Management and Leadership Skills for Senior and Middle Managers in the Academic Sector
Deans, heads of department and academic administrators are usually appointed for their scholarship, then asked to manage budgets, people, quality reviews and change with little preparation. This programme gives senior and middle managers in universities and colleges practical management and leadership tools suited to academic culture, shared governance and accreditation demands.
01 - 05 March 2027
Live Online
5 Days
USD 2,900Leading in an academic institution is different from leading in most organisations. Authority is shared between councils, committees and professional staff; academic staff value autonomy; decisions must respect quality assurance and accreditation requirements; and managers are often colleagues of the people they lead. Many academic leaders are strong subject experts but have never been prepared to set direction, manage performance, handle conflict or lead change in this setting.
This programme addresses these realities in turn. It starts with the leader's role in the academic governance structure, then covers strategy and planning at faculty and department level, leading and developing academic and administrative staff, managing resources and quality, and leading change, including digital and AI-related change in teaching and administration.
Built on recognised practice. The programme draws on established leadership and management practice adapted to higher education, including the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG), common national and programme accreditation requirements, balanced scorecard and objectives and key results approaches to planning, and recognised models of change and coaching. They are used as practical tools, not as theory to memorise.
Decisions this programme improves. How to translate institutional strategy into departmental priorities; how to allocate teaching, research and service workloads fairly; how to address underperformance with academic colleagues; which quality and accreditation evidence to prepare and when; how to prioritise budget requests; and how to introduce change in a way that committees and faculty will support.
How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around one running case: a faculty preparing for a programme accreditation visit while launching a new programme and responding to budget pressure. Participants build a department plan, handle staff scenarios, review quality evidence and design a change plan.
In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your institution's governance structure, strategic plan, quality framework and accreditation calendar, and delivered to deans, heads of department and directors together.
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