Understanding Delegated Administrative Tasks: Beyond Academics’ Professional Identities

Abstract

This paper examines the implication of administrative task delegation on academics’ professional identity construction at a Cameroonian university. Academics at Cameroonian universities are juggling multiple tasks, including teaching, research, outreach and administrative tasks. Using a qualitative case study design, 11 academics selected purposively from diverse disciplines were engaged in in-depth interviews to explore their experiences with administrative tasks and the implications on their professional identities. The force field model for teacher development and distributed leadership theory guided data production and analysis. The study found that administrative tasks are seen as an opportunity for professional growth and career advancement. However, they also prevent academics from engaging fully in their key professional roles because they spend more time on them. The study recommends that all stakeholders should encourage university leaders to move away from a “one-size-fits-all” philosophy that assumes a uniform understanding of the roles of all academics, where academics must integrate administrative tasks with their key roles. Administrative tasks should be delegated to those academics who consider it a path towards developing an additional identity in administration, not by coercing academics to prioritise administration over their key responsibilities.