Managing Up: How Chairs Can Get Things Done in Large Institutions

Academic leadership is often framed as an exercise in “managing down”: guiding faculty, resolving disputes, or supporting students. Yet the real test of effective leadership may lie in the opposite direction: managing up and forging alliances with colleagues across the campus. Department chairs, directors, and deans must learn not only to advocate for their department’s needs with those who hold the purse strings but also to collaborate laterally in a world of shrinking resources and growing complexity.