LEADERSHIP IN UNIVERSITIES · Barriers to implementing Diversity & Inclusion Strategies – what is stopping the progress? • Senior leaders not walking the talk - too much talking

LEADERSHIP IN UNIVERSITIES

OCTOBER 17, 2012

Alison Tickner – Partner; Asia Pacific Head of Leadership, Diversity & LearningRaphaele Nicaud – Principal; Australian Talent Segment Leader

MERCER 111 October 2012

Churn at the top:new Vice Chancellors


Think about the specific environment in whichuniversity leaders operate:

Tribal culture: “A university is a collection of warring tribesunited only by the search for a car park”

Tension between consultative and top down decision making

High complexity of stakeholders


Career paths are influenced by aspiring to those universitieswith higher ranking and status (funneling and limiting theoptions) – at the top there is really limited choice, for bothcandidates and universities

Competing internationally and nationally for talent

Loyalty is localised to the school/faculty/discipline

united only by the search for a car park”

Comprehensive online surveycompleted by the majorityof Australian universities:

From a wealth of data, we willshare seven insights

About Mercer’s 2012 University Leadership PracticesSurvey


share seven insights

Insight 1:The Australian universitysector is trailing behindon leadership strategy


on leadership strategy

Insight: 1Leadership strategy

University Sector

38% have defined and agreedleadership developmentstrategies

52% are currently developing a

In

Develop-

ment

No

10%

Yes

38%

InDevelopment

52%


Australia

The University sector is currentlytrailing behind Australianorganisations in general - 62%already have their strategy

52% are currently developing astrategy

Does your university have a

Leadership Strategy?

ment

52%38% 52%

University Sector

Only 19% universitiesregularly conduct leadershippipeline projections.

Insight: 1How well are the strategies being executed?

81%


Australia

This was similar acrosscompanies in Australia with22% of the respondentsregularly conductingleadership pipelineprojections.

19%

Yes No

Do you regularly conductleadership pipeline projections?

Insight 2:Universities are leading in theirspecific focus on developingfemale leaders and high


female leaders and highpotentials

Asia Pac

Australia38%

88%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Our process for managing succession

Middle Level Managers

Competencies required for leadership success

Female Leaders

High Potential Leaders

Processes & methods for developing leaders

Leadership Development strategy articulates/focuses on:

YES

Insight: 2Where’s the focus?


Australia

13%

25%

25%

38%

38%

38%

38%

Other employee segments

Criteria & processes for assessing leaders

Metrics for tracking progress

Criteria & processes for identifying future leaders

Young leaders

Defined tactics for retaining/engaging leaders

Our process for managing succession

NO

Only 25% universities with a leadership develop strategy in place specificallyaddress leadership assessment (leaders are being developed but notassessed)

Insight 3:There are better outcomes forwomen in universities; theyhold more senior roles than in


hold more senior roles than inAustralian organisationsgenerally

Insight: 3However 76% of universities acknowledged that therewere barriers to keep women from advancing

24%

24%

29%

33%

43%

No barriers

Not enough investment in women

Leadership style differs from the styledominant among current senior leaders

Impact of career breaks on research output

Unwillingness of women to promote themselves


5%

10%

10%

14%

14%

14%

19%

24%

Bias on part of managers

Managers unwillingness to take a risk on a non-traditional candidate

Organisation culture doesn’t support or value work/lifebalance

Exclusion from informal networks

Difficulty finding powerful sponsors/mentors

Lack of visibility to senior leaders

Unwillingness of womento request development experiences

No barriers

Unwillingness of women ofto promote themselves and

lack of investment wereconsidered key issues by

both survey groups

One-third of universitiesidentify career breaks as

barriers to success

Insight: 3Barriers to implementing Diversity & InclusionStrategies – what is stopping the progress?

• Senior leaders not walking the talk - too much talking and notenough traction

• Middle managers not understanding the business case andnot experiencing consequences for inaction


Source: APAC Diversity & InclusionResearch Report, Mercer, 2012

• Business case not being articulated clearly enough

Insight 4:Universities lag behind in theirinvestment in leadershipdevelopment


development

Insight: 4Issues faced in investing in Leadership Development

30%

42%

38%

62%

67%

Insufficient senior leadership attention

Insufficient funds for development

Not enough time invested in development


11%

4%

42%

46%

0%

5%

33%

38%

Cannot retain leaders once they havebeen developed

Not sure where to start

Lack of urgency by the organisationaround this issue

Insufficient senior leadership attention

Universities

Australia comparison

33% of Universities spend over $5,000 on their senior leaders’development compared to 41% of Australian companies

Insight: 4How much is the right amount?


16% of Universities spend over $3,000 on their middle levelleaders’ development compared to 38% of Australian companies

Insight 5:Leaders and managers are notheld accountable fordeveloping leadership talent


developing leadership talent

To a moderate

extent

10%

Not at all

To a great

extent, 0%

To a

considerable

extent 5%

Insight: 5Developing our future leaders

76% of Universities saythey do not hold linemanagers accountablefor developing futureleaders at all or do so toa small extent.


Are Managers held accountable for

developing future leaders?

To a small

extent, 38%

Not at all

38%a small extent.

Most universitiesresponded that leadersin universities typicallyspend less than 10% oftheir time on developingleadership talent.

Insight 6:Critical leadershipcompetencies differ from thebroader market


broader market

Insight: 6Top five competencies ranked as critical for leaders tomaster over next three to five years:University Results

Strategic Drives innovation 38%

Strategic Creates strategy 33%

Personal Adaptability 29%

People Coaches and Develops Others 29%


People Coaches and Develops Others 29%

Operations Drives Performance 24%

Source: APAC Leadership Practices Survey, Mercer, 2012

Australia Results

Strategic Creates strategy 34%

People Optimises talent 34%

Strategic Drives innovation 32%

Operations Drives results 27%

Personal Adaptability 21%

Insight: 6

The quality of leadership isone of the top three factors

driving motivation and

Source: Mercer survey - What’s Working:Inside Employees’ Minds


driving motivation andengagement at work.

Insight 7:There is a strong “say and do”culture. Universities aregenerally utilising the


generally utilising theleadership developmentpractices which they considerto be most effective.

Insight: 7

Universities

Most Effective* Most Used

1. Leadership coaching delivered byexternal coaches

1. Individualised development plans

2. Mentoring 2. Mentoring

3. Individualised development plans& stretch assignments

3. Leadership coaching delivered byexternal coaches


Australian Companies

Most Effective* Most Used

1. Challenging developmentopportunities

1. Challenging developmentopportunities

2. Action Learning Program 2. Classroom training

3. Defined career paths fordeveloping leaders

3. MBA or other university programs/ overseas assignments

& stretch assignments external coaches

* As rated by respondents

What is the blueprintfor building

extraordinary leaders


extraordinary leaders

Evaluating the bench

• Individual assessment

• Leadership bench

strength

• Risk and gap analysis

on the size,

performance,

engagement and

capability of the pipeline

Evaluating the bench

• Individual assessment

• Leadership bench

strength

• Risk and gap analysis

on the size,

performance,

engagement and

capability of the pipeline

Clarify organisation

objectives

• Senior Executive

agenda

• Long-term business

needs

• Talent strategy

Clarify organisation

objectives

• Senior Executive

agenda

• Long-term business

needs

• Talent strategy

Defining leadership

requirements

• Leadership strategy

and tactics

• Success profile

• Critical roles

Defining leadership

requirements

• Leadership strategy

and tactics

• Success profile

• Critical roles

THINK SYSTEMICALLY:

MERCER 2411 October 2012 24

capability of the pipelinecapability of the pipeline

Building leadershipcapability

• Leadership skills,

knowledge, and

behaviour

• Blended learning

• Development roadmaps

and interventions

Building leadershipcapability

• Leadership skills,

knowledge, and

behaviour

• Blended learning

• Development roadmaps

and interventions

Managing pipelines

• Goal setting and

performance

evaluation

• Executive and

management

compensation

• Key role succession

Managing pipelines

• Goal setting and

performance

evaluation

• Executive and

management

compensation

• Key role succession

Measure success

• Strategy executed

• Organisation results

delivered

• Evidence-based

analytics to prove it

Measure success

• Strategy executed

• Organisation results

delivered

• Evidence-based

analytics to prove it

Documents

LEADERSHIP IN UNIVERSITIES · Barriers to implementing Diversity & Inclusion Strategies – what is stopping the progress? • Senior leaders not walking the talk - too much talking