A leader-follower exchange perspective of academic talent development in higher education

Abstract

This study examines the development of academic talent in higher education from a social exchange and organisation support perspective. More specifically the study investigates to what extent a quality leader-member exchange relationship between a chair of department and an academic staff member contributes to the perceived development of academic talent in higher education. The leader-member exchange theory was applied in this study to examine the influence of the quality of the relationship between an academic leader and a follower on supervisory support for development as well as its ultimate effect on perceptions of organisation investment in employee development. Insight into the said quality and the effect of this relationship would provide greater clarity to leaders about the development of academic talent in higher education. The study employed a mixed-method approach that combined quantitative and qualitative data collection. Quantitative data was collected from participants (members of academic staff as followers) through an online survey, and qualitative data was collected from leaders (chairs of academic departments as developers of academic staff) through conducting one-on-one interviews. In addition, a theoretical model of the hypothesised relationships between leaders and followers was tested using path analysis. The study found new evidence of the ways in which relationship resources embodied in the leader-member exchange relationship between supervisors (leaders) and employees (followers) influenced employee perceptions of both supervisory and organisation support for development. The results also demonstrated how leadermember exchange theory, combined with theoretical work on organisation support, helped to explain and understand the critical role of supervisors in developing academic staff. This study suggests that leader-member exchange theory could be used as an appropriate leadership theory for application in the development of academic talent in higher education. In addition specific development practices for a chair of department in their roles as developers were also presented.