Research Proposal: Machiavellian Philosophy of Technology Leadership in Higher Education

Proposal for presentation of

researchDana Miller

Liberty [email protected]

Machiavellian Tipsfor today’s technology leaders


Summary of presentation – page 1

• Machiavelli’s suggestions for great leadership in The Prince sometimes involve bloodshed. These are not good tips for today’s technology leaders.

• “The use of power to manipulate populations into compliance and war as a form of mediation are excellent examples of what not to do in a leadership role” (Miller, 2013).



• The Prince is a study in both best and worst practices in leadership.

• The purpose of this presentation will be to shed light on best practices from the 16th Century that are still relevant, and to illustrate how core principles of great leadership can be used to shape the future of technology in higher education today.



For example:

• Financial obstacles can bring technology leaders in higher education to a war stance. Machiavelli speaks of the art of war. “A wise prince ought to…never in peaceful times stand idle, but increase his resources with industry in such a way that they may be available to him in adversity, so that if fortune chances it may find him prepared to resist her blows.”

Machiavellian Tipsfor today’s technology leadersSummary of presentation – page 4

MAXIMIZE

DOWNTIMEUse “peace” time to identify unexploited efficiencies (Eyring, 2011) and shore up reserves for those dreaded periods when resources are lean.

The importance of planning

Machiavellian Tipsfor today’s technology leadersSummary of presentation – page 5

How to manage costs

Examining unexploited efficiencies in university operations can save an average of 20% per student. (Eyring, 2011) These efficiencies are identified in the research and quantified using dynamic charting.


Handling people and situations with clemency

Machiavelli recommends clemency (not cruelty) in dealing with others. Relationships with key people in higher education are critical to the success of technology initiatives.


“A prince ought also to show himself a patron of ability, and to honour the proficient in every art” (Machiavelli, 1513).Technology is restructuring education delivery in post-secondary institutions. A leader must have new skills to support new initiatives and to identify talents in those who support technology.



Fearlessness in the face of change

Machiavelli talks of being prepared for change like restructuring shoreline to divert a raging river. Technology leadership in higher education is the stop gate for crises like these. The presentation will discuss this phenomenon and how to do the job without drowning.



How to lead with integrity

“Yet it cannot be called talent to slay fellow citizens, to deceive friends, to be without faith, without mercy, without religion; such methods may gain empire, but not glory” (Machiavelli, 1513). The presentation will reveal specific situations where tech leaders can demonstrate integrity or control with craft.

• 30 minutes for presenting • Wireless Internet access• Interactive white board • Projector (with remote if available)• Approximate number of people in a

session (Contact information is on title screen of presentation.)

I will bring my own Samsung PC and handouts.

Requirementsfor the session

References

Eberwein, Dale H. (2011). The role of technology in transforming

higher education. Journal of Leadership Studies 4(4), 61-64.

DOI:10.1002/jls.20196

Eyring, H. C. (2011). Unexploited efficiencies in higher education.

Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 4(7), 1-18.

Retrieved June 13, 2013, from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/882366162?accountid=12085

Hall, D. (2008). The technology director’s guide to leadership.

Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education

Hammang, J. (2010). Best practice in the use of federal stimulus

funds in institutions of higher education. Planning for Higher

Education, 38(3), 45-50. Retrieved June 13, 2013, from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/212619853?accountid=12085

References continued

Picciano, A. G. (2011). Educational leadership and planning for

technology (5th ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson Education

Machiavelli, N., 1513. The Prince. Translated from Italian by R.M.

Adams in 1992. 2nd ed. W.W. Norton & Company: New York

McDonald, Jason K. and Gibbons, Andrew S. (2009, June). Technology

I, II, and III: Criteria for understanding and improving the practice

of instructional technology. Educational Technology Research

and Development, 57(3), 377‐392. Stable URL:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/40388635

Spires, H. A. and Hervey, L. G. (2011), New technologies, new

pedagogies: Finding the grail in higher education. Journal of

Leadership Studies, 4, 54–56. doi: 10.1002/jls.20194