This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Middlehurst, R. Articles by Woodfield, S. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Why Research Leadership in Higher Education? Exploring Contributions from the UK's Leadership Foundation for Higher Education

Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, UK, robin.middlehurst{at}lfhe.ac.uk

Helen Goreham

Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, UK

Steve Woodfield

Kingston University, UK

This article first presents a historical examination of leadership and leadership research in higher education, placing it in the context of increasing interest and activity in relation to leadership and leadership development across various public sector bodies in the UK. It then examines why research (on leadership, management and governance) is regarded as an important activity for the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and what role it plays in the Foundation's agenda. A brief overview of the research commissioned between 2005 and 2008 is presented and questions — `is there something special and different about leadership in higher education?' and `how has the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education research contributed to policy, practice and development?' — are discussed. The article concludes by consideration of the role of research in mediating between political and institutional perspectives on leadership in higher education.

Leadership, Vol. 5, No. 3, 311-329 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1742715009337763


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?