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This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of leadership as a governance mechanism in higher education, synthesizing insights from distributed leadership, quality assurance, and institutional performance. The study proposes a unifying conceptual framework where leadership fulfills key governance functions, enhancing institutional outcomes. The framework is grounded in contemporary higher education governance debates.

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Abstract

Higher education systems worldwide face intensifying pressures for accountability, quality, and effective governance amid continual reform. This article presents a comprehensive integrative analysis framing leadership as a governance mechanism in higher education, synthesizing insights from three prior studies on distributed leadership, contextual leadership challenges, and quality assurance. Drawing on findings that distributed leadership fosters trust and collective efficacy, that higher education leaders navigate complex challenges (e.g. bureaucratic constraints, political interference, resource limitations) especially in developing contexts, and that leadership is pivotal in implementing quality assurance for improved institutional performance, this article proposes a unifying conceptual framework. In this framework, leadership fulfills key governance functions – coordinating institutional efforts, translating accountability demands into improvement-oriented practices, and building trust – which collectively enhance institutional outcomes. The analysis is grounded in contemporary higher education governance debates and offers a model whereby leadership (encompassing both formal and distributed forms) links governance processes to educational quality and performance. By reframing leadership through a governance lens, this article contributes a novel theoretical integration and practical insights for higher education leaders and policymakers striving to improve institutional governance and outcomes.

Key findings

  • Distributed leadership fosters trust and collective efficacy
  • Leadership navigates complex challenges such as bureaucratic constraints and resource limitations
  • Leadership is pivotal in implementing quality assurance for improved institutional performance

Keywords

Cognitive reframingCorporate governanceAccountabilityDistributed leadershipFraming (construction)Public relations

Identifiers

DOI
10.31014/aior.1993.09.01.618
Journal
Education Quarterly Reviews
Year
2026