Leadership from Beyond the FE Sector - CFE

Insights from leadership discussions in other sectors

Tristram Hughes,

Senior Research Manager, CFE Research

Key challenge for all leadersMaking decisions in

a world of

complexity…

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Leadership needs to talk about more than individual leaders Move beyond “heroic” ideas of leadership

Recognise the importance of interactions across the organisation to achieving objectives, and the limits of looking at individual jobholders

Leads us to consider the importance of collaboration and the context in which leadership operates

In practice “leadership” activities happen widely in organisations.

People at all levels should know how they can lead and effect change.

Allows for greater adaptability, and better responses to complexity.

Hilton, K., Lawrence-Pietroni, C., Leaders Everywhere: The Story of NHS Change Day, (2013)

Distributing Leadership

Where should the boundaries of leadership be?

Organisations as “ecosystems within ecosystems”

A need to lead beyond just those you employ.

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Leading beyond one organisation

The importance of context to leadership Good leadership adapts to context

Detail of employees, objectives, stakeholders, influences on success – by nature complex

Understanding and interpreting context is difficult

Context sensing skills, and relevant tools, are useful

Any insights from other sectors need to be understood and interpreted in your own context

Summary

Increasing complexity require leadership that moves beyond individuals

Distributing leadership across one organisation

Sharing leadership beyond single organisations, moving towards systems leadership

Always adapting to the specifics of your context and objectives