Shaping the future of academic leadership: an international exploratory study for faculty development programmes

Abstract

Academic leadership is a strategic factor in driving innovation in universities in response to global challenges and organisational transformations. This qualitative study, conducted through a questionnaire addressed to sixteen academic leaders active in European and American contexts, explores the skills, practices and training needs related to university leadership. The thematic analysis highlighted the importance of strategic, relational and transformational competencies, as well as the prevalence of a distributed view of the role. The results offer useful indications for the design of Faculty Development programmes capable of enhancing the potential of academic leaders by promoting flexible, situated and co-constructed approaches.