ABSTRACT
Successful progression as an academic is a very arduous task and taking on management and leadership responsibilities as a senior academic, adds significantly to the pressures, with exposure to additional tensions which exist at this level in HE.
This chapter is an attempt to clarify some of the main staff management tensions which exist. The chapter starts with some introductory expert views and pointers relating to competitiveness, management qualifications and quality, and moves on to expand on these and on the professorial role, middle management and authority, and important interpersonal factors such as respect, open communication, engagement and the various aspects of value. The tensions and beneficial approaches discussed move on to the management of ego, confrontation, intimidation and aspects of personal intelligence related to staff management exchanges. These fundamental characteristics important to HE and general staff management are raised by academic staff in discussions or identified via studies carried out in general education, Human Resources, psychology and the business management sectors.
