The session targets the challenges faced by programme leaders, who are usually given academic responsibility for the development of study programmes without personnel responsibility. This creates specific relational leadership challenges, yet in this workshop, we focus on some specific tensions arising from the fact that public universities are exposed to two parallel, yet highly different, governance logics: a responsibility logic based on trust and a high degree of institutional and academic freedom, and an accountability logic inspired by new public management, implying more control and standardised quality assurance systems.
In everyday practices, programme leaders may experience such tensions when academic interests and administrative concerns conflict, or when the university's priorities challenge the academic standards and moral considerations a programme leader wishes to maintain. Thus, it is argued that professionally responsible leadership may be characterised as “negotiating legitimate compromises in a web of commitments”.
Working with real challenges from their own contexts and discussing them with peers, participants will have the opportunity to develop an analytical tool that may be useful for understanding their leadership practice.
Workshop
10.00 -10.15 Welcome by Sanna Lassen
10.15 -11.00 “Lecture” by Tone Solbrekke
11.00 - 11.30 Case discussion based on authentic situations
11.30 - 11.55 Plenary discussion led by Tone Solbrekke
11.55 – 12.00 Closing by Sanna Lassen
Tone Dyrdal Solbrekke is Professor of Higher Education and Academic Development at the Department of Education, University of Oslo (UiO), Norway. She has long experience as leader and researcher in both primary and higher education. She was the research leader of the international project ‘Formation and Competence Building of University Academic Developers (2015-2021) and lead editor of Leading Higher Education as and For Public Good – Rekindling Education as Praxis (Routledge, 2020) and Utdanningsledelse i høyere utdanning – legitime kompromisser (Universitetsforlaget 2025). Her current research is part of the international research project ‘Academic Hospitality in Interdisciplinary Education (2020-2027).