Journal of Management & Administration

Emerging issues in Higher Education Leadership in relation to liminal COVID-19 contexts

Rob Elkington — 2023-12-31

This paper aims to explore the positive and negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Western higher education leadership, primarily as the pandemic either increased the existing challenges in higher education leadership or opened a pathway for innovation and experimentation due to the liminal environment. Understanding that leadership effectiveness centres on the tripartite elements of leader, follower and context, this qualitative study sought to understand how the liminal context of a global pandemic affected the leadership of higher education institutions. Accordingly, this qualitative study uses a phenomenological and grounded theory approach. The team facilitated semi-structured interviews, and at the height of COVID-19, when higher education leaders became less available due to the challenges posed by the emerging context, we hosted the interview questions in a Google Form and solicited written responses. Our sample included 18 higher education leaders from Canada, South Africa and USA: 5 semi-structured interviews and 13 Google Forms. The emerging issues in higher education leadership moved into sharper focus during the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the emerging issues and the emergent leadership wisdom to address them accord well with the existing literature on skills leadership and emergent leadership in liminal contexts. The study uncovered the utility of the Polyhedron model of wise leadership as a meaningful mindset to drive effective leadership in the liminal pandemic context.

To cite: Elkington, R. & Ruttenberg-Rozen, R. 2023. Emerging issues in Higher Education leadership in relation to liminal COVID-19 contexts. Journal of Management & Administration 17, 23–44.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10622850

Unravelling the link between academic staff tenure and motivation: Extended curriculum programme dilemma for staff retention

Sindisiwe Benedita Nzimande — 2023-11-02

Staff retention is a critical aspect in fostering effective teaching and learning practices and promoting collaborative between staff members and management. In the context of higher education institutions, employee retention poses significant challenges globally, including South Africa. This study examines various factors affecting job satisfaction, motivation and retention of Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) academic staff in higher education institutions. Employing a qualitative case study research design, this research uses focus group interviews to collect data. The findings highlight the importance of a balanced blend of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors in motivating staff. These factors include salaries, incentives, rewards, and recognition, as the prime factors that impact on the retention of academic staff. Furthermore, lack of standardization in the contract structure as well as discrepancies in resource allocation and workload distribution emerged as pressing challenges faced by the ECP academic staff. Based on these findings, the study recommends robust monitoring and evaluation processes for standardisation and promoting clear integration of the ECP into mainstream programmes to positively contribute to staff motivation and retention. By addressing these issues, higher education institutions can enhance staff satisfaction, improve retention rates and create an optimal environment for effective teaching and learning.

To cite: Nzimande, S.B., Qwatekana, Z., Sithole, N.V. & Ndlovu, T.P. (2023). Unravelling the link between academic staff tenure and motivation: Extended curriculum programme dilemma for staff retention. Journal of Management & Administration 17, 1–18.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10036866

AI advancements, risks and regulation: Implications for business and corporate organizations

Izekiel Nohumba — 2023-12-31

That AI is going to affect businesses and how they are conducted, is now clear and unambiguous; however, the extent to which this technology will impact business remains to be seen. Considering a wide variety of AI applications, the implication is that several benefits arise from the use of such technology. Improved health care, safer cars and other transport systems, improved machine maintenance, as well as increased production output and quality, are some of the benefits and opportunities AI offers. Nevertheless, risks of incorporating AI that businesses need to be aware of include job losses, privacy, security and reputational threats; hence, the need for regulation of the way AI is transforming businesses. Excessive reliance on AI and the need to protect smaller businesses, which cannot afford AI, from being disadvantaged competitively are some factors that make regulation imperative for the AI technology. This paper presents a literature review of the opportunities, risks and regulation imperatives for AI in Big Tech companies including AI ethics in Africa and consequences of China’s advancement in facial recognition technology. The implications are that while the AI technology should be embraced and advanced, the ethics and risks associated with the technology should be reflected on and incorporated in the development of the technology, particularly in Africa.

To cite: Nohumba, I., Nyambuya, C. T. & Nyambuya, G. (2023). AI advancements, risks and regulation: Implications for business and corporate organizations. Journal of Management & Administration 17, 45–59.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10863833

Editorial

Susan Marlow — 2023-12-31

I am delighted to be invited to contribute this Editorial comment for the Journal of Management & Administration to consider contemporary opportunities and challenges to progress our managerial research in 2024. Looking back at some critical themes influencing this field, the impact of the COVID pandemic has had an enormous impact on our work. In his editorial for the journal in 2021, Muhammad Hoque remarked how COVID had changed our personal and research practices causing us to reflect upon old priorities and develop new ways of working. The pandemic has brought about the greatest disaster, with the most catastrophic effect on individuals, communities and nations since the global influenza outbreak in 1918–1920, which killed more people than the First World War. But we are a research community, so our role is to reflect upon and learn from such an event and see what lessons we can take forward. This much is apparent from the outpouring of research in every field—from medicine to management—analysing and evaluating the impact of, and changes related to, how COVID has rearranged ‘normality’. Exploring the impact of this upon firm performance, individual well-being, local economies et cetera has informed a multitude of research activity in many fields. And indeed, that trend is reflected in this journal by Nzimande et al. (2023) and Elkington & Ruttenberg-Rosen (2023), who focus on the residual effects of COVID upon academic staff retention and higher education leadership respectively.
Another critical theme which must be addressed by the managerial research community is that of AI – this is already changing how organisations operate and how they gather information; it is replacing labour, acting as a surveillance tool and some claim, will soon have the capacity to take over economies rendering many established organisational practices and strategies redundant as AI homogenises thought and action (Nohumba et al., 2023). Theories of management analytics, the gathering and application of big data, the ethics of such manipulation will be central to our research activities. Of course, the opportunities offered by AI are enormous but what kind of research do we need to critically evaluate the potential damage and benefits of such technological advances? As a community of management researchers we have a responsibility to generate meaningful evidence to join this debate.

To cite: Marlow, S. (2023). Editorial. Journal of Management & Administration 17, i–iii.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10944056

BOOK REVIEW. ‘How to Lead Smart People’ by Singh, A. & Mister, M. London: Profile Books, 2019

Raymund Sisenando Mercado — 2023-11-19

Arun Singh is a leading international business lawyer and formerly a partner at KPMG Legal. He is a corporate educator in leadership and negotiations to international organisations, visiting Professor at UK and Chinese University Business Schools, and a senior government advisor with over 30 years of experience. Mike Mister was formerly the Global Director for Executive Development at EY Global, but is now based at The Muller Institute at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, UK. His work involves supporting the development of leadership and change management capability in large organisations.
The book was produced with the noble intent of helping leaders to better face work challenges and to exceptionally perform at management, human resource, human behaviour and particularly, in leading smart people or the knowledge workers. This is a very useful contribution for leaders, regardless of whether they are new or accomplished, due to the clear and simple ideas on how to improve our own leadership skills or competencies, leading teams and the organisation, in order to work effectively with smart people.

To cite: Mercado, R.S.R. (2023). BOOK REVIEW. ‘How to Lead Smart People’ by Singh, A. & Mister, M. London: Profile Books, 2019. Journal of Management & Administration 17, 19–20.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10157458