The European Women Rectors Association (EWORA) is pleased to announce 2nd EWORA Workshop Leadership in Higher Education and Research: Values-Complexities and Decision Making which will be held at the University of Valencia, Spain on 26-28th May 2020.
In this workshop the complexities that leaders navigate in decision-making processes will be explored and the influence of values in mediating complexity will be shared through keynotes, panel discussions and interactive workshops. EWORA cordially invites women in leadership positions at universities and research organizations, gender experts and members of higher education networks to join us at the workshop.
According to Magna Charta/Living Values Project ‘universities today face tremendous complexity and uncertainty. This is due to the increasingly varied expectations of internal and more numerous and diverse external stakeholders, the changing dynamics of national and international politics, increased competition for students and funding, challenges arising from internationalisation, and the rapid evolution of technology and communication’. The 2nd EWORA Workshop will question the extent to which this complexity impacts leadership decision making and explore whether values-based approaches present opportunities to navigate these complexities while advancing the values of equity and gender equality.
In a values-based approach, universities need to define their values explicitly, clearly communicate them to staff, students and stakeholders and demonstrate that their values inform practice. As such, values remain an essential tool in offering universities guidance for conduct and decision-making.
The forces of change require prompt decisions and actions in the highly competitive Higher Education and Research area. Conflicting demands and the necessity for rapid responses can create challenging situations for decision-makers where they may be required to choose between conflicting priorities. The question is how to design decision making processes, which involve stakeholders, maintain public trust and at the same time create new success stories for the future of the university? Can revisiting values support decision making processes?
One of the most important values in HE is equity-equality. The main objective of EWORA is to advance gender equality in leadership, and this workshop will question how the value of equity-equality can be incorporated in decision making processes and contribute to the empowerment of women academics.
- How can a leader advance gender equality as a core university value?
- How can values challenge and change policies for greater gender equality?
- What is the role of female leaders in reconciling values with change processes?
- What are the potential challenges that a leader encounters while making decisions to support young female academics’ careers?
- Is female leadership significant to university reform in terms of gender equality?
- To what extent is effective communication significant in managing complexities in decision making?
This workshop will empower established leaders and inspire young leaders who will learn the strategies that senior women leaders apply while dealing with complexities.
We cordially invite you to attend the 2nd EWORA Workshop and look forward to working together to increase women’s effectiveness at decision making levels in higher education and research.