New higher education president integration: change and resistance viewed through social power bases and a change model lens

ABSTRACT

This study investigates how new presidents of higher education institutions struggle to understand their organisations, paying special attention to campus resistance, and how new presidents manage institutional dynamics and expectations. A qualitative study using a phenomenological approach is conducted with 11 single-campus presidents of four-year institutions, all of whom had been in post for less than four years. Lewin’s change model, along with French and Raven’s bases of power model, provides the conceptual framework for the study. Participant responses are categorised into four themes: disequilibrium, change/transition, resistance and change readiness. The results show that institutional discord was common and all presidents struggled to navigate the change process. All presidents found their position to be more challenging than expected. Presidents who utilised good data presentation and communication alongside transparent leadership often earned referential or expert power; these presidents were better prepared to influence change efforts and reduce resistance to change initiatives.

KEYWORDS:

• Higher education president
• new leader
• change agent
• leadership transition
• bounded rationality
• resistance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.