Emerging leaders, your universities need you

The next generation of leaders leads from the middle. At this level, emerging leaders are vital – interpreting and implementing strategy, contextualising plans and vision, and reporting back to senior management on the experiences of their colleagues. 

De Montfort University’s recent transformational change to block delivery needed emerging leaders to embrace the opportunities and challenges available when redesigning the curriculum to align to university vision. Between the two of us, we’ve collectively led more than 240 staff in the redesign and delivery of curriculum change for more than 50 programmes of study. 

Sprinting in shorter bursts

One of the first challenges was a reduced time frame for curriculum redesign, due to the university’s desire to embed innovative approaches swiftly, maximising the impact on students. We adapted design sprint methodologies for emerging leaders to use, involving innovative approaches such as creative, collaborative team activities to explore and identify unique offers within the provision, engaging planning sessions and extensive stakeholder engagement, required as part of a comprehensive quality assurance activity.

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In the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media, this involved leading a review of curriculum and development across an expansive undergraduate and postgraduate portfolio. This clearly articulated the argument for strategic change and the need to develop innovative approaches, if academic teams were to fully embrace curriculum change. 

To adapt the nursing curriculum, we conducted a critical review of the feasibility of the transformational change. We also held discussions with three other higher education institutions within the UK and Australia that had adapted or developed block teaching curricula for nursing programmes. Nursing students within the UK must complete a minimum of 2,300 theory hours and 2,300 placement hours to complete the programme and register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). So adapting to block delivery was a complex challenge, one that required emerging leaders to engage the wider team in the change. 

The design sprint methodology meant that academic staff were involved and had the opportunity to contribute to, and shape, the change. Leaders recognised that it was important for staff to feel empowered, to take ownership of the redesign of their curriculum.

Keep external regulators in mind

It is not just university vision that emerging leaders are required to understand and translate for colleagues. As higher education is a carefully regulated space, professional, statutory and regulatory bodies had to be consulted during curriculum change to ensure redesign approaches continue to align with externally set requirements. 

While this was a consideration within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media, where there are external influences across the curriculum, it was even more prevalent in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, where strict NMC requirements are understandably in place, as graduates from these disciplines must meet the exacting and stringent standards of healthcare professionals. For the nursing and midwifery programmes, a major modification request needed to be submitted to the regulatory body for approval.

Consider staff well-being

Emerging leaders are often responsible for ensuring the welfare and support of others, prioritising well-being and creating a culture of psychological safety. There has been an increasing focus on staff well-being, including a refresh of the Nursing and Midwifery Staff Well-being Group to understand the key issues affecting colleagues. We must acknowledge the impact of a time-pressured curriculum change on colleagues who already have busy and demanding roles. Line managers have been supported to encourage colleagues to speak openly and communication channels have been improved to work towards greater transparency and well-being support. 

Recognising the uncertainties of change, we established a regular communication channel in computing, engineering and media to provide all colleagues with the latest details around the transformational change, which was welcomed and appreciated. Despite our disciplinary differences, we both recognise the importance of providing time and space for colleagues to raise questions, explore concerns and share practice. Creating opportunities for this are key to change success.

To deliver the above, emerging leaders need to be enthusiastic and motivated, exploring and understanding the full scale and scope of their roles. These leaders should be curious and fearless, exhibit confidence, embrace and articulate complexity by understanding and translating complex activity and strategy, and develop the team around them.

Authentic leadership is needed. As leaders we must be accountable for our approaches, values and behaviours, aligning these with the university strategy and embodying the working practices that we want in our teams. Authentic leaders must keep it REAL, earning and demonstrating respect, fostering and nurturing engagement, and actively facilitating achievement and positivity. As the higher education sector increasingly faces challenges related to finance, student recruitment, regulatory compliance and social pressures around the role of the institution, an authentic approach is a necessity.

Emerging leaders make strategy implementation understandable. They play a vital, influential role in developing and implementing strategies, translating visions to spark university-wide change. At De Montfort University, emerging leaders have translated educational strategies for their teams. They’ve devised implementation approaches that satisfy internal and external requirements, and engaged staff in collaborative curriculum redesign. As the university continues to embrace delivery of the redesigned curriculum in a newly developed mode, the emerging leadership role develops into one of interpretation and analysis about the impact of the change on students and staff. Being an emerging leader is a continuous change process when embraced within university-wide change transformation.

Zoë Allman is associate dean (academic) in the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media, and Gary Souter is the head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, both at De Montfort University.

Thanks to De Montfort University, the authors had the opportunity to engage in Minerva’s Emerging Leadership Programme during this period of transformational change, and appreciate the support and guidance received from Mary Stuart, with Kerry Shepherd and Ben Tucker, and their fellow programme participants.

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