Dear Students

Thank you for completing the second assignment of EDML. As you know the
focus of this assignment was on investigating management and leadership and
the application thereof within a Higher Education environment. Within this
context the aim of this feedback is to provide you with general guidelines related
to the completion of the assignment. You will focus more on leadership during
the workshops, so only brief detail related to the topic will be provided here.
What may be important to clarify is what you were required to report on in this
assignment. If you read through the instructions you will note that you were
asked to include detail related to the following in the assignment:

Introduction of management vs leadership

Outline of various tensions, overlaps and differences between management
and leadership
Compilation of a working definition related to management and leadership
Explanation of how this definition relates to the requirements of management
and leadership explained in the Reporting Regulations (2012) 1
An explanation of the leadership or management style or combination of
various styles to ensure that the standards set in the Reporting Regulations
are being met
A conclusion to indicate whether you agree with Smith and Hughey (2006) 2
that leadership is imperative in HE

To answer the above effectively you had to read through a number of prescribed
sources and conduct your own research related to management and leadership.
Before examining the key components of these sources it may be valuable to
start the feedback of by examining what governance is, as you will later see it
provides the foundation for effective management and leadership. If you read
the King III Report3 you will note that governance are described as all processes
where people are governed through laws, norms, power or language. It is
interaction and decision-making among actors involved that lead to the creation,
reinforcement, reproduction of social norms and institutions. Within the Higher
Education context it refers to mechanisms (including leadership and

Department of Higher Education and Training. 2012. Regulations for Reporting by Public Higher Education
Institutions.
http://www.google.co.za/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.za
%2Fdocuments%2Fdownload.php%3Ff
%3D179559&ei=56UjVNWAJZCf7gaz54GgDQ&usg=AFQjCNFQH8LQKQYL4saLCCfep2RFHX6iXg&bvm=bv.76247
554,d.ZGU (Accessed: 25 April 2015).

2 Smith, B.L. & Hughey, A.W. 2006. Leadership in Higher Education Its Evolution and Potential: A Unique Role
Facing Critical Challenges. Industry and Higher Education, 20(3): 157-163

SAICA.
2013.
King
Report
on
Corporate
Governance.
https://www.saica.co.za/Technical/LegalandGovernance/King/tabid/2938/language/en-ZA/Default.aspx
(Accessed: 25 April 2015)

management)
that
ensure
interaction
and
decision-making
effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and accountability.

towards

The question is thus, within the context of governance, what are leadership and
management? From sources such as Smith and Hughey (2006) and Bush (2007) 4
you could derive that leadership has a lot to do with taking action confronting
situations as they occur and dealing with them in the most effective and efficient
manner possible. Effective leadership is essential if the obstacles to change are
to be overcome. Management can be seen as maintaining efficiently, and
effectively current organisational arrangements. While managing well often
exhibits leadership skills, the overall function is toward maintenance rather than
change. These are only basic explanations of both concepts and you were
required to conduct your own research to identify and expand on the key
characteristics of each.
If you search the Web you will note that there are many sources that try to
differentiate between management and leadership. The following source
provides a summary that you can use as a starting point to conduct your own
research:

The manager administers; the leader innovates.

The manager maintains; the leader develops.
The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.
The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range
perspective.
The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
The manager imitates; the leader originates.
The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
The manager plans and budgets; the leader creates vision and strategy
The manager is generally directing and controlling; the leader allows room for
others to grow, and change him/her in the process
The manager acts as boss; the leader acts as coach, facilitator, and servant
The manager maintains stability; the leader creates change
The manager creates a culture of efficiency; the leader creates a culture of
integrity (Prussakov, [sa])5

Based on the research that you had conducted, you were required to compile
working definitions to explain what you think management and leadership within
the Higher Education environment should encapsulate. There is no right or wrong
answer to this as long as you were able to substantiate your definitions based
on statements or viewpoints from authoritative sources. Many of you explained
4 Bush, T. 2007. Educational Leadership and Management: Theory, Policy and Practice.

South African Journal of

Education, 27(3): 39-406.

(Prussakov,
G.
[Sa].
20
Differences
Between
Management
and
Leadership.
http://www.amnavigator.com/blog/2009/05/12/20-differences-between-management-leadership/ (Accessed: 24
April 2015).

what sources see as management and leadership but did not extend the
argument to compiling your own workable definitions. Therefore, in future ensure
that you include this information as part of the answer to such a question.
Related to the Reporting Regulations (2012) you had to determine what the
document sees as management and leadership in order to determine which style
to propose. This is however not such an easy task as the document refer to both
concepts interchangeably. The following is a summary of the leadership and
management roles described in the document:

Leaders should rise to the challenges of modern governance. Such leadership

is characterised by ethical values of responsibility, accountability, fairness,
transparency and based on moral duties.

Responsible leaders direct institutional strategies and operations with a view

to achieve sustainable economic, social and environmental performance.
(Performance can be seen as a management function.)

Leadership requires the promotion of economy, efficiency, effectiveness and

ethical behaviour in accordance with relevant legislation depending on
adequate management measures for planning, budgeting, authorisation,
control, evaluation of the procurement and utilisation of resources. (In this
context the focus is more on management than on leadership if you refer
back to the definitions of management and leadership.)

Leaders in HE are forced to look ahead for a decade and beyond in an

endeavour to anticipate the demands of a changing environment and the way
in which they would plan to satisfy these demands. (Planning can be both a
leadership and a management function.)

Leaders should comply with relevant standards of accountability for their

governance and management and in their financial reporting. (This relates
closely to management.)

Leaders refer to individuals or groups of individuals that assume fiduciary

and/or management responsibilities by means of delegated management.
(The focus is more on being a manager.)

Leaders are required to give a regular account of the results of exercising

those delegated powers. In discharging this obligation it is essential that
performance be assessed and measured against projected outcomes, plans
and targets. (Again, if you look at the differentiation between management
and leadership this component may be categorised as management.)

Based on the interchangeable use of management and leadership in the

Reporting Regulations 2012) we need to ask ourselves which management and
or leadership style will be most applicable to achieve the above and why? Many
of you saw the standards set by the Reporting Regulations (2012) a rigid and
therefore view the stance of the Department of Higher Education as quite
3

autocratic. For many of you the transformational leadership styles was therefore
the obvious choice as this will provide leaders with the opportunity to break the
strict rules set by the Department and lead their institutions in an autonomous
manner to cater for needs set by industry, government and society.
The Institute for Performance Management (2015) 6 provides the following
definition of transformational leadership that you may find interesting:
Transformational leadership is a model of leadership that meets both the
challenges of a rapidly changing environment and the need to emotionally
engage everyone within the institution. How does your understanding about
transformational leadership link to this definition?
Other types of leadership / management styles that could have been
incorporated include Ubuntu, contingent, participative or managerial. You can
refer to Bush (2007) for more detail on each of these types. It may also be
possible to use a combination of these, depending on the governance style and
sustainability of an institution. Examples related to a Higher Education Institution
may have helped you to explain the application of the leadership / management
styles and how it will ensure the achievement of the standards set by the
Reporting Regulations (2012).
What was also important within the above context was to explain how
management and / or leadership styles are to be applied in various managerial
structures within a Higher Education institution. You could have built on the
information provided by the Reporting Regulations (2012) in terms of the roles
and functions of for example the Vice Chancellor, middle management, Senate,
etc. Not all management and leadership styles apply equally to these hierarchies
of management and a breakdown of the management and / or leadership style/s
applied to each would have given you the opportunity to display your analytical
and evaluative skills.
In conclusion you were required to argue a case for the importance of leadership
within Higher Education as described by Smith and Hughey (2006). This case
should have been based on the importance of leadership to drive change within
the Higher Education environment. Whereas many of the standards identified in
the Reporting Regulations relates to management, there is a case to be made for
leaders to give direction and vision for Higher Education in South Africa. Your
case should have been based on research related to the importance of Higher
Education to adapt and cater for industry needs and contributing to the
development of a socio-economic infrastructure through education and training
that will ensure the achievement of goals set out in, for example the National
Development Plan (2013).

Institute for Performance Management. 2015. 11-Step Methodology for Performance Governance.
Unpublished.

I thought that I may share some information from students with you who
provided insight that is valuable to acknowledge. Brian referred to a term
leaderment coined by Simonet and Tett (2012) 7 which I though am an
interesting term to try and combine the importance of linking leadership and
management with one another.
Danell provided a very interesting allegory of a goldfish that you can easily linked
to the importance of leadership, management and the necessity of both to
ensure effective and efficient operations. The allegory goes like this: Once a
goldfish lived in a pond. The water in the pond was very dirty and slime and
algae was hanging from his fins and gills. This was a very unhappy goldfish. One
day a very concerned person saw the unhappy goldfish in the dirty pond and
took it out. This concerned person washed and cleaned the goldfish. The
goldfish was not a very happy fish. The fish was now very motivated to show the
world how shiny and pretty he was. He could not wait to go back to the pond. A
while after back in the pond the same slime and algae from before grow back
over him and after a while no one could tell or see that he concerned person
cleaned and polished him. The goldfish represents students; the concerned
person is the educator and the fishpond the classroom or higher education
institutions. Those of us, who are educators, spend a lot of time polishing fish
(Pratt, 1997)8. My question to Danell, and all of you is where does leadership and
management fit into this allegory and how is it important to keep the fishbowl
clean? This can become and interesting discussion to explore the necessity of
management and leadership in higher education.
Jane provided an excellent example of a leader within the Higher Education
context. She described the key characteristics of Prof Rocky Palebipi Simela as a
working example of an excellent leader. You can read more on this case study by
accessing the following source HESA. 2009. First Among Equals.
http://www.hesa.org.za/sites/www.hesa.org.za/files/2009_HESA_HELM%20First
%20Among%20Equals.pdf (Accessed: 28 April 2015).
I hope that the information provided above will assist you in expanding your
thinking of the importance of leadership and management in Higher Education
and will provide you with some guidance on areas where you can improve your
assignment. The question you ultimately need to ask if whether there is currently
space for leadership in Higher Education. Given the poor state of many Higher
Education institutions, should rigorous management principles not be applied to
create sustainability before leadership principles are introduced?
I want to leave you with this quotation of Mr Mandela about leadership:

Simonet, D.V and Tett, R.P.2012. Five Perspectives on the LeadershipManagement Relationship: A
Competency-Based Evaluation and Intergration. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies. SAGE

8 Pratt, D. 1997. How Shiny is your Goldfish and Other Cautionary Tales. Peakhurst: N.S.W.
5

It is better to lead from behind and put others in front, especially when you
celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is
danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership (Nelson Mandela).
How will Higher Education improve, do you think if we follow the above
philosophy, not just related to each institution, but more importantly in the
classroom where you are required to be the educational leader?