A presentation given at the 17th Association of University Language Centres Conference on 7th-8th January 2016.

1. ∂
CercleS Focus Group: Management and Leadership:
Preliminary findings of a 2015 Survey of Language
Centre Directors
Mark Critchley, Director
Centre for Foreign Language Study
mark.critchley@durham.ac.uk

2. ∂
The focus group aims at creating a low threshold network for
directors for sharing challenges and questions and, by doing
this, provides collegial support in management and
leadership. Expected results are an intranet for directors to
exchange experiences, workshops and webinars for directors
and a mentoring system for new directors.
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

3. ∂
Members:
Heidi Rontu, Convenor (Aalto University, Finland)
Debbie Coetzee-Lachmann (Universität Osnabrück, Germany)
Mark Critchley (Durham University, UK)
Marta Estella (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain)
Daniela Forapani (Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy)
Petra Gekeler (Universität Basel, Switzerland)
Cristina Pérez Guillot (Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain)
Ulla Kristiina Tuomi (University of Helsinki, Finland)
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

4. ∂
Purpose of survey:
To learn about management and leadership challenges faced by
Directors of language centres, to identify common themes, and to
develop recommendations for future support
14 questions. Circulated through national associations (including
AULC) in March 2015
65 responses received
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

5. ∂
Questions:
1.What is the status of your centre in the university?
2.Do you have other duties in addition to management?
3.As a language centre director, in which areas do you
particularly wish to improve your skills?
4.From a list of core skills a manager should have, choose the
ones you feel you need to enhance in order to lead your
language centre
5.As a language centre director, in which areas would you like
to share experiences with colleagues?
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

6. ∂
6. Does your institution have an official deputy director?
What are his or her tasks and responsibilities? How do
you communicate with him or her: do you have regular
one-on-one meetings/discussions?
7. In case you have division heads (e.g. for languages) at
your institution, how do their roles and responsibilities
relate to those of the lecturers in their language groups and
to those of you as the director?
8. Can you delegate any of your work tasks? Which ones?
9. What would you consider your greatest challenge at the
moment? Why?
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

7. ∂
10. Do you get sufficient support from the University in
challenging leadership situations?
11. What kind of support would be helpful in coping with
challenges?
12. What does well-being at work mean to you?
13. Do you have support for well-being at work at your
institution?
14. What makes you happy at work?
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

8. ∂
Questions and responses, when analysed, fall into 4 broad
categories:
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

9. ∂
Of institutions responding:
•32% are autonomous institutions within the University
•60% are part of other University structures (e.g. academic
departments)
•5% are private enterprises
Broad range, very little commonality
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

10. ∂
Structures of language centres vary widely, according to:
•Number of languages
•Number of courses
•Number of students
•Number of staff and grade profile
•Proportion of freelance teachers
•Budget control
•Range of stakeholders
•Institutional policy
However, a common theme for Directors is empowerment
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

11. ∂
• 23% of Directors are full time
• 77% are lecturers, professors and teachers with Director
responsibilities
48% have a formal deputy; 29% have an informal deputy
Most commonly delegated tasks are QA, exams, pedagogical
development, and “admin tasks” … - or “nothing”
“… there is one person I trust…”
“we have a sort of deputy director”
“we have a Directory Board”
“in practice, I have to mainly work alone ….”
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

12. ∂
Director’s role is influenced by:
•Clarity of structures
•Connectivity within the institution
•Authority and responsibility
•Autonomy and support
•Communication skills
•Inter-cultural skills
•Attitudes and values
•Balance between management and administration
(i.e. workload)
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

13. ∂
3 core skills that Directors need:
•Project management 68%
•Collaboration 54%
•Leadership and people management 48%
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

14. ∂
Top 3 skills that Directors want to develop:
•Entrepreneurship 68%
•Networking and lobbying
•Strategic/organisational planning 65%
•Team building
•Financial management 48%
•HR management
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

15. ∂
Main challenges facing Directors:
•Staffing (recruitment, training, team building, motivation,
workload, skills, conflict, change management, …)
•Funding (constraints, income generation, cost control)
•Profile (internal visibility, networking, policy, competition,
marketing, internationalisation)
•Other
• Individual challenges
• Student issues (numbers, diversity, on-line learning)
• Organisation (premises, structure, pace of change,
survival)
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

16. ∂
The main issue challenging Language Centre Directors?
Support
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

17. ∂
Is support generally available?
•HR? Yes (for problem solving)
No (for resources)
•Finance? No
•Estates? occasionally
•Innovation? sometimes
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

18. ∂
Is support generally available?
•From senior management? depends
•From line manager? frequently
•From colleagues? not always
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

19. ∂
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

20. ∂
Well-being:
•A reasonable and manageable workload
•Trust and support from above and below
•Recognition
•Good atmosphere
•Work/life balance
“Well-being at work is generally associated for me with the
notion that we are making progress in solving problems,
improving relations between colleagues and delivering better
teaching to students”
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

21. ∂
According to the survey, what experiences do Directors want
to be shared?
•How to improve the profile of the Language Centre
• internally
• externally
•Quality assessment
•Facing up to leadership challenges
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

22. ∂
According to the survey, what support do Directors want to be
provided?
•Coaching
•How to enhance visibility of issues to senior management
•Workshops
•Mentoring – sharing of experiences and know-how
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

23. ∂
Suggestions and recommendations from the Focus Group:
•Dedicated fora for interchange of ideas between Directors
(via CercleS website?)
•Website with documents and resources (e.g. organisational
models, standard job profiles for key roles)
•Workshops in key skills development for Directors, for deputy
directors, or division heads
•Mobility – exchange visits
•Mentoring and coaching
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

24. ∂
Personal reflections
•We’re all in this together – collaboration not competition
•In absence of support from others, let’s support each other
•HEA learning & teaching resources in the disciplines
•AULC Management SIG
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership

25. ∂
Thankyou!
CercleS Focus Group: Management & Leadership