Abstract

In academia, the professional context of middle leadership is complex. Developing middle leaders must address this complexity. This article draws on an integrated systems perspective to explore the factors that affect middle leadership development at Qatar University. This qualitative phenomenological study employed a thematic analysis, drawing on semi-structured interviews with 16 academic middle leaders from different colleges and departments. These middle leaders came from different backgrounds and held various positions such as department heads, center managers, and associate deans. The interconnection of the three dimensions: intrapersonal, relational, and institutional was addressed. This integration has certain implications for future middle leadership development training that enable them to operate academic institutions more effectively. Implications reveal the need for balance to be maintained between managerial and academic responsibilities and tasks taking into consideration the leaders’ personal identities, their relationships with both senior leaders and faculty, and the institutional environment to which they belong.

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