Change Leadership, Ethics and the Future of Higher Education 125learning for a great many students and has changed the dynamics
of higher education.
5) Global Competitiveness - it will get more difficult over time to
recruit, retain students as the market for these students becomes
increasingly competitive and value sensitive. What is more,
Governments will assess institutional performance by their
ability to sustain themselves while offering less financial support
per capita: expectations will grow while resources available to
meet these expectations shift from government to more varied
sources of revenue.
There are other factors too – demography, a rapidly changing
knowledge base, new ‘political correctness’ sensitivities – but these five
dominate the conversations of leaders. How they respond to the inter-
related impacts of these challenges determines the extent of their ability
to lead and the sustainable impact their leadership may have on their
institution. Change leadership – the management of significant change
and the ability to focus and align their colleagues on needed change –
has become the key work of leaders. Not all are well equipped for the
journey – the number who do not complete their contractual first term or
seek a second term is on the rise and it is becoming more difficult to
recruit to such leadership positions.
8.2 The Ethics of Change Leadership
Most faculty members, administrators and support staff do not
especially like change. They are suspicious both of the outcomes and the
process and will usually question the motives for change, especially if
the rationale for change is presented in terms of external factors
(financial, competitive factors, etc.) or in response to emerging
technology. They are fearful for their future, both in terms of
employment and security, but also for the design of their day to day