Recognising whole units in succession

Succession transitions can be turbulent, creating uncertainty and negatively impacting wellbeing for predecessors, remaining staff, and successors. Knowledge which would support successors in a positive transition is often found among remaining staff and goes beyond café recommendations. Many suggest that the social construction of leadership interacts with succession, such that experiences with a predecessor and early interactions with a successor influence the transition. Moreover, the literature on professional service staff suggests they have immense dedication to, and knowledge of, their respective units and institutions. Therefore, is it time that scholars and HE professionals work together to cocreate a more harmonious succession experience for all? Drawing from followership theory and the literature on leadership succession, this presentation focuses on the recognition and inclusion of professional service staff in Head of Unit/Director change. This presentation evidences the benefit of and practical solutions for whole unit inclusion prior to and during such transitions. This shifts away from the paucity of research into professional service units in HE, more generally and specific to succession; and the use of followership theory to inform this presentation also improves upon previously leader-centric discourses.