Att leda och samtidigt skapa processer och rutiner för kvalitetssäkring av utbildningar på grundläggande nivå inom en nybildad storinstitution

This paper reports a case study of leadership processes and the creation of quality assurance routines within a newly formed large department (approximately 260 employees) at a major Swedish university. The study focuses on social actions taken by two assistant heads of departments and twelve assistant directors of study and shows how the two assistant heads of department used listening dialogue as an important aspect of their leadership style. The leadership process of enhancing the department’s quality assurance routines was characterized by active listening, and the study describes how one of the two assistant heads of department negotiated with the twelve assistant directors of study, leading to a) a departmental consensus among the twelve assistant directors of study as to the design and use of online student evaluation forms and b) enhanced quality assurance dialogues between the assistant head of department and the twelve assistant directors of study. The findings are discussed in the light of research on leadership styles in Swedish knowledge-intensive workplaces. This research has shown that successful leadership in such contexts is often characterized by leaders displaying non-hierarchical behaviour and having good listening skills, leading to high levels of mutual trust within the organization.