Sal Jarvis
University of Hertfordshire
Following years as a primary teacher and SENCO, Sal Jarvis joined the School of Education at the University of Hertfordshire as a seconded teacher. She is now Pro Vice Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) there. Sal has recently completed her doctorate, which focuses on the practice of authority in academic leadership and management at Lancaster University.
Although there is rich literature on education management and leadership, the role of authority in this area has received less attention. This paper draws on an understanding of authority as social, multiple, changeable and... [ view full abstract ]
Although there is rich literature on education management and leadership, the role of authority in this area has received less attention. This paper draws on an understanding of authority as social, multiple, changeable and contested (Woods 2016) to conceptualise authority in academic leadership/management and explore authority practices. Drawing on a practice-focused constructivist grounded theory methodology, data were collected from two UK universities over eighteen months.
This paper shows how elements of practice (Shove et al 2012) combine in construction of authority practices. Two practices in particular, overseeing and challenging, are considered here. Findings demonstrated the complexity of authority in academic leadership. Three ideas in particular are considered: that access to knowledge and material resources confers or restricts authority; that elements and everyday practices combine to create a ‘toolkit’ from which authority practices can be constructed, and that knowledge-based authorities in higher education have multiple and conflicting sources that draw on the different higher education discourses of collegiality, managerialism and academic autonomy.
Shove,E., Pantzar, M., Watson, M. (2012). The dynamics of social practice:everyday life and how it changes. London, Sage.
Woods, P. A. (2016). "Authority, Power and Distributed Leadership." Management in Education 30(4): 155-160.
