Development Of Managerial Competencies For Academic Leadership: Experiences Of Heads Of Departments Of Selected Universities In Ghana
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Date
2021-07
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University of Ghana
Abstract
The academic department is the focal point where the management and administration of academic work are done in the university. The Head of Department (HoD) also known as academic chair has the key responsibility to lead and manage the academic activities as well as faculty, students, and administrative support staff effectively to contribute to the success of the business of the university. It is in this regard that the issue of leadership and managerial capacity of academics who assume the role of HoD is not only important but also should be of interest to higher education administration. The study sought to find out the managerial competencies required for the effective performance of the core duties involved in the role of HoD as well as the strategies used to prepare academics for the role in public and private universities in Ghana. Theoretically, the study was underpinned by Vygotsky’s social-cultural theory of learning specifically, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). It adopted a qualitative research approach and collective case study design. The study population comprised HoDs in one public university, the University of Ghana, and one private university, Valley View University, a representative of the human resource department of each of the two universities selected, and a representative of the Ghana Tertiary Education Council (GTEC). A total of thirteen (13) respondents were sampled for the study. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. An interview guide was employed as a data collection instrument for the research. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The thematic analysis method was used to analyse the data. The study found that the core duties involved in the role of HoD were in two broad categories of academic and managerial and a mix of competencies were required for the effective performance of the job. The universities had specified criteria for the academic competencies for the appointment of the HoD i.e., academic qualification, rank and university
experience. However, there were no clear managerial competencies criteria for the role. Though the universities had some strategies i.e., serving on committees, informal mentorship and orientation, for the development of the managerial competencies of academics, the approach was mostly unstructured and unplanned. The orientation programme which usually planned last not more than five days. The study recommends that the criteria and appointment processes of HoD should pay equal attention to the academic and managerial competencies required for the leadership role of HoD to ensure effective performance. It further recommends that universities should adopt an ongoing planned and blended approach comprising experiential and formal learning for the development of the managerial and leadership competencies of academics. This will help to create a pool of competent persons to select from to occupy the role of HoD whenever a vacancy falls.
Description
PhD. Adult Education And Human Resource Studies
Keywords
Development, Managerial, Competencies, Academic Leadership, Universities, Ghana