Women academic leaders in the process of transition: a study of institutional heads in Germany and the USA
研究了德国和美国新上任的女性高校领导在转型初期的经历，发现建立正式支持结构（如辅导、指导）对她们有价值，并指出年龄对有家庭和年幼子女的女性有实际影响。
Higher education institutions (HEIs) are mostly led by professors drawn from within the ranks of the academic profession who are not specifically trained for leadership. Moving into top leadership positions requires a change of perspective, moving away from an inward-viewing individual focus into an outward-oriented institutional approach [Ruben, B., R. De Lisi, and R. Gigliotti. 2017. A Guide for Leaders in Higher Education. Core Concepts, Competencies and Tools. VA: Stylus Publishing], which is important for academic and administrative effectiveness [Gigliotti, R., and B. D. Ruben. 2017. “Preparing Higher Education Leaders: A Conceptual, Strategic, and Operational Approach.” Journal of Leadership Education 16 (1): 96–114. https://doi.org/10.12806/V16/I1/T1, 96]. While some degree of turbulence may occur, leadership transitions should ideally run smoothly and without greater periods of instability or insecurity, thereby maintaining continuity with the institution’s mission and serving to ground the institution [Van Mannen, J., and E. H. Schein. 1977. Toward a Theory of Organizational Socialization. Greenwich: JAI Press; Zenk, L. R., and K. Seashore Louis. 2018. “Mission as Metaphor: Reconceptualizing How Leaders Utilize Institutional Mission.” Teachers College Record 120 (9): 1–34]. To date little research has explored the experiences of HE leadership transitions, e.g. within the first 18 months of office. This study focusses on recently-elected women HEI leaders in Germany and the US, two countries chosen for their similar federal governance structures. Adapting a model of transition put forward by Manderscheid & Ardichvili, ([Manderscheid, S., and A. Ardichvili. 2008. “A Conceptual Model for Leadership Transition.” Performance Improvement Quarterly 20 (3-4): 113–129. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.20006]), in association with post-heroic leadership theory, our findings from 10 qualitative interviews indicate the value in creating formal support structures and programming opportunities including coaching, mentoring, and cohort building for new women leaders. The comparative consideration of leadership trajectory structures in both countries indicate that there are particular considerations related to age that hold real-life implications for those with families and young children.