ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the implementation of a distributed approach to educational development at one UK post-1992 university. Influenced by the work of Kotter (2014), a dual operating system has been established which sees an agile, distributed network working alongside more formal management structures to realise impactful and sustainable change across a range of learning and teaching development projects. The chapter focuses particularly on the importance of strong senior leadership in order to create the right conditions for a distributed approach to succeed, exploring the principles of: invitational participation; disestablishing leadership boundaries; and embracing varieties of expertise offered by both academic and professional services colleagues.
The chapter concludes that success has only been possible because of clear vision and decisive, strong leadership from the sponsoring ‘senior manager’. In addition, the setting of clear goals and targets has been key, operating alongside an attitude of openness and trust in relation to how projects were carried out and the way in which targets were achieved. The chapter also identifies challenges encountered, including around academic workload and the tensions of role ambiguity. However, a positive by-product of the approach has been the creation of a richer environment for the promotion of continuous professional development, resulting in the development of organisational culture that is moving beyond transactional activity towards transformational change and sustainable impact.
