In August 2021, the Samuel Neaman Institute released the report “Leadership and Management in Higher Education Institutions:A Literature Review and In-Depth Interviews with Officials.
“The aim of this first study was to investigate the current state of leadership and management within the academic context in Israel and to identify potential strategies for improving and strengthening leadership across all areas of academic management.In August 2021, the Samuel Neaman Institute released the report “Leadership and Management in Higher Education Institutions: A Literature Review and In-Depth Interviews with Officials.”
The aim of this first study was to investigate the current state of leadership and management within the academic context in Israel and to identify potential strategies for improving and strengthening leadership across all areas of academic management.
The present report, which summarizes the findings of the second year of the study, focuses on the concept of exemplary deanship. Specifically, the current study is an exploration of the phenomenon of “exemplary deans,” defined as those individuals whose tenure as dean of a faculty resulted in positive change and progress in the desired direction.
Research objectives:
- To identify specific cases of exemplary deanship in Israeli universities
- To draw broader conclusions about the characteristics and leadership styles of exemplary deans and how they can be fostered and sustained within the academic setting.Research questions
- How is exemplary deanship manifested in the faculty?
- What are the personal and environmental factors that have enabled change and advancement in the faculty?
- Can conclusions be drawn from a period of benevolent deanship and applied to other contexts?
Methodology:
The research team adopted a case study methodology as an instrumental approach in its research. The case study approach was chosen because, while each individual case is of interest, the assumption is that each case can provide understanding beyond the specific case and serve as a tool for formulating generalizations about exemplary deanship. A collection of four specific cases can be referred to as a “collective case study” and by highlighting the commonalities and similarities between the cases, it will allow for broader generalizations.
Research Process:
To identify instances of exemplary deanship, the research team conducted in-depth interviews in early 2022 with four rectors from four universities in Israel: Haifa University, Bar Ilan University, Tel Aviv University, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The rectors were asked to recommend suitable candidates for the study.
The research team selected the cases based on the rectors’ recommendations, striving for a diverse range in terms of disciplinary background, gender, and chronology.The research team then held in-depth discussions with the chosen deans, as well as with faculty officials, faculty members, and administrative staff members who had personally experienced the dean’s term in office.
For each dean, an “identity certificate of exemplary deanship” was compiled, which was a personal summary based on the information gathered during the in-depth interviews. This summary highlighted the dean’s achievements, relationships with the management and administrative team, the atmosphere in the faculty, managerial abilities, and outstanding personal qualities.
Despite the diversity of the cases in terms of faculty membership, gender, age, and length of tenure, several trends were identified regarding the typical characteristics of a dean whose tenure can be considered as a period of “exemplary deanship.”
