Sopromadze, Natia (2017) Emotion in leadership: a cross-cultural study of heads of department and academic staff at Georgian and English universities. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

The thesis examines the emotional experience of departmental leadership from the perspectives of heads of department (HoDs) and academic staff across Georgian and English universities. While scholarly interest in the emotional side of educational leadership is growing, cross-cultural research on the emotional dynamics of HoD-staff relationships in academia remains fragmented. To understand the interplay between emotion, higher education (HE) leadership and culture, a sequential mixed-methods design was adopted. An online bilingual questionnaire, pretested through cognitive interviews, was combined with vignette-based semi-structured interviews. In total, 296 individuals responded to the survey from 20 universities, eight in Georgia and 12 in England. Out of those surveyed, 39 participated in individual interviews. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed in SPSS to analyse the survey results while a thematic analysis of the interview data was conducted using NVivo. Triangulating the quantitative and qualitative findings allowed the research problem to be seen from multiple angles, providing complementary rather than confirmatory evidence. The study found that the emotional experience of departmental leadership was shaped by unique contextual features of the comparison academia. The results showed discrepancies between the HoDs’ self-perceptions of their leadership and the way it was perceived by the academic staff. Yet, there was general agreement that the HoD’s ability to walk in others’ shoes and engage the hearts was central to departmental leadership. Apart from highlighting the academic staff’s concerns, the analysis suggested the need to understand the emotional demands of the HoD’s role. The study makes an original contribution to knowledge as it is the first to compare the emotional dimensions of HE leadership in Georgia and England. To date, there is no published research on middle leadership at a Georgian university and this work adds to the limited knowledge base on the former Soviet academia. The study also contributes to cross-cultural research methodology with an innovative research design. The findings carry practical implications that inform departmental leadership selection and development across culturally diverse universities.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Work -- Psychological aspects, Emotions -- Social aspects, Emotional intelligence, Emotions, Universities and colleges -- Administration, Work environment -- Psychological aspects
Official Date:	September 2017
Dates:	Date Event September 2017 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Centre for Education Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Moorosi, Pontso
Sponsors:	Chancellor's International Scholarship
Extent:	xii, 242 leaves :illustrations.
Language:	eng

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