“Architects of Change or Its Victim”: University Presidents’ Perspectives on the Role of Competing Values During the COVID-19 Crisis

Jon McNaughtan, Hugo Garcia, Sarah Schiffecker, Santiago Castiello-Gutierrez, Xinyang Li

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Presidents have difficult roles regardless of systemic context and in times of crisis their work is especially complex. While the body of work on presidents generally is growing, understanding of their role in crisis is underdeveloped. In this study, we enhance research on presidential crisis leadership by applying the competing values framework to a unique set of interviews with 14 presidents from eight nations. Our results highlight the value tensions that were and are experienced by presidents during crisis as these leaders manage local needs with national guidance. The most common values discussed include control, collaborate, and create, while the value of compete was rarely referenced.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)200-226
Number of pages27
JournalJournal of Higher Education
Volume95
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Presidents
  • competing values
  • crisis leadership
  • international leadership

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