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universities  \nDamien G. Harkin  \nQueensland University of Technology & Queensland Eye Institute  \nAnnah H. Healy  \nQueensland University of Technology  \nDisciplines have emerged as an alternative administrative structure to departments or schools in Australian universities. We presently investigate the pattern of discipline use and by way of case study examine a role for distributed leadership in discipline management. Over forty per cent of Australian universities currently employ disciplines, especially within faculties of sciences, engineering and medicine. No trend is observed according to institutional age, state, or historical origins. Effective planning, retention of corporate knowledge and good communication are important during the transition period. Moreover, it is vital that professional staff continue to work closely alongside academics as extended members of the discipline. Distributed leadership encourages this interaction. The duties of a discipline leader can be similar to those faced by a head of department. Universities should therefore establish clear policies, position descriptions and appropriate remuneration packages in order to recruit, train and retain staff within this emerging academic management role.  \nIntroduction  \nAn academic discipline is well understood as a branch of knowledge or field of study within universities and other institutes of higher education (Trowler, 2012) . Historically, the term originates from the Latin nouns discipulus (pupil) and disciplina (teaching) and was introduced during the Middle Ages for training within the professions of theology, law and medicine (Krishnan, 2009) . More academic disciplines have evolved over time in order to accommodate new areas of knowledge, initially within the physical and life sciences (19th century) and later within the social sciences (20th century). Indeed it can be argued that academic disciplines display characteristics similar to those of living organisms as they grow, repro-  \nduce and evolve into new areas of study, while others may disappear altogether due to obsolescence.  \nIn the modern era, it has been argued that academics should be prepared to move away from a disciplinebased model of universities and embrace a broader, more integrated view of their activities to the benefit of their students and corporate clients (Coaldrake & Steadman, 1999) . For some academics, however, the term academic discipline remains closely aligned with one’s sense of academic identity and provides an important link to colleagues beyond the walls of their home institution. Subsequently, disputes can arise over the future direction of academic disciplines, with debates sometimes reaching the general public (Rowbotham, 2013) . From the viewpoint of the corporate institution, academic disciplines, in the form of study areas, are displayed prominently on  \n80 Redefining & leading the academic discipline in Australian universities, Damien G. Harkin & Annah H. Healy vol. 55, no. 2, 2013  \nA U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W  \nwebsite home pages for the purpose of recruiting students within an increasingly competitive market. In addition, codification of disciplines has become an integral part of information provided by universities to government bodies for the purpose of recording and measuring activities in teaching and research (Pink & Bascand, 2008; Trewin, 2001).We presently consider the term discipline, however, as an emerging organisational structure within universities.  \nAn historical view reveals that groups of closely related disciplines ([e.g. organic](e.g. organic) chemistry and inorganic chemistry) have been traditionally organised into departments or schools (Friedman, 2001) (although the term school has also been used as an alternative to faculty depending upon the field of study). Departments are typica","cbCaiqwJZSXG2ILA","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqwJZSXG2ILA","pdf",730734,13,"English","# Introduction\n# Pattern of discipline use within Australian universities\n## Review of public web sites (Aug–Nov 2012)\n## Trends by faculty and absence of state/age effects","[{\"question\":\"What administrative purpose do academic disciplines serve in Australian universities?\",\"answer\":\"The document frames disciplines as an alternative administrative structure to departments or schools, used for organizing academic knowledge and presenting study areas to recruit students and report activities.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the study describe the relationship between disciplines and university characteristics like age or state?\",\"answer\":\"It reports no trend in discipline use based on institutional age, Australian state, or historical origins.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is distributed leadership considered important for discipline management?\",\"answer\":\"Distributed leadership is argued to encourage close interaction between professional staff and academics, which supports planning, knowledge retention, and communication during transitions.\"}]","A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W - Redefining & leading the academic discipline in Australian universities - Damien G. Harkin & Annah H. Healy | PDF",1792079331,33]