Developing female senior leaders
The shortage of senior women at the most senior levels in institutions is still a challenge, despite some improvements at executive and board levels in recent years.
Advance HE’s Senior Women’s Leadership Development Programme is one of our women-only programmes designed specifically for women in senior positions in HE to help them take the next step up or extend their role, profile and impact. It aims at creating more gender parity in senior leadership within higher education.
In the programme we create a safe space for senior women leaders to explore the complexity of navigating through conventional organisational structures and to build foundations for transformation and paradigm shift.
The programme strikes a balance between enhancing technical knowledge of key strategic areas of operation including institutional finance, structures and governance along with exploring individual leadership styles, leadership legacy, personal impact and developing political skills.
Key information
Start date: 6 October 2021 (Introduction day)
End date: 19 January 2022
Location: Online
I found the programme invaluable, with space to explore the challenges of women’s leadership in HE as well as to examine critical issues such as university governance and finance. I especially enjoyed the opportunity to be amongst other senior female leaders in HE.”Dr Emily McIntosh, Director of Student Life, Student Experience Team, University of Bolton
Who is Senior Women’s Leadership Development Programme for?
This programme is designed for women in senior academic and professional services roles such as professors, heads of department, deputy directors and directors, who are not yet at executive level but may aspire to be executive team members or be working closely already with their senior executive team.
How is the programme delivered?
Taking place over the course of 4 months, the Senior Women’s Leadership Development Programme consists of an introductory session, 4 online days and an additional action learning set.
Day 1: Introduction to Senior Women Leading
6 October 2021
- Introducing the remits of the programme: key principles
and frameworks
- Building a safe container for deep leadership explorations
- Setting the scene for Senior Women’s Leadership in the
current HE context
- Introducing the remits of the programme: key principles
and frameworks
- Building a safe container for deep leadership explorations
- Setting the scene for Senior Women’s Leadership in the
current HE context
Day 2:Finance and Governance in leadership
21 October 2021
- Exploring the organisational and decision making frameworks of the UK’s HEIs
- Examining universities’ Annual Report and Accounts or equivalent publicly available financial data
- Understanding funding and finance, governance, accountability and regulation contexts of the higher education sector
- Exploring the organisational and decision making frameworks of the UK’s HEIs
- Examining universities’ Annual Report and Accounts or equivalent publicly available financial data
- Understanding funding and finance, governance, accountability and regulation contexts of the higher education sector
Day 3: Finance and Governance in leadership
22 October 2021
-Developing practical strategies for navigating organisational frameworks in HE
- Using a real play methodology to explore decision making at the executive level
- Applying scenarios for planning financial sustainability in universities
-Developing practical strategies for navigating organisational frameworks in HE
- Using a real play methodology to explore decision making at the executive level
- Applying scenarios for planning financial sustainability in universities
Day 4: Facilitated Action Learning Sets
6-9 December 2021
Half way through the programme the participants meet in smaller groups for their action learning sets. You will be encouraged to discuss practical issues pertinent to their leadership roles and work on solutions using the collective intelligence of the group through non-directive, coaching approaches.
Half way through the programme the participants meet in smaller groups for their action learning sets. You will be encouraged to discuss practical issues pertinent to their leadership roles and work on solutions using the collective intelligence of the group through non-directive, coaching approaches.
Day 5: Organisational politics and culture in HE
18 January 2022
- Using Mythodrama to understand organisational culture and politics in higher education
- Developing practical skills to influence positive organisational changes
- Working with real life scenarios to impact the internal politics
- Using Mythodrama to understand organisational culture and politics in higher education
- Developing practical skills to influence positive organisational changes
- Working with real life scenarios to impact the internal politics
Day 6: Leadership in a New HE sector. Strengthening your leadership narrative.
19 January 2022
- Exploring leadership skills needed in the current HE context
- Learning about successful leadership from senior women leaders
- Enhancing leadership impact through developing compelling narrative about personal purpose and legacy
- Exploring leadership skills needed in the current HE context
- Learning about successful leadership from senior women leaders
- Enhancing leadership impact through developing compelling narrative about personal purpose and legacy
The programme's outcomes
Through the programme participants:
- enhance their sense of presence to be able to engage in an organisational dialogue in a more impactful way
- develop skills and confidence related to finance, governance, culture, politics and influence
- understand the organisational and decision-making frameworks of the UK’s HEIs and their links to institutional purpose
- build understanding of their unique leadership style, personal impact and legacy
- start exploring the leadership needed in the post-pandemic HE
- create a momentum in their career progression through renewed commitment and supportive network of senior women.
Related
Register your interest in the Senior Women’s Leadership Development Programme
Read our Delegate Terms & Conditions for Programmes and Events here.