DOCSLIB.ORG

Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration University of Bath School of Management December 2010

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration University of Bath School of Management December 2010 University of Bath DOCTOR OF BUSINESS (DBA) Leadership in the Virtual Higher Education Environment: Towards an Appropriate Model and Framework Longsworth, Luz Award date: 2010 Awarding institution: University of Bath Link to publication Alternative formats If you require this document in an alternative format, please contact: [email protected] General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 07. Oct. 2021 Leadership in the Virtual Higher Education Environment: Towards an Appropriate Model and Framework Luz Marina Longsworth A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration University of Bath School of Management December 2010 COPYRIGHT Attention is drawn to the fact that copyright of this thesis rests with its author. A copy of this thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognize that its copyright rests with the author and they must not copy it or use material from it except as permitted by law or with the consent of the author. This thesis may be made available for consultation within the University Library and may be photocopied or lent to other libraries for the purposes of consultation. Signed: TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables............................................................................................................6 List of Figures...........................................................................................................7 Acknowledgements...................................................................................................9 Abstract.....................................................................................................................11 Abbreviations............................................................................................................12 Chapter 1 - Introduction..........................................................................................13 1.1 Leadership Research in the Higher Education Environment............................13 1.2 The Virtual Organisation and Leadership in the Virtual Higher Education Environment........................................................................................................... 14 1.3 The Competitive Higher Education Environment............................................ 15 1.4 Higher Education in the English speaking Caribbean...................................... 16 1.5 The Theoretical Aim of the Study.................................................................... 17 1.6 Methodological Aims of the Study................................................................... 18 1.7 Expected Contributions of the Research...........................................................19 1.8 Organisation of the Study................................................................................. 20 Chapter 2 - Leadership in the Higher Education Environment 22 2.1 Introduction...................................................................................................... 22 2.2 The Leadership Debate: Towards a definition................................................. 23 2.2.1 The Who of leadership or the I-Leader..................................................... 26 2.2.2 The Great (Transactional -Transformational) debate................................ 27 2.2.3 The What of Leadership - The You-Leader.............................................. 29 2.2.4 The How of Leadership - The We-Leader................................................ 30 2.2.5 Complexity Leadership theory and Blended/Hybrid Leadership.............. 33 2.3 Leadership in the academy – A community of scholars or a "herd of cats"?... 34 2.3.1 Globalisation and the challenge to leadership in the Higher Education Environment....................................................................................................... 35 2.3.2 Transactional Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership in Higher Education............................................................................................................ 37 2.3.3 Process Leadership models in Higher Education...................................... 39 2.4 Summary........................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 3 - Virtuality and Leadership in Higher Education 42 3.1 Introduction...................................................................................................... 42 3.2 The Advent of the Virtual Organisation.......................................................... 43 2 3.3 Structure and the Virtual Organisation……………………………………….46 3.3.1 Degrees of virtuality – How virtual is the virtual organisation?............. 47 3.4 Virtuality in Higher Education – Distance and e-learning............................... 52 3.5 Leadership in the Virtual Environment............................................................ 59 3.5.1 Virtual Teams and Leadership.................................................................. 60 3.5.2 Effective Leadership Behaviours in the Virtual Environments................. 61 3.5.2.1 Trust..................................................................................................... 61 3.5.2.2. Ability................................................................................................. 62 3.5.2.3 Benevolence.........................................................................................63 3.5.2.4 Integrity............................................................................................... 64 3.5.3 Communication in the virtual leadership process.................................. 65 3.5.3.1 Quality and quantity of communication.............................................. 65 3.6 Leadership in the Virtual Higher Education Environment............................... 67 3.7 Summary........................................................................................................ 72 Chapter 4 - Research Design and Methods............................................................75 4.1 Introduction...................................................................................................... 75 4.2 On Researching Leadership.............................................................................. 75 4.3 Research Design............................................................................................... 77 4.4 Research Methods.............................................................................................86 4.4.1 The computer administered questionnaire vs. the self administered questionnaire.......................................................................................................87 4.4.2 The Questionnaire......................................................................................88 4.4.3 Focus Groups............................................................................................. 92 4.4.3.1 Purpose and Structure of the Focus Groups........................................ 93 4.4.4 Interviews.................................................................................................. 95 4.4.5 Avoiding the Hawthorne Effect in the Interviewing Process.................... 97 4.4.6 Document Analysis.................................................................................. 98 4.5 Data Analysis................................................................................................. 98 4.6 Ethical Issues.................................................................................................. 100 4.6.1 Personal values and biases....................................................................... 101 4.6.2 Issues of Power Relationships................................................................. 102 4.6.3 Issues of Confidentiality and Trust.......................................................... 102 4.6.4 Feedback to participants.......................................................................... 103 4.7 Summary......................................................................................................... 104 Chapter 5 - Data Analysis......................................................................................105 5.1 Introduction....................................................................................................105 3 5.2 The Case - The University of the West Indies and the Evolution of the Open Campus................................................................................................................. 106 5.2.1 The UWI Open Campus - A Virtual and Real Campus...........................109 5.2.2 The Open Campus – Degrees of virtuality............................................. 112 5.3 Demographic information of interviewees and survey respondents.............114
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Management of Virtual Offices Cheryl Donaldson Howard Walden University
    Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2019 Management of Virtual Offices Cheryl Donaldson Howard Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, and the Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Management and Technology This is to certify that the doctoral study by Cheryl Ann Donaldson Howard has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Teresa Jepma, Committee Chairperson, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Patsy Kasen, Committee Member, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Peter Anthony, University Reviewer, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2019 Abstract Management of Virtual Offices by Cheryl Ann Donaldson Howard MS, NOVA Southeastern University, 1999 BS, McKendree College 1996 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University March 2019 Abstract Many organizational leaders manage virtual employees without the specific training and experience required for leading a virtual organization, which can lead to billions of dollars in lost productivity. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies managers used to manage a virtual office.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Your Project Needs A
    WHY YOUR PROJECT NEEDS A DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN The Digital Supply Chain relies on expertise, collaboration, and execution - or for the purposes of this document - Digital Supply Chain Services, Integrating Suppliers & Digital Tools. The Digital Supply Chain The Digital Supply Chain is best defined as transforming the traditional exchanges of information from document-centric to data-centric, as it relates to the Construction supply chain. The Digital Supply Chain includes work process integration throughout the entire Project execution. In the same way aspects of EPC construction have moved upstream (i.e., modular construction), the Digital Supply Chain Program moves digital creation of inbound asset information upstream and enables Suppliers to publish asset data at the point of origin. This functionality removes data entry from the Project Site and transfers ownership back to the Supplier (or the original source of information) about the material and equipment being supplied. This improves Project visibility into the physical structure of materials arriving at the Jobsite and provides a better understanding of the supply chain, translating into a deeper understanding of constructability. The value of utilizing auto-ID (RFID/barcodes) is well documented. By increasing the auto-ID footprint on the Project and moving this work upstream, the downstream benefits of transactional efficiency gains and improved material control are optimized. A solid Digital Supply Chain Program is not limited to just the use of auto-ID hardware and software but also includes Supplier Integration Instructions, Contract Requirements Language, and Requirements Compliance Monitoring to ensure Supplier participation is achieved. The Digital Supply Chain opens a direct line of engagement with the Suppliers, resulting in tighter integration of Supplier information.
    [Show full text]
  • Looking Beyond the Light in the Tunnel Page 1 President’S Message by Glen Simecek, President and CEO, By
    April 2021 In This Issue Looking Beyond the Light in the Tunnel Page 1 President’s Message By Glen Simecek, President and CEO, by. The Governor has directed resumption of Washington Bankers Association in-person schooling and has authorized busi- Page 3 ABA Column In the classic Road nesses – from sports teams to restaurants – to Runner cartoons, allow more customers in their facilities. Page 4 WBA Upcoming Programs when Wile E. Coy- If these trends continue, the coming months Events Calendar ote saw a light at the should see emergence from pandemic con- end of the tunnel, ditions and a resumption of something more Page 5 Senior Credit Conference more often than not closely resembling “life as normal.” But this Recap it turned out to be coronavirus has been a game changer, and no an oncoming train one should expect a complete return to the Industry News – with results that way we did things before we’d ever heard of Page 6 Marketing & Retail were equal measures COVID-19. Conference Recap predictable and Hopefully, some of the measures we’ve em- laughable. ployed over the last year – like wearing masks RBMDP Graduates Today, after a year of public health crisis and – can be discontinued at some point. Others, Page 7 Emerging Leaders economic disruption, we too can see what ap- like frequent use of video conferencing, will Conference Recap pears to be a light up ahead. And, for the first probably remain part of our normal routines. time in a very long time, it appears that it’s not For bankers, whose services are so essential Page 8 WBA Member News a runaway locomotive heading our way.
    [Show full text]
  • A Call to Action for Virtual Team Leaders
    The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1541-6518.htm Call to action A call to action for virtual team for virtual leaders: practitioner perspectives team leaders on trust, conflict and the need for organizational support 185 Elizabeth Fisher Turesky Received 18 September 2019 Revised 5 January 2020 Department of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 6 February 2020 University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine, USA 19 July 2020 1 September 2020 Coby D. Smith Accepted 9 September 2020 International Data Corporation, Framingham, Massachusetts, USA, and Ted K. Turesky Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the leadership behaviors of managers of virtual teams (VTs), particularly in the areas of trust building and conflict management. This study aims to expand the research of VT performance by offering first-person accounts from VT leaders on the strategies implemented to drive VT performance. Design/methodology/approach – This study used a grounded theory approach to examine the leadership behaviors through in-depth interviews with eight field managers of VTs employed by different technology companies. Interview questions focused on trust-building and conflict management techniques. This structured qualitative study incorporates elements of narrative inquiry interwoven in the findings. Findings – Building a high-trust environment was found to be critical to VT performance. VT managers indicated that effective conflict resolution skills were also important. Research limitations/implications – Although the sample size is within the suggested range for a valid phenomenological study, the results may lack generalizability.
    [Show full text]
  • Trust: the Panacea of Virtual Management?
    Association for Information Systems AIS Electronic Library (AISeL) International Conference on Information Systems ICIS 1998 Proceedings (ICIS) December 1998 Trust: The aP nacea of Virtual Management Sandy Staples The University of Melbourne Pauline Ratnasingham The University of Melbourne Follow this and additional works at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis1998 Recommended Citation Staples, Sandy and Ratnasingham, Pauline, "Trust: The aP nacea of Virtual Management" (1998). ICIS 1998 Proceedings. 12. http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis1998/12 This material is brought to you by the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) at AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). It has been accepted for inclusion in ICIS 1998 Proceedings by an authorized administrator of AIS Electronic Library (AISeL). For more information, please contact [email protected]. TRUST: THE PANACEA OF VIRTUAL MANAGEMENT? D. Sandy Staples Pauline Ratnasingham The University of Melbourne Australia Abstract As more and more information systems (IS) development teams work in distributed arrangements, concerns about enhancing virtual workers’ effectiveness will become more common and important for IS management. Trust between managers and employees can potentially enhance employee effectiveness by reducing uncer- tainty and increasing satisfaction and commitment. To study this, employees’ perceptions of interpersonal trust between themselves and their manager in both a virtual management and a non-virtual management environ- ment were quantitatively examined (n = 631). Contrary to suggestions in the literature, it was found that trust had a larger impact on key outcome variables such as job satisfaction and job stress for non-virtually-managed workers than it did for virtual workers. The results also suggest that cognition-based trust is more important than affect-based trust in a virtual workplace.
    [Show full text]
  • Minute of Virtual Management Committee Meeting Held on Thursday 28 January 2021 at 6Pm
    Minute of Virtual Management Committee Meeting held on Thursday 28 January 2021 at 6pm PRESENT: Mr G Maguire, Vice Chair Mr C Quigley, Member Mrs A Connelly, Member Mr Z Khan, Member Ms G Hay, Member Mr S McLachlan, Co-optee IN ATTENDANCE: Ms F McTaggart, Chief Executive Ms C Quinn, Director of Corporate Services – Secretary Mr R Dulin, Head of Finance & IT Ms N Salmon, Corporate Services Officer Ms L Edwards, Development Consultant 1.0 Apologies 1.1 Redacted 1.2 Redacted 2.0 Declarations of Interest, Gifts and Hospitality 2.1 Mr C Quigley declared that he is a Director of the HOME Team Board. The CEO declared that she is also a Director of the HOME Team Board and CEO of the Group. 2.2 There were no declarations of gifts and hospitality. 3.0 Declaration of Receipt and Understanding 3.1 Members confirmed receipt and understanding of their papers. 4.1 Minutes for Approval 4.1 The minutes of the Special Management Committee Meeting held on 17 December 2020 were approved Mr S McLachlan and seconded by Mr C Quigley as a true reflection of the meeting. 4.2 Matters Arising Date of Management Committee –28 January 2021 –Redacted 1 4.2.1 There were no matters arising. Discussion points: Action notes: For redaction: 1.1 / 1.2 5.0 Reports for Decision/Approval 5.1 Water Row Phase 1 - Update Report 5.1.1 The Development Consultant advised that the Association, along with Glasgow City Council, had made a submission to the Clyde Mission Fund which has subsequently been successful resulting in the Water Row Project being awarded £1.3M.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Leadership This Page Intentionally Left Blank ‘Exploring Leadership Is Both a Very Timely and Highly Relevant Book
    Exploring Leadership This page intentionally left blank ‘Exploring Leadership is both a very timely and highly relevant book. It has long been recognized that the nature of effective leadership owes much to context. But, recent history points to an acceleration in the shift of the contextual backdrop. International events of late demonstrate vividly the way in which the coalescence of the voices of the many on social media have supplanted the traditional power of individual leaders and their oratory which used to be the norm. As the authors emphasize, the related insights build only slowly over time and the delicate balance in the blend of individual and shared influences shifts as context changes. So, we now live in an age- where a diversity of leadership styles is an absolute requirement to address the ambiguity inherent in our complex world: an eclectic approach to leader- ship is indeed today’s requirement. Hence, the theme of “rerouting” rather than “uprooting” leadership studies is absolutely relevant as we face the challenges of the future, and this book makes the case with both conviction and fluency’. Sir Brian Burrage, Vice President, Strategic Marketing, Finmeccanica UK, and Former Air Chief Marshall, Royal Air Force, UK. ‘“Another” book on the “panacea” that is leadership? Importantly, both these issues are dealt with quickly and seriously in a very timely book. Given the focus on leaders and leadership in recent years, both with respect to the general view that our leaders are responsible for our difficulties and the vast amounts devoted to developing leaders, we need a critically balanced view that helps assess where we are and what questions need to be considered to take us forward.
    [Show full text]
  • Collaborative Virtual Organizations in Knowledge-Based Economy
    Informatica Economică vol. 16, no. 1/2012 143 Collaborative Virtual Organizations in Knowledge-based Economy Ion IVAN, Cristian CIUREA, Mihai DOINEA Department of Economic Informatics and Cybernetics Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] The paper establishes the content of the virtual organizations concept, insisting on their collaborative nature. Types of virtual organizations architectures are developed and there are analyzed their characteristics compared to classical organizations existing in the pre- informational economy. There are presented virtual organizations for education, production and banking, focusing on their collaborative side. Metrics are built to evaluate the performance of collaborative virtual organizations. Keywords: Collaborative System, Virtual Organization, Banking, Production, Metrics The virtual organizations virtual organization is built on four elements, 1 In [1], virtual means the possibility that a namely connectivity, purpose, technology potential effect to be achieved without and separation. actually occurs. The classical organization is Virtual organizations are collaborative a social institution that brings together people systems applied in the economy, where with common concerns and concepts, formed people share resources and realize on the basis of some regulations for activities complementary activities from distinct submission and for the achievement of locations, in order to achieve a common goal. common goals. It is considered that virtual organization is In [2],the virtual organization is presented as deemed to have together with the feature of a routine formation, representing groups or flexibility also the interdependence feature, associations of companies that are productive in the sense of cooperation between and competitive. Virtual organization is departments and authorized individuals characterized by a unique identity, which within one unique organization.
    [Show full text]
  • Virtual Teamwork in the Context of Technological and Cultural Transformation
    ISSN (print):2182-7796, ISSN (online):2182-7788, ISSN (cd-rom):2182-780X Available online at www.sciencesphere.org/ijispm Virtual teamwork in the context of technological and cultural transformation Birgit Großer FernUniversität Hagen Universitätsstraße 41, Hagen 58097 Germany www.shortbio.org/[email protected] Ulrike Baumöl FernUniversität Hagen Universitätsstraße 41, Hagen 58097 Germany www.shortbio.org/[email protected] Abstract: Megatrends affect all individuals and organizations in our society. Mobility and flexibility are examples of megatrends that influence our everyday lives and also intensely alter the ways we work. The deployment of virtual teams meets the new chances emerging with these trends. Employees aspire to work virtually due to benefits, such as flexibility regarding the locations and hours for working. Organizations deploy virtual teams to remain competitive regarding new technological opportunities, employee retention and cost efficiency in an increasingly digital environment. Organizations can guide their change towards virtuality by building on the knowledge of practice as well as scientific insights regarding the deployment of virtual teams. In order to provide a holistic view on the structures and processes affected by such a change and thus provide guidance, a framework for analyzing and planning organizational change is adapted to virtual teamwork and presented in this paper. The framework shows that the deployment of virtual teams affects the whole organization. This comprehensive view on the implementation of virtual teamwork allows an integration of virtual teams and focusses on their performance. The adapted framework furthermore provides links for further in-depth research in this field. Keywords: Virtual teams; teamwork; change management; integrated framework; megatrends.
    [Show full text]
  • Guidance for Managers of Virtual Teams by Emily Wilson
    Guidance for Managers of Virtual Teams By Emily Wilson The challenges presented by Covid-19 are unprecedented and continue to evolve. In order to cope with these challenges, many companies are exploring ways to help their employees work productively from home. However, the shift from face time management to virtual management is not straightforward or simple. Virtual teams are fundamentally different from regular work teams. They cross boundaries related to geography, time, and organization and use technological means to communicate and collaborate. These differences can be overcome with planning and intentional management. This resource is designed to help you navigate this shift while maintaining productivity, trust, and communication. First, know that all employees, managers and non-managers are experiencing these changes at the same time. While policy and procedure mandate a change, the process that individuals will go through is a transition. Individual people will move through the transition in different ways. While you may have some team members who are ready to implement a fully virtual work environment, some are still in the process of acknowledging that these changes are even necessary. Some of this difference is due to individual preferences for approaching change while some is a result of information and beliefs. As a leader, you can gauge where an individual team member might be on this spectrum of change by talking with them about their feelings, concerns, and answering questions. Pay attention to whether the employee is focusing on the future or the past and whether they seem to be in more of an emotional or rational frame of mind.
    [Show full text]
  • Democratisation Or Management and Corporate Capture? Theses on the Governance Crisis of Australia’S Semi-Privatised Public Universities
    AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES’ REVIEW Democratisation or management and corporate capture? Theses on the governance crisis of Australia’s semi-privatised public universities Andrew G Bonnell University of Queensland This paper proceeds from the view that managerial capture has already become a fundamental problem after a couple of decades of largely untrammelled managerialism in our public universities, and that this problem is likely to be compounded by further shifts towards deregulation and de facto privatisation, which is the direction that current federal government policy is trying to take in the higher education sector. Greater managerial capture and greater susceptibility to steering by corporate interests promote greater diversion from the public good missions of public universities and increasingly dysfunctional internal governance with grave consequences for workplace culture. The paper argues that a counter-movement to democratise public universities is overdue. Keywords: university governance, managerialism, management capture, democratisation Vice-Chancellor as CEO-Dictator There are, however, clear indications of the weaknesses of the current top-down managerialist model. In recent Defenders of the managerialist status quo in Australian years (2011-2015), vice-chancellors at two universities universities might argue that the current regime has been have had to resign after coming under investigation by remarkably successful. Despite chronic funding constraints, state anti-corruption commissions. At another university, Australian universities continue to perform very strongly on two successive chancellors with business backgrounds international league tables, whatever the methodological have come under investigation by the relevant state anti- shortcomings of these may be, and continue to attract the corruption watchdog, and one former chancellor has international students who help to pay the bills.
    [Show full text]
  • Importance of Group Decision-Making to Company Development
    ANNALS of the ORADEA UNIVERSITY. Fascicle of Management and Technological Engineering, Volume VII (XVII), 2008 IMPORTANCE OF GROUP DECISION-MAKING TO COMPANY DEVELOPMENT Dražen JOVANOVIĆ1, D.NIKOLIĆ1, V.LJUBOJEV2 1College of Health Care, Bijeljina, Bosna i Hercegovina 2 The student of University of Novi Sad e-mail:[email protected] Keywords: Enterprise, operations, changes, management, decision, methods, models, decision-making, process of group decision-making. Abstract: If we want to create the enterprise, is vital and capable of survival in market environment, a creative redesigning of the existing philosophy with simultaneous creation and promotion of new managing knowledge as the base of modern management, in order to organize the enterprise as good as possible, is necessary. This is a prerequisite for effective and efficient operations. Certainly, harmonious functioning of any enterprise primarily depends on linking of all dimensions and factors of the organization structure, as well as on defining of management structure. It is the matter of business philosophy of the modern enterprise in which way it shall arrange the relations between the enterprise as a system and units, as well as the relations between the enterprise units themselves. In the period of transition, managers are required o be flexible, creative and well acquainted with all the components of external surrounding. On the other hand, they should have adequate professional managerial knowledge and skills that are able to develop further. 1. INTRODUCTION There is a thin line between success and failure of a company in market economy, namely almost the same path that leads to success can take a company into a zone of failure, if the goals of development are not accomplished, if the order of events is disturbed, if a prompt reaction to the distinct market impulses lacks.
    [Show full text]