Developing the Leadership of Chinese Higher Education Institution Leaders: Transformative Learning in the Third Space Through Overseas Leadership Development Programmes

This chapter explores the leadership development of Chinese HEI leaders through participation in overseas leadership development programmes. Transformative learning theory and the conceptual term ‘the third space’ are employed to analyse three HEI leaders’ perceptions of their leadership, both before, during, and after attending overseas leadership development programmes. After travelling to Canada, the U.K. and the U.S., respectively, the Chinese HEI leaders shared their learning experiences from the programmes and connected their reflections with possible leadership practices in their own HEIs within the Chinese higher education system. Qualitative data were collected and content analysis was used across the three cases. The findings show that the overseas leadership development programmes transformed their understanding of leadership from being a leader to becoming a service-provider, from being a practitioner to a reflective-thinker and from being a learner to a communicative-creator. By acknowledging the dynamic interactions between hybrid cultural forces, the overseas leadership development programmes create a third space in which Chinese HEI leaders can transform their perceptions and practices relating to their routine work. The findings confirm the value of overseas leadership development programmes and have practical implications for other countries wishing to develop their HEI leaders’ leadership through intercultural exchange within formal programmes.