Unprecedented scrutiny of top university leadership has led to renewed calls for more effective management and leadership of higher education institutions. Despite promising evidence about the positive impact of early career management and leadership development programs in other sectors, little is known about their potential impact for institutions of higher education. Accordingly, we sought to evaluate the experience of participants and preceptors in a novel early-career administrative fellowship program for management and leadership development in higher education. We employed qualitative methods using open-ended, in-depth interviews with former fellows (n=18) and their preceptors (n=12) until we reached theoretical saturation; data were analyzed using the constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis. Five recurrent themes emerged from the fellows: 1) skill and capacity development, 2) changing sense of self, 3) insights about institutional life, 4) having impact, and 5) mechanisms of change. Three themes emerged from preceptors: 1) preceptor skill and capacity development, 2) fellows’ value for the existing work flow, and 3) fellows’ influence on longer-term institutional changes. The findings suggest a feasible and cost-effective approach to building institutional management and leadership capacity, particularly as we documented extensive growth not only of the fellows but also their preceptors.
نوع مطالعه:
پژوهشي |
موضوع مقاله:
تخصصي دریافت: 1405/4/24 | پذیرش: 1405/6/27 | انتشار: 1405/7/8