skills that one may be able to market themselves with. Unless you are a realist going into uni and get used to the idea that you are going to have to be working ontop of your degree to try and get into the jobs market at an early age, or you have great contacts possibly through family endowments, you are going to come out of university with little more experience than stocking shelves in Topshop or serving beans on toast on weekends. I am afraid I have become a terrible cynic, as this is what the jobs market has forced upon me. And I still believe and always have that my career is my responsibility, but I was not prepared for this! We are geared towards a world of specialised competitiveness where experience is everything and few are willing to take a chance on fresh graduates without relevant experience. I appreciate the need for universities to be somewhat independent from the needs of business, but there needs to be some partnership or more emphasis on what comes after university and how to prepare. Perhaps this discussion might also recognise that sometimes the people raised and bred for leadership are not always the best for the job?
I am aware that this is slightly off track, but still relevant I feel.
Wow!!! ……………..This is a stinker. Having worked both with universities and businesses to develop programs to encourage graduates to focus on an entrance into the business world upon graduation it is somewhat simple to respond NO to the question posed.
But, universities have to survive in an ever competitive market for students and the drive is to deliver that, although the problem I see is that the students themselves, bar a few, do not know where they will be after graduation, whether that be in business, government or higher education. Most of the students I have been involved with are seeking to grasp the brass ring of business and seeking to better their lot. Those more inclined towards academia are not necessarily of the ilk to be developing higher education leaders.
I believe that succession planning and skills development in higher education cannot be mandated to or the responsibility of universities, although they should be part of the process. Their mandate must be to educate and to producers of future leaders in all arenas. To create a specific focus to future higher education leaders would diminish their true focus IMHO. To deliver graduates that meets the ever changing demand of government, business and academia of today and tomorrow.
Therefore my answer is No as I believe that universities are not necessarily developing the next generation of leaders across the board and should not be blinkered in their processes.
I would agree with the comments above, but you would expect that wouldn’t you… One of the key issues for me is the uncertainty within Universities as to the nature of the challenge ahead and, therefore, the sort of skills that they most need in order to be successful. Giving talented individuals the opportunity to broaden their experience through a planned career progression is useful and raises a wider awareness of the ‘management’ of the business. However, management is one thing, leadership is another. The question therefore is can Universities do more to develop leadership skills in times of uncertainty? On the evidence of universities’ desire to engage candidates from other institutions and in some cases from outside the sector, i would suggest so.
It is also interesting to reflect on those institutions that operate an ‘election’ process for determining the Head of School. Senior academics from the School or Department are voted into the position of Head of School, often for a fixed period of say 3 years, before then returning to life as an academic at the end of this period. This process at least allows the individuals concerned to experience a leadership position, whilst not necessarily jeopardising their academic career; they are then well placed to decide if their future lies in management/leadership or in research/academia.
There is clearly a differential in this debate between academic and non-academic leadership positions. In academia, progression into leadership roles, such as Head of School, Dean of Faculty and Pro Vice-Chancellor, often results in academics having to give up their personal research agenda. Some academics are reluctant to do this, since in many cases research is their main reason for working in the HE sector. Equally, those candidates (internal or external) who have cut back their research in order to focus on management activities or even more purely on teaching, can often find themselves criticised when candidates for leadership positions for not having sufficient academic credibility. Internal promotion within academia is notoriously difficult, especially where the move to a leadership position is concerned, since candidates need to demonstrate that they have both the leadership skills and experience, as well as the research profile, to have the necessary credibility, trust and the respect of colleagues.
As a leading player in executive recruitment in the HE sector, Veredus is often engaged to fill a senior post in a university where it appears that there are no strong internal candidates - what does this say about the state of succession planning in universities? Do universities have a responsibility to develop talent from within, or is career management a matter for the individual? I will be presenting on this topic at the Academic Registrars Council on 8 Sept in York, and would welcome the views of senior managers in HE, and the views of senior managers across other sectors - what lessons can HE learn from other sectors?