For academic line managers, transitioning a department into a dual-intensive model that emphasises both excellent teaching and high-quality research is a significant challenge. The research-teaching nexus (RTN) represents a dynamic relationship between research and teaching,…
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In some universities, academic departments are tasked with delivering exceptional teaching while simultaneously increasing research output. Transitioning a department from a teaching-intensive model to a dual-intensive culture—where excellent student experience and research performance coexist—can seem…
A Common Challenge for New Academic Managers Picture this: It’s your first few months as a line manager of academic staff. You’re leading a departmental meeting, and you notice one academic sitting back, arms folded,…
Coach Yourself!: Navigating Your Path as a First-Time Academic Manager Congratulations on stepping into the role of an academic line manager! You’ve moved from being an excellent academic professional—perhaps an inspiring teacher, productive researcher, or…
Managing academic staff can be challenging, particularly if you’re a first-time line manager navigating the delicate balance between fostering autonomy and ensuring adherence to deadlines. Academics, driven by intellectual freedom and creativity, sometimes do not…
As a manager or mentor of a disruptive early-career academic with potential, you might face the challenge of navigating the fine line between encouraging their ambition and addressing problematic behaviours. This case presents a particularly…
Strategies for first-time line managers to motivate and support academics struggling to meet objectives, are often hard to come by when you assume the role of manager. For academics, whose work often combines teaching, research,…
As an early career academic, finding out that a colleague has published your ideas can feel both discouraging and intimidating. You might worry about causing conflict or damaging professional relationships, especially when you’re just…
As an academic, you are already juggling responsibilities like teaching, research, publishing, and administrative tasks. While your expertise is undeniable, the ability to manage these diverse responsibilities efficiently is just as crucial. Have you ever…
Stepping into an academic leadership role is an exciting milestone, yet it can also bring self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy. Imposter syndrome—characterised by persistent self-doubt and the belief that success is undeserved—affects many high-achieving professionals,…
As a first-time line manager in a university setting, you may have already discovered that managing academics is not always straightforward. One particularly difficult situation is knowing what to do when a staff member lies…
For first-time line managers in universities, stepping into a leadership role often brings a mix of excitement and apprehension – how do I manage staff with more experience than me? This is especially true when…
Teaching academics often struggle to balance their responsibilities for student learning with research activities. With increasing pressure to produce research that leads to articles and successful funding applications, it’s essential to find a balance that…
If you are ambitious and want to advance your career in academia, you’ll know that funding is essential for your work. Many universities provide internal opportunities to apply for funding. These are a good way…
I’ve worked with a lot of academic staff over the past two decades. As a manager I have discussions about personal development, performance, individual ambitions and how I can support colleagues to achieve their goals….
Performance management in professional working environments is essential. Organisations like universities need staff to collaborate and to continuously improve. Professional staff like academics, professors and researchers often exercise a lot of control over how they…
Managing a researcher who is resistant to teaching or supporting university students can be a delicate situation for any academic manager. While the primary responsibility of a researcher is to conduct high-quality research, universities are…
Performance review meetings with researchers are an essential part of effective performance management. Traditional managers might place more emphasis on an annual performance review meeting (or ‘appraisal’) and this could be quite a formal affair….
“If you knew you couldn’t possibly fail, what would you try?” This is a favourite staple of executive coaches, and for good reason. It strips away everything that inhibits your achievement, and gets you to…
I used to believe my colleagues’ stories. I’d just moved from the manufacturing industry into academia. I was an engineer that used a lot of technology in my job. I wanted a change and became…