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

this may mean a major overhaul of policies is needed, in others incremental changesuch as removing barriers to making timely offers and appointments may be enoughto make a difference. An intensified effort to attract leading researchers, particularlyfor flagship projects, is often the first option for executive leaders looking to makea major step forward in capacity building. Appointing high profile research teamsprovides a rapid boost to research output and income given the appropriate level ofinvestment in salaries, conditions and infrastructure support. It does not necessarilyfollow that this strategy will make a major impact on the research orientation of theuniversity overall.One of the most effective ways of shifting the orientation towards active researchersin the short term is for the executive leader to take a direct role in selection panels“Research leaders need to do thebest they can to get competitive staff.It has to be asked: where does thisresearcher fit in the disciplines, and itshould make the effort to fit their subdisciplinesinto the broader mix. Onceon deck, you need to give that personthe tools to fly. And not overworkthem. You need to get them to put ina two to three year plan ensuring thatpeople have a sense of where theirresearch is going, and they have aportfolio of teaching that works fortheir research. They also need to beexposed to students and PhDs thatcan assist their development.”for all new academic appointments. Insmall universities personal involvement ishighly desirable at all levels, particularlyin the initial phase of implementing thechange agenda. Alternative approachesvary across different contexts, for example,in some universities an independentresearcher or a research centre director isa member of all academic selection panelsand a small central committee reviews allpanel decisions.Whatever the approach, successfulexecutive leaders make personalinvolvement with selection andappointments a priority. This ensures thatstatements of duties and selection criteria for all academic position descriptionsinclude specific reference to excellent research performance as measured by externalgrant income, weighted publications, numbers and completions of higher degreeby research candidates, citation indices, and high level collaborations. Activeresearchers should be aware of the importance in the long term of not just raising thevolume of publications to international threshold levels, but increasing the quality asevidenced by national and international prizes and awards.Active central participation in all academic appointments, particularly the personalinvolvement of the executive leader, underlines the priorities for selection panels and68 A handbook for executive leadership of research development