Perspectives on leadership concepts by engineering academics

Abstract

This paper presents the analysis of structured interviews with engineering academics on the perception of leadership based on an action-based participatory research at the frontline of academic activities as part of a USQ Senior Fellowship. There were eight participants who volunteered to be part of a faculty team to initiate and liaise with the peak professional body, Engineers Australia, to conceive and develop a new postgraduate program for graduate engineers as a pathway to professional (chartered) status. The interviews were coded and analyzed using NVivo software based on grounded theory. The analysis provided a wide spectrum of perspectives on leadership however there were strong themes that suggest there is a linkage between authority and leadership. There is a belief that the type and the degree of leadership required are different for professional practice versus academia. There are also strong themes that leadership is heavily influenced by natural traits (nature), but interestingly, by learnable skills and behaviors (nurture), and very much dependent on the actual environment (context). The perspectives presented in this paper are useful in providing an understanding why academics do or do not pursue opportunities for leadership professional development and opportunities to exhibit leadership in their frontline (non-supervisory/executive) academic activities.