The Emerging Configuration of Systemic Leadership in University Institutions: Evidence Review and Critical Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71068/gps00004Keywords:
systemic leadership, university institutions, university governance, distributed leadership, higher education, organizational transformation.Abstract
The contemporary university faces demands of efficiency, quality, internationalization and digital transformation that strain its traditional governance structures and its historical forms of leadership. Based on the scientific production of the period 2019 to 2023, this research investigates the emerging configuration of systemic leadership in university institutions, through a bibliographic review oriented to the Scopus and SciELO databases that culminated in a purified corpus of eligible publications submitted to thematic content analysis. The results show that the convergent literature documents an emergent configuration characterized by the distribution of authority between levels, the understanding of the university as a complex and adaptive system, the centrality of intermediate academic leadership as an articulator between management and faculty, the coexistence of formal hierarchy with collaborative networks, and the redefinition of university governance. It also notes the persistence of tensions between collegiality and business management, the weakness of management training programs, and the scarcity of Latin American research that directly links systemic leadership with institutional results. It is concluded that systemic leadership emerges as a response to university complexity and that its consolidation requires participatory governance frameworks, specific training and deliberate attention to the regional context.
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