Disciplinary difference in academic leadership and management and its development: a significant factor?

The influence of disciplinary identity remains significant in understanding academic practice, although its nature and extent has been debated. A framework of organisational, cognitive and social perspectives is commonly used as a means of structuring investigation. A limited amount of empirical research on academic roles, attitudes, beliefs and values in general has shown both continuity and difference across disciplines. A growing literature on pedagogy explores discipline‐related differences. However, most of the literature on leadership and management development in higher education makes little reference to disciplinarity. This paper reviews the above literatures and draws on ideas concerning identity and role, suggesting that renewed attention to disciplinary identity would permit the characterisation of discipline‐related variations in leadership and management practice. The potential benefits of research are identified.