"Purposeful connectedness" a critical goal in higher education leadership

Mirroring what has been found as the emerging model for 21st century leadership in business and governmental sectors, Richard Sharpe advocates that higher education leaders need to help their institutions abandon the individualistic academic model and move toward a more connected model that embraces a shared vision that brings disparate sub-groups together. While not referencing Ron Heifetz "adaptive leadership" perspective, Sharpe's view reflects similar ideas - that leadership is about identifying questions that are important to the academic community and then engaging all stakeholders in the challenging work of identifying plausible strategies to deal with their changing circumstances. The "divided university" that privileges autonomy to the detriment of the institution could undermine viability in the future, a dilemma that calls for moving away from bureaucratic to connective and adaptive leadership.