Everyday people making a difference on college campuses: the tempered grassroots leadership tactics of faculty and staff

Abstract

This article describes a study of the tactics used by faculty and staff grassroots leaders at colleges and universities to create important changes that increase the capacity for leadership. The study identifies how academic and administrative staff, as employees within an academic culture, have access to grassroots leadership tactics that honor the norms, values and mission of the academy, while simultaneously challenging its enacted practices. The nine tactics identified are: organizing extra‐curricular intellectual opportunities; creating professional development; leveraging curricula and using classrooms as forums; working with and mentoring students; hiring like‐minded social activists; garnering resources and support; using data to tell a story; joining in – utilizing existing networks; and partnering with key external stakeholders. The study complements and adds to the grassroots leadership literature by suggesting that grassroots leadership can occur within institutionalized settings, with the techniques for change modified to fit the organizational context, in this case academic settings.

Keywords:

• leadership
• change
• academic and administrative staff
• grassroots