Eighth AIMS International Conference on Management January 1-4, 2011 1501 Academic Leadership in Private B-schools Shalaka Parker shalakaparkar@rediffmail.com Dr. D.Y. Patil Group of Institutes, Pune Neeta Baporikar neetajb@rediffmail.com University of Pune, Pune 1. Introduction Management education faces an unprecedented period of accelerating growth and change in India where the quality of all – education, faculty and students is questionable. Thus, the need for, management education to develop a cadre of academic leaders who have the ability to think strategically, act collaboratively, exhibit socially responsible behaviour and add value to the corporate performance by creating globally competent students is crucial. This paper will focus on how to develop Academic (Strategic) Leadership and adopt a Strategic Planning Process in the areas of the building distinctive capabilities of the institute viz: a) People and b) External Relations. 2. Developing Strategic Academic Leadership Process 2.1 Introduction The conceptualization of ‘strategy’ as a construct is far more abstract than what is typically depicted in literature and practice. Strategic actions are purposeful, deliberate and meaningful, with the desired goal of linking the present with a desired future state. Strategy has always been considered the queen of the managerial disciplines (Boisot, 2003). Kelly (2005) states that business leaders develop strategy, whereas educational leaders develop people. However, Davies and Davies (2006) highlighted that strategic leadership is not a new categorization of leadership, but a key dimension of any leadership activity. Eacott (2007) has labelled it an educational/academic leadership ‘imperative’. From this perspective, strategic leadership is present in all theoretical perspectives of leadership irrespective of the sector. In addition, leading strategically is essential for the effective management of educational institutions. 2.2 Strategic Leadership Strategic leaders, who have high level strategic skills, involve themselves in five key activities in each of the two categories in Figure 1. Strategic Leadership. 1 What Strategic Leaders do The Characteristics Strategic Leaders Possess They set the direction of the Institute. They challenge and question - they have a dissatisfaction or restlessness with the present. They translate strategy into action. They prioritize their own strategic thinking and learning and build new mental models to frame their own and others’ understanding. They align the people, the organization and the strategy. They display strategic wisdom based on a clear value system. They determine effective strategic intervention points. They have powerful personal and professional networks. They develop strategic capabilities within the Institute. They have high quality personal and interpersonal skills. Role of Strategic Leaders: Strategic leaders focus on the core activity of building the strategic direction of the Institute which involves a process of not just looking forward from the present but establishing a strategic picture of the Institute to look like in the future and setting guidelines and frameworks for how to move forward to that position. Strategic leaders align individuals and the organization to build strategic capability. Building capacity in-depth within the school to deliver the strategy is vital. Davies (2003) outlines a four stage ABCD approach as first, articulating the strategy, in oral, written and structural ways; second, building a common understanding through shared experiences and images; third, through dialogue creating a shared mental map of the future and fourth, defining desired outcomes. These processes build a powerful understanding within the staff to enable them to contribute fully to strategic implementation . 2