Leadership Work related pressure Personal characteristics
How academics respond, adapt and cope with the transformational changes in the
factor has four aspects, namely: attitude to change, cultural differences, work ethic and passion for the work.
Figure 7.3 Four aspects of personal characteristics Attitude to change
An academic who has a more relaxed attitude to change, similar to the seasoned academic type, may have acquired skills to help them deal more readily with change. Survival in the workplace and the package of skills needed to realise this, is a coping mechanism adopted by academics, who are not afraid to compromise, and whose objective is the sustainability of their place at work.
For instance, a seasoned Monash academic noted that:
… what I think is, as like a mature person, it depends on how you take it. I find that some
academics, they are very good at like the rearranging things according to their, you know their interests and what they want to do. But some are struggling. I don’t know
whether it’s this model or it’s that normal, like you know, nature; like some people can’t
accept changes and some people can. I think it’s very important to highlight the package
of skills where you can survive in the workplace, doesn’t matter where you are. (Management Assoc. Professor, Monash) (Interview 5, p11)
Personal characteristics Attitude to change Work ethic Passion for work Cultural differences
How academics respond, adapt and cope with the transformational changes in the
Work ethic
Others, similar to the academics with a vocation type, have a personal motivation that is driven by a heightened sense of professional obligation. Analysis of the interviews indicates that this idea stems from the notion that you must deal with the hand that you have been dealt and it is an individual’s professional responsibility to successfully deliver what is expected of them.
For instance, a Monash academic with a vocation noted that:
… because I didn’t say that it’s harder or not. What I’m saying is that we have a position
of trust and we have an obligation not to breach that trust. So if I have 500 students, I need to find a way how to deal with that. If I have five students, then I’ll deal with that
cohort accordingly. So it’s not a matter of 500 or 5000, it’s a matter of you have an
obligation, the whole Institute is actually, they are trusting you and you have to find ways how to deliver in a good quality … (Accounting Lecturer, Monash) (Interview 16,
p23)
Further to this notion of taking personal responsibility, some academics are motivated by the challenge to do more and so increase their energy levels to meet the challenge. The increase in energy levels though may come at the expense of what might be otherwise be considered leisure time.
A University of Melbourne academic with a vocation commented that:
… a high energy level is a pretty good substitute for brains and rose to pretty high levels, you do things. So that all those things were there and alright, it’s a modest statement
I’m sure of it, but if you talk to lots of people like me, I’m sure their reactions would be the same as mine. Oh of course there’s time left over. If there’s not stay awake another ten minutes and do it. (Accounting Professor, Melbourne) (Interview 19, p15)
Universities create academic workloads to meet certain minimum standards, such as the need to publish in top level journals there are still many academics, who do a lot more than the minimum requirements. Academics, similar to those with a vocation, who have a strong work ethic exercise this autonomy and adjust their work schedules and environment, with the aid of technology, to spend more time working in their discipline area.
For example, two Monash academics with a vocation noted about personal work ethic that: … there are two aspects of workloads … One is the institutional required workloads; another is self-motivated workloads. You could work in the environment where there is no
How academics respond, adapt and cope with the transformational changes in the
requirement, you can just take it easy and everyone takes it easy but you yourself work
like mad because you like the work, for no other reasons. (Engineering Professor,
Monash) (Interview 10, p2)
… it’s not fundamentally driven by the university or by the things that … I think it’s more
than my personality, it’s what is ultimately attractive about working in a university, that you have got some control over when you work and how you work and technology
has made it easier. (Management Professor, Monash) (Interview 26, p5)
Passion for work
The healthiest form of personal drive is to be guided by doing something you find satisfying. The interview analysis indicates that academics who enjoy their work, whether it is teaching or research, find it easiest to cope with change. Of course, the workplace circumstances of the individual academic need to be supportive and provide the requisite resources for the academic to do their work. Many academics tolerate difficult circumstances in order for them to pursue their passion, and so when the university is supportive and provides the requisite resources, there can be no greater satisfaction for a dedicated academic.
A passion for research can lead to high output of research papers which in turn, attract support from the university, as the following comment from two University of Melbourne academics with a vocation shows:
I enjoy research now whereas in the early days it was something that you basically needed to do … when I published I’d send something off to a journal and then until I heard
something back I’d think, oh good that’s the research done. Whereas now I’ve got, always got two or three things that I’m writing on and I’m anxious to get started on the next paper.
So it’s been a, it’s sort of a slow burning love affair that probably in the last five or six years I’ve just, the penny has dropped about research and I love it. But it’s taken me
that long. (Law Assoc. Professor, Melbourne) (Interview 23, p8)
… If you were really really good at research like Melbourne and ANU, and to a degree
Monash and some others, you’ll get so much funding coming your way that you’ll be
able to manage with comfort. But if you’re not, If you’re at the other end of the spectrum, then life is hard. (Management Professor, Melbourne) (Interview 8, p15)
Workplace satisfaction and being able to pursue a discipline which defines an academic’s vocation is a very powerful motivator. Those academics, as indicated by the analysis of this research, who have found their life’s passion in academia, are most likely to tolerate changes in their workplace and achieve a successful work life balance. The marrying of an
How academics respond, adapt and cope with the transformational changes in the
academic’s work commitments and personal goals celebrates a positive, productive approach to work and leads to a healthier work life balance.
The comments made by the following University of Melbourne academics show this:
… I always thought I’d be a good teacher and from my first experience of going in front to of a class it was like this wonderful sense of ahhh, this is me … very different
from being a lawyer … every second you were writing down what you’re doing and what bill, what file that can be billed against and just awful, just awful. (Law Assoc. Professor, Melbourne) (Interview 23, p7)
… to coming here where I would describe it as pure teaching. No yard duty, no report
writing, no parent contact, kids are here by choice or you have much more leverage. Hey, if you don’t want to come to lectures, don’t come. You know, and so all those issues. Yeah, to
me this is a dream job. (Accounting Lecturer, Melbourne) (Interview 27, p5)
Cultural differences
Those academics who share another cultural background apart from Australian have an additional dimension added to their personal drive. The research has identified this dimension to include a desire to succeed in spite of difficult odds, a heightened sense of community responsibility and a unique culturally based work ethic. The desire to succeed against the odds stems from a strong desire to not be disheartened or have one’s objective circumvented by circumstances beyond a person’s control.
For instance, a Monash academic with a vocation remarked that:
… so being like a female immigrant, I call it like triple disadvantage. Number one is like being an immigrant, being female immigrant, being a female immigrant from a developing country; so that’s what we call in the literature triple disadvantage, so I’ve got that.(Management Assoc. Professor, Monash) (Interview 5, p15)
A strong commitment to community can be another powerful motivator. The research indicates that those academics, who have chosen to be deeply linked to their community have done so in an effort to wed their research and their cultural identity. An academic’s drive is doubly fuelled because the research is not only elevating their research profile, but it also raises their profile in their community.
The following comment by a Monash academic with a vocation supports this issue:
How academics respond, adapt and cope with the transformational changes in the
… my research is community based, so therefore I’m very strongly connected to my Sri Lankan immigrant community here, so whatever I do it goes to like, directly goes to like my community. It gives me a little bit like, you know, the motivation to carry on …
I always feel that I’m connected and my research and my projects provide me like an
excellent opportunity to be connected. (Management Assoc. Professor, Monash)
(Interview 5, p16)
The amount of time academics spend on work related activities takes away from the time they would spend with their family. Those academics interviewed for the research from Chinese backgrounds share a unique cultural characteristic in that time away from the family may be interpreted as bringing honour or prestige to the family. Precious time away from the family may be considered to be a reflection of the important or powerful position the academic holds at the university. What is significant and motivating is that the academic may feel less awkward about being away from the family if they feel they have the family’s tacit support for the work they are performing. It is interesting to note also that the research has revealed that the work ethic in China is different from the West. A devotion to work is considered an honourable activity with a higher status than leisure.
This view point is reflected in the following comments from two Monash academics from Asian backgrounds.
… In China I shall say people seem to live for work, not work for live. Because in that
society, if you have a job, if you work hard, if you can’t see your family members, people
will think, oh you have got very important job; you know you are an important person.
You could receive more respect and also your family members normally will not complain. (Management Professor, Monash) (Interview 9, p3)
The family’s support is very, very important. I think that is also culture-related. In the
culture where I came from, what I was doing in the last many many years, it was regarded as a good thing, it was regarded as a respectable profession and it is highly respected
by your family members, relatives and community; and therefore, it is also part of the motivation, you feel respected, you feel … supported. (Engineering Professor, Monash)
(Interview 10, p15)