[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-591366-105":59,"doc-detail-591366-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","from-administration-to-transformation-the-new-role-of-managers-in-higher-education","From administration to transformation - The new role of managers in higher education","","This qualitative case study investigates how university managers in African higher education are shifting from routine administration toward transformational leadership. Conducted at Gulu University, Uganda, it examines managerial adaptation during engagement with the TESCEA project. Interviews, focus groups, and document analysis show managers increasingly functioning as facilitators, change agents, and advocates for gender equity and employability reforms. Resource limits, bureaucratic resistance, and insufficient leadership training hinder progress, prompting strategies like collaborative governance, capacity building, and policy integration. Findings emphasize targeted leadership development and cultural change for participatory governance.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/from-administration-to-transformation-the-new-role-of-managers-in-higher-education/591366/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/from-administration-to-transformation-the-new-role-of-managers-in-higher-education/591366.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"eBook King","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-19","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":81},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the study’s main focus regarding university managers in higher education?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It examines how university managers are transitioning from traditional administrative duties to transformational leadership roles in African universities.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What research approach and data sources are used in the study?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"A qualitative case study at Gulu University uses interviews, focus groups, and document analysis to understand managers’ adaptations during the TESCEA project.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What challenges do managers face when implementing reforms?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Managers encounter resource limitations, bureaucratic resistance, and insufficient leadership training that constrain reform progress.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},591366,1792166383,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":81,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},962088006270,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","African Educational Research Journal Vol. 13(4), pp. 461-471, November 2025 ISSN: 2354-2160  \nFull Length Research Paper  \nFrom administration to transformation: The new role of managers in higher education  \nGloria Lamaro 1*, Elly Kurobuza Ndyomugenyi2 and George Ladaah Openjuru3  \n1 Department of Education Management, Faculty of Education and Humanities, Gulu University, Gulu City, Uganda.  \n2 Department of Animal Production and Range Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Gulu University, P.O. Box 166, Gulu City, Uganda.  \n3 Department of ODELL, Faculty of Education and Humanities, Gulu University, P.O. Box 166, Gulu City, Uganda. Accepted 26 September, 2025  \n\n| ABSTRACT\u003Cbr>This study explored the evolving role of university managers in higher education, focusing on their transition from traditional administrative functions to transformational leadership roles. Employing a qualitative case study approach at Gulu University, Uganda, the research examined managers’ adaptations during their engagement with the TESCEA (Transforming Employability for Social Change in East Africa) project. Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, and document analysis, revealing that managers increasingly acted as facilitators, change agents, and advocates for gender equity and employability reforms. Despite these positive developments, they encountered challenges such as resource limitations, bureaucratic resistance, and insufficient leadership training. Managers adopted strategies including collaborative governance, capacity building, and policy integration to sustain reforms. The findings highlight the critical need for targeted leadership development, institutional policy reform, and cultural shifts toward participatory governance in African universities. The study contributed empirical insights into the expanding and transformative roles of university managers within resource-constrained and complex socio-political contexts.\u003Cbr>Keywords: Transformational leadership, higher education, curriculum reform. |\n| --- |\n| *Corresponding author. Email: [g.lamaro@gu.ac. ug. Tel:](g.lamaro@gu.ac. ug. Tel:) +256784776313. |\n\nINTRODUCTION  \nIn recent years, the role of university managers in African higher education has evolved beyond routine administrative functions to encompass leadership for institutional transformation. This shift has been driven by increasing demands for universities to become more responsive to societal needs, inclusive in governance, and innovative in teaching and learning (Turyahikayo, Mugizi and Kasule, 2024a) . While the rhetoric of change is widely embraced, the practical realities of enacting transformational leadership in resource-constrained and historically rigid institutions remain underexplored, particularly at the managerial level.  \nEmerging research indicates that African universities are progressively engaging in reform initiatives such as curriculum co-creation, gender mainstreaming, and pedagogical renewal. These initiatives require leadership that is strategic, participatory, and values-driven, rather than hierarchical and compliance-oriented (Abebe, Owino and Nambalirwa, 2023; Mngomezulu and Miti, 2024) . However, institutional leadership structures often lag behind these expectations. Evidence from Uganda and neighboring countries reveals that while university managers are increasingly expected to act as agents of change, many remain embedded in legacy systems that  \nAfr Educ Res J 462  \nconstrain their capacity to lead adaptively (Turyahikayo et al. , 2024b; Makerere University, 2023) .  \nDespite growing scholarly interest in transformational leadership within African higher education, there is limitedempirical research examining how these leadership models are operationalized at the institutional level. Much of the existing literature is normative or policy-focused, offering minimal insight into how mid- and senior-level managers in public universities navigate the complexities of re","cbCaigXTvfOTcsyY","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaigXTvfOTcsyY","pdf",198638,11,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Statement of the problem","[{\"question\":\"What is the study’s main focus regarding university managers in higher education?\",\"answer\":\"It examines how university managers are transitioning from traditional administrative duties to transformational leadership roles in African universities.\"},{\"question\":\"What research approach and data sources are used in the study?\",\"answer\":\"A qualitative case study at Gulu University uses interviews, focus groups, and document analysis to understand managers’ adaptations during the TESCEA project.\"},{\"question\":\"What challenges do managers face when implementing reforms?\",\"answer\":\"Managers encounter resource limitations, bureaucratic resistance, and insufficient leadership training that constrain reform progress.\"}]","From administration to transformation - The new role of managers in higher education | PDF",1792071695,28]