Leadership Approaches and Change Management in Engineering Education: Case Studies from Four Contexts

When the term “leadership” is used within higher education contexts, most often we think of individuals who hold formal positions of leadership within institutions, individuals such as the president, provost, dean, or department/unit head or chair. What we have witnessed, however, is the frequency with which individuals who are not in formal positions of power may now be required by circumstance and opportunity to lead. For example, as the demand for innovative teaching has grown over the past twenty years, faculty members have found themselves leading curricular innovation teams in their departments or across their colleges. While not having named formal power per se, these individuals have adapted to their changing circumstances in order to effect the needed change. How do these individuals acquire these necessary leadership skills, knowledge, and abilities in the midst of change efforts? Our four different educational contexts will provide the backdrops as we answer this important question.