1. EDI Leadership and Change Agency in Canadian Academe: An Analysis of Democratic Discourses of Senior Leaders.
- Author
-
SHAIBAH, ARIG AL
- Subjects
- *
COLLEGE administrators , *EDUCATIONAL leadership , *RACISM , *CABINET system , *ORGANIZATIONAL change - Abstract
This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study which was undertaken to examine the speech patterns of Canadian university administrators when discussing their perspectives of (1) the barriers to and enablers of educational equity and (2) the extent to which their identity/positionality influences their leadership capacity to advance educational equity. The study aimed to uncover and examine the dominant ideological perspectives and discursive practices of senior administrators in relation to educational equity. The findings uncover discourses of democratic racism across the ten narrative interviews. An analysis of the ideologies underpinning these discursive barriers suggests that change agency is related to both diverse leadership and diversity leadership – identity/positionality and consciousness/proficiency to influence change. The paper reinforces calls for sectorwide and institution-specific efforts (1) to diversify senior administrative teams, with a particular emphasis on cabinet level racial and gender diversity, and (2) to increase the level of proficiency among senior administrative teams to effect more transformative change. Moreover, the paper suggests that contemporary and critical models of leadership, governance, and organizational change are needed to meaningfully advance and account for EDI change in the academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF