Values and personal power in times of change
Introduction: The times they are changing?
With the recent focus on International Women’s Day and the many insightful comments and perspectives from women around the world, it got me thinking about values and power, specifically on a personal level.
Having spent over 30 years working in the higher education system, there is one thing that has remained a constant in my professional life: an intentional desire to ‘hold onto’ my personal values. This sounds relatively easy but can often be complex and tiring work, particularly in the current volatile educational environment. Undoubtedly, we are right in the middle of some very turbulent times in higher education at a global level. I am sure there is not one person reading this that does not realise that the international university sector is in a state of flux – characterised by evolving financial environments, developments in AI and of course, constant reviews and new policy.
Alongside these broader shifts within tertiary education, universities are simultaneously undergoing a significant decline in student enrolments. For example, within Australia domestic commencing undergraduates decreased by 8.2 % between 2021-2022. To put this in perspective: this is the lowest number of commencing domestic undergraduate students since 2013. Other countries including the UK and the US are also similarly experiencing declining undergraduate markets. Undoubtedly the combination of increasing cost of living combined with stronger labour markets have contributed to this situation in some countries.
As I write, many universities across Australia (and beyond) are making drastic and long-term decisions that will impact the sector and those who work within it. Such developments do beg the question about how an individual, particularly in a leadership role, can retain their personal values within such an unstable and emotionally charged environment.
Volatility and the gender gap
Amidst this ongoing sectorial ‘flux’, one thing remains a constant: the under-representation of women in higher education leadership roles. As the Times Higher Education reported last year – amongst the top 200 universities, only 48 are led by women, effectively one in four. Within Australia, between 2001 and 2021, there was an average of 9 female university vice-chancellors across the possible 43+ universities. The statistics are equally damning when analysing the numbers of women across the professoriate. A recent report indicated that it will be the late 2030s before we have equal representation between male and female academics at Associate Professor level or above.
There are many reasons for this difference. Not least of which is the ways the very structures of university often invisibly work against women in terms of their advancement. This is often subtly manifested in the validation of the ‘individual’, a focus on being a ‘fast professor’, a situation that Acker and McGinn (2021)argue ‘translates into a mantra of “publish or perish,” and increasingly, “funding or famine”’ (Quake, 2009). Indeed, in their academic roles, women frequently have to navigate a ‘tightrope’ of bias, required to strike a delicate balance between competence and compassion. In her wonderful Women-Space blog Helen Nolan reflected on how the established expectations for women leaders are that we should be affable, warm, nurturing and, ultimately, benign. That is: a low threat. Women often walk a tight rope or duality between ensuring we are not too aggressive but equally are ‘tough’ enough to do the job, score the points and achieve the outcomes (Nolan, in Women-Space Blog).
But there are other ways of being an ‘academic’ – for example there is an emerging slower scholarship movement which reflects the concept of ‘care’ or ‘caring’ including a desire to engage and experiment across disciplines. In Australia, one excellent example is @Agnes Bosanquet’s blog entitled The Slow Academic – I recommend you have a look. However, despite the growing interest in being ‘slow; undoubtedly ‘the research eco-system remains “‘structurally hostile’ to such slow-based reform” (Acker & McGinn, 2021).
Whilst all university leaders may feel somewhat overwhelmed by the constant change being experienced; for female leaders, these feelings may be overlaid with the additional pressure of navigating both a ‘tightrope of bias’ as well as conforming to a particular ideal of research and research activity.
Circles of Control: A means of coping!
One concept that I have found helpful when navigating the nuances of change from a female perspective is the concept of Circles of Control (Stephen Covey). At its core, this concept is about focusing your energy where it matters most.
As the image shows, there are three ‘circles’ with the innermost referring to anything that you have direct control over – this might be certain actions, decisions or even your particular mindset. The next circle relates to what you have ‘influence’ over, in other words those factors you can directly impact, maybe the team culture or certain institutional processes and practices. The outer circle reflects those areas that ‘concern’ you: generally, things that you worry about but cannot control — financial trends, university redundancy processes, or just other people’s perspectives.
Throughout my career, I have witnessed people focussing much energy on that outer circle or those things they are largely unable to control. Invariably this focus has had significant emotional fallout. This ‘fallout’ can include high levels of frustration when people are unable to ‘change’ or resolve the issues. And to be honest, I have also been guilty of this! Focussing too much on the ‘Circle of Concern’ invariably leads to anxiety, worry, and a sense of being powerless. One way of shifting these feelings is to consciously ‘refocus’ your attention to things that are within your Circle of Control. Being intentional in this act can really assist in reaffirming your power and self-confidence.
For myself, I have identified four key things that are within my Circle of Control, and which (I hope) can make some small difference to how I lead, shared below:
1. I have realised that one key item within my circle of control is the capacity to share alternative stories of being and doing in academia. This provides an alternative narrative to that of the ‘fast professor’ and creates a space to consider values and power as female academics.
2. The greatest impact on my career has not been my own perception of my skills or abilities (which generally I question and minimise) but instead by far the most influential have been other people (only ever women in my case) that have encouraged me to apply for a role or put myself forward for an opportunity. We all have the capacity to encourage and support other women within our circles of control!
3. I acknowledge the need to clearly articulate my own values clearly and regularly: Articulating what I stand for and wish to achieve. Such clarity helps with prioritising goals, making decisions in line with values, and communicating vision to others. It also helps team members to understand what is important to the leader and what the ultimate goals are.
4. I have intentionally made friends with my inner mentor. We all have one but some of us choose not to get too close! My inner mentor is an older wiser version of myself but equally it is the person I would like to be. Part of that involves continually checking in with my values. Adopting an ongoing reflexivity in relation to my own practice, firmly based on my own values. This might take the form of simply reflecting on an action and considering what might my inner mentor (who is guided by a clear set of values) think / do / advise on this occasion. So, a bit like a voice that can assist in making the tough decisions, or charting a more unique path.
I titled this piece ‘Values and Personal Power” as I see both as being inextricably linked. Identifying your values provides the necessary foundations for exercising power without the fear of falling off that tightrope of bias. Remembering to avoid that trap of waiting for power to arrive as it is already there (and well within your circle of control). Power exists within all of us, but we may have dampened that down or we may have changed our behaviour according to social or professional expectations or norms. But focussing more on what exists within your ‘circle of control’ can help to further channel that power and ensure you engage in positive values led behaviours.
Distinguished Professor Sarah O’Shea
Charles Sturt University, Dean, Graduate Education
Women-Space Associate
March 2025