Negotiating the labyrinth female executives in higher education leadership in vietnam and australia

Negotiating the labyrinth: Female executives in higher education leadership in Vietnam and Australia Thi Loan Lam B.A (English Language Teaching), Danang University of Foreign Language Studies MSc (Non-formal Education and Training for Development), Reading University Supervisors: Professor John Fischetti Mr Greg Preston Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education Faculty of Education and Arts The University of Newcastle, Australia November 2018 ii Statement of Originality I hereby certify that the work embodied in the thesis is my own work, conducted under normal supervision The thesis contains no material which has been accepted, or is being examined, for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made I give consent to the final version of my thesis being made available worldwide when deposited in the University’s Digital Repository, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 and any approved embargo Signature : …………………………………… Full name : Thi Loan Lam Date : 30th November, 2018 iii Dedication This thesis is dedicated to all my wonderful family members A special devotion goes to my Mum and Dad, who made sacrifices throughout their lives, worked hard to bring me up, give me an education and encouraged me during this very challenging journey, especially my Dad, who could not wait until I commenced my PhD studies This is also dedicated to my wonderful parents-in-law who have supported me and taken care of my family so that I was able to concentrate on my studies in Australia I sincerely thank my husband and my two sons for their patience and understanding A special devotion goes to my younger sister and brother who have supported me and cared for our mother iv Acknowledgements Sincere and heartfelt thanks are due to my supervisors, my panels, my family, colleagues and friends for their support during my wonderful PhD journey I would particularly like to thank my enthusiastic principal supervisor, Professor John Fischetti, who made my PhD journey such an amazing experience Professor Fischetti has not only provided me with so many wonderful opportunities to attend workshops contributing to my research, but also shared his profound knowledge, professional experience and management skills to help me develop my professional skills and intellectual capabilities He has worked hard to ensure the successful completion of my thesis Expressions of gratitude go to my co-supervisor, Mr Greg Preston, for his great support, constructive feedback, valuable advice and helpful guidance on statistics that helped guide me through the most complex stages of my data analysis I also wish to thank my former supervisor, Professor Ron Laura, for his insightful comments and encouragement in the early stage of my study I also acknowledge Dr Helen Hopcroft for her invaluable time, critical feedback and peer reviewing skills My sincere acknowledgement goes to my sponsor – the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training – for offering me a full scholarship, the Vietnam International Education Development Scholarship, to undertake this research I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all of my extended family for their understanding and support that helped maintain my enthusiasm for my study I would also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all those friends and colleagues who have directly or indirectly encouraged me, supported, and finally celebrated with me during this challenging but awesome PhD journey v Table of Contents Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents ………………………………………………………………………………….… v List of Tables xv List of Figures xvii Glossary of Abbreviations xix Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Background to the Study 1.3 Statement of the Problem 1.4 Purpose of the Study 11 1.5 Theoretical Framework 14 1.6 Significance of the Study 16 1.7 Outline of the Study 18 Chapter Two: Literature Review 20 2.1 Introduction 20 2.2 Leadership Defined 20 2.3 Leadership Styles 22 2.3.1 Authoritarian leadership, participative leadership and delegative leadership 22 2.3.2 Leadership in higher education and effective leadership 28 2.4 Changes in Higher Education for Female Leaders 30 vi 2.4.1 Higher education leadership initiatives 35 2.4.1.1 Higher education leadership in Vietnam 38 2.4.1.2 Higher education leadership in Australia 40 2.4.2 Differences in higher education leadership 44 2.4.3 Shifting genders in university leadership 48 2.4.3.1 Women’s leadership characteristics 49 2.4.3.2 Women’s leadership development 49 2.5 Journey to the Top: Female Leaders in Higher Education 52 2.5.1 Overview of female leaders’ representation 53 2.5.1.1 In the Vietnamese context 55 2.5.1.2 In the Australian context 56 2.5.2 Reasons for the under-representation of women 57 2.5.3 Challenges for women leaders 71 2.5.4 Facilitators of female leadership 80 2.5.5 Women’s achievements in higher education 85 2.6 Responding to Challenges when Negotiating the Leadership Labyrinth 88 2.6.1 Balancing work and family 88 2.6.2 Leadership practices 90 2.7 Summary of Chapter Two 94 Chapter Three: Methodology 97 3.1 Introduction 97 vii 3.2 Mixed-Methods Research Design 97 3.3 Population 103 3.3.1 Participant selection for the survey phase 104 3.3.2 Participant selection for the interview phase 107 3.4 Instrument Development 108 3.4.1 Online survey construction 108 3.4.2 Interview development 112 3.5 Data Collection 113 3.5.1 Quantitative data collection: survey 114 3.5.2 Qualitative data collection: interview 117 3.6 Data Analysis 119 3.6.1 Quantitative data analysis 119 3.6.2 Qualitative data analysis 120 3.7 Methodological Limitations of the Research 121 3.8 Summary of Chapter Three 122 Chapter Four: Data Results of Online Surveys: Vietnamese and Australian Executive Leaders 125 4.1 Introduction 125 4.2 Vietnamese and Australian Participants’ Demographics 125 4.2.1 Professional information 125 4.2.2 Personal information 128 viii 4.2.2.1 Family types 128 4.2.2.2 Marital status 128 4.2.2.3 Participants’ children 129 4.3 Barriers Confronting Vietnamese and Australian Female Executives 130 4.3.1 Barrier sub-scales: factor analysis 132 4.3.2 Significant differences of barriers: independent sample t test 134 4.3.3 The correlation between barriers items 136 4.4 Favourable Conditions Supporting Vietnamese and Australian Respondents 139 4.4.1 Opportunity sub-scales: factor analysis .141 4.4.2 Significant differences of strategies used: independent sample t test 144 4.4.3 The correlation between favourable condition items 146 4.5 Strategies Used by Vietnamese and Australian Respondents 149 4.5.1 Leadership values 149 4.5.1.1 Strategy sub-scales: factor analysis 151 4.5.1.2 Significant differences between strategies used: independent sample t test 153 4.5.2 Individual considerations 155 4.5.2.1 Leadership characteristics of respondents 155 4.5.2.2 Leadership competencies of respondents 156 4.5.3 The correlation between strategies 157 4.6 Survey Results from Open-ended Questions 160 4.6.1 Results from Vietnamese female respondents 160 ix 4.6.1.1 Favourable conditions 160 4.6.1.2 Predictive barriers 163 4.6.1.3 Strategies used to confront challenges 165 4.6.2 Results from Australian respondents 171 4.6.2.1 Favourable conditions 171 4.6.2.2 Predictive barriers 176 4.6.2.3 Strategies 180 4.7 The Similarities and Differences between Vietnamese and Australian Survey Respondents 184 4.7.1 Favourable conditions facilitating female executives 184 4.7.1.1 Leadership skills 184 4.7.1.2 Qualifications 185 4.7.1.3 Workplace policies/practice 185 4.7.1.4 Support 187 4.7.1.5 Luck 188 4.7.2 Barriers confronted by female executives 188 4.7.2.1 Work pressures 188 4.7.2.2 Lack of opportunities 189 4.7.2.3 Biased leadership selection processes 190 4.7.2.4 Salary incentives 190 4.7.2.5 Limited professional training 191 4.7.2.6 Family commitments 192 x 4.7.3 Strategies used by Vietnamese and Australian female executives 193 4.7.3.1 Leadership skills 193 4.7.3.2 Knowledge competence 193 4.7.3.3 Work ethic 194 4.7.3.4 Vision 194 4.7.3.5 Making an effort and seeking opportunities 194 4.7.3.6 Networking 195 4.7.3.7 Mentoring 195 4.8 Summary of Chapter Four 196 Chapter Five: Qualitative Analysis and Results 197 5.1 Introduction 197 5.2 Demographic Information 197 5.3 Barriers Confronting Interview Respondents 198 5.3.1 Absence of workplace encouragement for promotion and career development 198 5.3.2 Limited institutional integration 200 5.3.3 Limited workplace incentives 202 5.4 Favourable Working Contexts that Facilitates Female Executives’ Career Development 205 5.4.1 Open opportunities 205 5.4.2 Individual competencies 207 5.4.2.1 Professional knowledge 207