A Leadership Model for Internationalization

Where does theory reside? In textbooks and research papers, certainly, but I would argue that there are few social science theories that fit the complex data of specific situations very neatly. Practitioners such as teachers may not articulate their theory of teaching very often, but their theory of what works and what doesn’t, what is appropriate in a given situation and what is not, is manifest in their practice. And rarely if ever does a teacher apply a theory of teaching or learning its pure form; the messiness and specificity of the daily teaching situation calls for a more nuanced, personal theory which addresses the exigencies of that situation. Here, in the thoughts of practitioners, is where theory is created and brought to life.

Similarly, there is no single theory of leadership that is likely to be applicable to the challenges, the environment, and the players in a particular situation. Determining what leadership model is appropriate involves understanding that situation and then turning to the “textbook theories” for ideas. To illustrate, in this essay I take the example of the challenge of a rapidly internationalizing college, the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University. First I describe what I see as the main challenges presented by an increasingly international student body; then I draw on published theories in an attempt to craft a leadership model that I believe will be needed to bring about the needed changes in the college.

The recruitment of international students to the College of Professional Studies is not a choice: given a rapidly growing international demand for a practical education from a U.S. institution, internationalization is an imperative strategic decision made to ensure that the college can survive and grow in the 21st century. This international orientation brings with it a number of administrative and academic challenges, among them:

• Re-designing marketing and recruitment plans, procedures, and publications to reach the international market
• Adapting the college infrastructure and systems so that they serve international students
• Ensuring that curriculum and instruction are modified to take advantage of a larger number of international students in the college’s classrooms
• Providing academic, counseling, and administrative support services geared toward international students during both the application period and the students’ time in the college
• Orienting and advising faculty and staff , and persuading them to embrace the coming changes
• Dealing with the messiness that accompanies any kind of cultural change, as well as the anxiety, fear, and confusion that some staff and faculty may feel (Fullan, 2001)

What types of leadership are required in order to meet these challenges? I believe the answer can be found in a mix of “classical” or “one leader” theory (Doyle & Smith, 2001) and distributed leadership (Elmore, cited in Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005), mediated by theory which focuses on leadership style as a response to the particular situation. (Doyle & Smith, 2001)

The first element of leadership that I consider crucial in facing the challenge of college internationalization is what I would call the ‘heroic’ style: metaphorically, the army general or the captain of the ship. This type of leader understands the ‘bigger picture,’ reads the situation well, and plans a strategy. Fullan (2001) argues that such a visionary leader is needed, “when there is an urgent problem and people are at sea.” (p. 174) I would argue that in a highly competitive higher education market, in which the survival of institutions, along with the livelihoods of their employees, depends on fast and purposeful responses to changing demographics, economics, and educational needs, perceptive and decisive leadership in ‘steering the ship’ is indeed urgent.

There are numerous views on the characteristics such a leader needs to have – so-called ‘trait’ theories of leadership. Fullan (2001) argues that “enthusiasm, self-confidence, optimism, and clarity of vision” (p. 176) are helpful in inspiring others. Collins (2001) describes what he calls “the level 5 leader” as one who “blends extreme personal humility with intense professional will” (p. 30) but who is also, “fanatically driven, infected with an incurable need to produce sustained results.” (p. 48) Murphy (1968) describes the ‘heroic’ leader as one who possesses vision, is knowledgeable, strong, powerful, communicates well and takes charge, but also is a good listener. (p. 52) While the individual characteristics preferred by writers may vary, they generally agree that strength, drive, and vision are essential. I would add that the ability to discern what is happening in the environment, to determine what response is required, and to translate this into a strategy is also crucial.

Other writers in the ‘heroic leader’ tradition have focused on the kinds of behaviors the leader needs to display. Again, there are varying views, depending on the writer. For example, Kouzes and Posner’s (2002) “practices of exemplary leadership” characterize leaders as modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. Kotter’s process for leading change from the top has eight stages, including “establishing a sense of urgency,” “creating a guiding coalition,” and “developing a strategy and vision.” (Fullan, 2001)

I am a little skeptical of these attempts to define in isolation from specific situations good leadership as comprising specific behaviors. Such descriptions tend to assume stasis and homogeneity, that is, they imply that the particular behaviors are good for all situations and for all time. Of greater interest are categorizations of approaches that a leader might adopt, depending on the situation. Daniel Goleman, for example, has identified the following six leadership styles: coercive, authoritative, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and coaching. (Goleman, cited in Fullan, 2001). In this scheme, the strong leader remains at the helm, but ideally adopts, from a repertoire, varying styles of leadership appropriate to the various situations confronted: at times the enforcer who lays on the line the changes that are needed; at other times the democrat who listens to the views of others and folds them into the institutional strategy; at still others, the coach, who helps and empowers employees to achieve and become leaders in their own areas; and so on. But no matter what style the leader adopts, it is still he or she who sets the leadership agenda, deciding what approach is needed, for which groups, at what times, sometimes rolling out responsibilities to individuals in the organization, at other times pulling back and taking a firmer hold of the reins, depending on his or her take on how well or poorly the necessary changes are being implemented. To summarize, the first element of leadership which I believe is crucial as the College of Professional Studies becomes internationalized, is a perceptive and powerful leader who is able adopt varying approaches appropriate to the circumstances.

Overwhelmingly, however, I believe that it is imperative for this leader to develop buy-in among all faculty and staff, for two reasons. First and most obvious is that no single person can bring about institutional change, which requires everyone to pull in the direction of the change. Issuing orders from above will not result in their being enacted, except in an extremely coercive (such as a military or dictatorial) environment, or in one in which the cost of failure is high (such as loss of jobs or the survival of the organization). Second, the role of the leader at the College of Professional Studies is to bring about lasting change, change which will continue beyond the tenure of the leader. This corresponds with Collins’ (2001) suggestion about Level 5 leaders, who, “want to see the company even more successful in the next generation, comfortable with the idea that most people won’t even know that the roots of that success trace back to their efforts.” (p. 36) This parallels the leadership of former Northeastern president Richard Freeland, who transformed Northeastern into a residential university and moved the university up the national rankings. ("Northeastern's Choice," 2006) Those new to the university in 2010 are unlikely to be aware of the fact that the way the university looks and operates today is in large measure due to Freeland’s leadership. The changes he led were taken on by university employees at all levels, and this will sustain the changes for many years to come. What Freeland had to do, and what the leader of the College of Professional Studies has to do, is depend on others to bring about the needed changes. (Murphy, 1968) This means that the leader must persuade college employees about the need for change, and empower them to act to implement the changes in their own areas, as well as collaborate with those in other areas. In effect, the leader needs to develop leaders throughout the organization to ensure that leadership and initiative are exercised in every department and at every level. This is what Elmore calls a distributed model of leadership (Marzano et al., 2005). Buckingham and Clifton provide what I consider to be a compelling approach to developing distributed leadership: in their words, “a leader should spend a great deal of time selecting the right people up front, (and) legislate outcomes as opposed to the style or manner in which outcomes are accomplished.” (Marzano et al., 2005, p. 20) Relying on the leadership of others does not absolve the leader of his or her responsibility for overall leadership. Leaders exercising a distributed model of leadership need to make their reports accountable, but in turn such leaders are accountable to those they report to for the success of the enterprise they oversee.

The leadership model I have proposed for the College of Professional Studies as its international student body increases is, then, one in which a strong leader reads the competitive environment, decides on a response, and implements a strategy by bringing on board everyone in the college. The level of force with which the leader needs to do this will depend on the level of buy-in by college employees, the urgency with which tasks need to be accomplished, and an ongoing assessment of how well the necessary changes are being implemented. Leadership approach cannot be determined in advance and in isolation from its situation.



References

Collins, J. (2001). Level 5 Leadership. In The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Doyle, M. E., & Smith, M. K. (2001, June 18, 2009). Classical Leadership. Retrieved July 26, 2009

Fullan, M. (2001). Understanding Change. In The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Gardner, J. W. (1990). The Nature of Leadership. In The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2002). The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. In The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Marzano, R. J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2005). School Leadership that Works. Alexandria, Va.

Murphy, J. T. (1968). The Unheroic Side of Leadership. In The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Northeastern's Choice. (2006). Retrieved August 1, 2009, from http://www.northeastern.edu/president/news4.html