Leadership as Hosting in Higher Education: Competencies that Enhance Stakeholders' Wellbeing

Abstract

Leadership as hosting is a leadership practice that shows promise of positively impacting the wellbeing of stakeholders in higher education organizations. This chapter examines this leadership practice and its effect on the wellbeing of stakeholders of higher education. Using the methodological design of grounded theory and an appreciative inquiry (AI) lens, this study involved 54 educators, who occupied a wide array of roles in post-secondary educational organizations, participating in two iterations of an electronic Delphi, a set of semi-structured interviews, and expert interviews. Findings revealed that those educators who hosted well-created, inviting educational environments that improve stakeholders’ wellbeing were competent at building positive relationships, managing vulnerabilities, creating a culture of support and care for constituents, and displaying high levels of emotional, social, and cultural intelligence (CQ) which enhanced the wellbeing of stakeholders.

Citation

Beckford, W., Walker, K.D. and Spence, K. (2024), "Leadership as Hosting in Higher Education: Competencies that Enhance Stakeholders' Wellbeing", Walker, K.D. and Kutsyuruba, B. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Wellbeing in Higher Education: Global Perspectives on Students, Faculty, Leaders, and Institutions, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 299-313. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-504-420241022