On being a university head of department

Abstract

This article describes the role of the head of department in chartered and statutory British universities, drawing upon five research studies carried out over the past eight years. It describes how heads are appointed, their main activities, their main problems and how the role compares in chartered and statutory universities. The role is a crucial one for universities and is characterised by complexity and long working hours. Lack of preparedness for, and inadequate induction into, the role is problematic, especially in chartered universities where heads are often elected for relatively short fixed terms. The main problems encountered by heads relate to staffing issues and to being at the interface between the university and the department. Many heads feel inadequately supported either by senior managers or by the university’s non-academic ‘support’ departments.The most significant difference between the role in the two types of university is the different emphases on research.