handbook-executive-leadership-of-research-development-pdf-v10

Principle 5. Build on current strengthsRealising an ambitious vision for research begins with selection of existing areasof strength and concentration of effort and resources to build them up. One ofthe strongest messages from successful executive leaders of research is to startwith what you have. This includes not just the current crop of researchers, but alsoareas of strength in teaching, aspects of the student profile, social and geographicadvantages, and established partnerships and community links of various kinds.“Every institution has good people – youneed to send a signal to individualsthat their work is valued and that theyhave opportunities, and that they will besupported. While it’s useful to bring in newpeople you haven’t necessarily created agroup of people they can work with.”The executive leader needs to get astrong sense from the senior leadersabout what the university, facultiesand departments are known for andgood at. Perhaps the most significantpart of the role, however, is thehigh level strategic thinking andpositioning that is required to helpsenior leaders create developmental opportunities for themselves. These primarilyinvolve collaborations, prudent exploitation of research funding programs, andinternational connections in their respective fields, including the recruitment andsupervision of research students.Selection of existing areas of strength and concentration of effort and resources tobuild them up to a level of excellence seems straightforward enough, but in orderto be effective it must be achieved with rigour, sensitivity and imagination. A usefulpiece of advice from a variety of sources is that it is easy to get carried away inproducing a highly logical plan for capacity building relying on prediction, goalsetting, hierarchical structures and top-down strategy. Hard headed assessments ofperformance and potential have to be made, and misplaced sentiment avoided.Habit and custom can be the enemies of this process, as can an ill-founded sense ofentitlement among established but under-performing researchers.What it means in practiceConcentrate resources in areas with potential for developmentSenior executives will typically be no strangers to pragmatism — and its value will beapparent in defining the trajectory for change. It is important to support and developthe highest quality research in areas that are already successful or that have obviousFocus 3 — Expanding research capacity53