Chapter 7: Emergent Strategy: A Tool for Transforming Leadership in Higher Education

Today we face a myriad of tensions and complexities in higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on unsurmountable challenges as many colleges and universities are rethinking their operations and programs to adapt to social distancing restrictions and other safety and health considerations. Higher education institutions have reacted to the global pandemic differently. Some institutions have closed their physical campuses and utilized virtual platforms to replace in-person interactions, while others have created hybrid educational offerings. Many students, faculty, and staff have experienced a sudden shift in leadership education as face-to-face advising, instruction, and student organization events have moved to virtual spaces. This transition to virtual spaces has required considerable time and resources not afforded to all institutions (Marshall et al., 2020).