ABSTRACT
This article proposes that while it is widely understood that large-scale institutions require leadership, there is little consensus as to its definition or how to judge its degree of success or failure. A distinction is drawn between leadership and management. Historical background is provided to indicate change in the scale of academic and professional institutions. Attention is drawn to the impact of demographic changes and the expansion of academic opportunities to formerly underrepresented groups. The article argues that leadership is a dynamic process rather than the application of particular techniques or procedures to problem-solving or the mobilization of resources. The overall perspective of the article is to shift the focus from the individual as leader to the larger framework of the environments and cultures in institutions as crucial elements of the success of academic leadership.
