Interview with Max Schulz, Advisor for Strategic Personnel Development, on the leadership culture project at TU Dresden

Why are leadership guidelines needed at universities and especially here at TU Dresden?

Managerial staff at universities are responsible for a wide range of tasks. In order to focus more on the task of leading employees, more and more universities are deciding to develop leadership guidelines. These are intended to raise awareness of one's own leadership responsibility and the tasks associated with it.

TUD's goal as a modern employer is to offer staff in teaching, research, technology and the administration attractive working conditions and to promote, develop and integrate their potential. In our opinion, leadership teams play a particularly important role here, as their actions directly influence the motivation and development of employees. In order to encourage and empower our managerial staff in this responsibility, the leadership culture project was launched as an EXU measure and as a component of the personnel development concept.

In the first step, the leadership guidelines were developed as the foundation of TUD's leadership culture. These guidelines represent the common basic understanding of leadership and raise awareness of the aspects of good leadership at our university.

How do you determine what good leadership is, and who defines it?

At TUD, we have decided to develop a university-specific understanding of leadership that is based on the values of the university and incorporates the expectations and experiences of all our members. This can only be done collectively, which is why we have set up a broad participatory process under the leadership of the Rector and the Vice-Rector University Culture. In numerous workshops since October 2022, we have collected, prioritized and summarized the most essential aspects for good leadership at our university together with representatives of the Extended University Executive Board, managerial staff and employees from academia, technology and administration, as well as with our student body. The Leadership Guidelines are thus a joint effort.

TU Dresden's Leadership Guidelines will soon be adopted. How will their implementation be ensured?

We will deal with this question in the second and third modules of the leadership culture project. The second module will focus on the structural framework of leadership. In the workshops, we developed various proposals for measures with the participants, which we will examine for feasibility. In addition to comprehensive communication, for example, the promotion of managerial staff through a broad range of continued training and advisory services or awards for good leadership were suggested.

The third module will focus on leadership competencies and HR tools. In this context, we would like to explore what competencies executives at TUD should have, based on the common understanding of leadership, how these can be (further) developed, and which leadership tools can support everyday leadership.

How will it be checked whether and to what extent the Leadership Guidelines are being implemented? What will happen if managerial staff do not adhere to it or even violate it?

The implementation of the Leadership Guidelines can be evaluated, for example, by conducting a survey in one to two years' time. Whether this will be carried out as part of a general employee survey or as a separate survey has not yet been finally clarified.

In addition, we are looking into the question of whether the implementation of the Leadership Guidelines can be included in the target agreements of managerial staff. There are also plans to include it in the work aids for the annual performance reviews so that the manager can be given constructive feedback.

If it is not possible to give supervisors direct and constructive feedback on their leadership behavior, we recommend contacting one of the advisory bodies set up for this purpose, such as the Conflict Navigators, the Personnel Representation Council or the Complaints Office in the event of incidents of harassment, discrimination or violence.

Inquiries can also be made anonymously via the BKMS® notification system.

Often, it is not because the supervisors reject the principles as such, but rather because implementation falls behind due to stress and a lack of resources in day-to-day business. How is it ensured that managerial staff can take the necessary time to comply with the guidelines?

We are examining whether leadership can be included in the job descriptions with a time component. However, our focus is on making managerial staff aware of their leadership responsibilities, making them aware of the needs of their employees, adapting their leadership behavior accordingly, and thus experiencing the added value of good leadership. Even small changes in leadership behavior, such as clear communication and information sharing, can have a significant impact.

Leadership is a learned trade. Are there any opportunities for TUD employees to receive further training courses on leadership skills?

The Center for Continuing Education (ZfW) offers a comprehensive range of programs to support our managerial staff in a variety of leadership tasks. Particularly noteworthy is the "Successful Leadership" program, which combines continuing education, consulting and networking services. In addition to comprehensive offerings, the ZfW also conducts target-group-specific training for professors, traditional and lateral managerial staff. Furthermore, the ZfW offers individual training for managerial staff or team coaching. Digital self-learning offers on topics such as leadership, communication or project management complete the portfolio.