Oana and Matt (Part 1) on leadership, belonging, and micro-actions making a difference (CAL118 S6E12)

This is part 1 of my discussion with Matthew Barr and Oana Andrei who work together in the Education and Practice Section in the School of computing science at the University of Glasgow. It was the experiences of Matt as head of Section that led Oana to suggest he would be good to talk to. Together they share their experiences of what makes for good academic leadership and change, including the psychological safety and sense of belonging of members, the impact of everyday micro-interactions, and fostering a supportive environment. Matt discusses his approach in leadership, such as seeking feedback for self-improvement and actively supporting staff promotions. Oana also shares her perspective on the importance of belonging and mentorship in academic settings and the experience of good leadership. Their insights provide a meaningful look at how we can transform academic work culture for the better. 

 Overview:

00:29 Episode Introduction

01:52 Welcome

02:28 Oana's Journey and Career

03:46 Matt's Journey and Career

06:13 Leadership and Management Insights

10:00 Creating a Supportive Work Environment

13:29 Supporting Promotion for a Learning, Teaching and Scholarship Track

21:23 Micro Actions That Can Make All The Difference

25:16 Being a Role Model in How We Handle Bad Days

28:45 Learning From Experience What Not To Do

36:44 Taking Care For Belonging

41:20 Linking to Part 2

43:14 End 

Related Links

Oana Andrei, Lecturer (Ass Prof) Uni of Glasgow  webpage and LinkedIn profile 

Matthew Barr (Senior Lecturer) Uni of Glasgow webpage and LinkedIn profile

Role modelling paper mentioned by Matt:

• Virginia Grande, Päivi Kinnunen, Anne-Kathrin Peters, Matthew Barr, Åsa Cajander, Mats Daniels, Amari N. Lewis, Mihaela Sabin, Matilde Sánchez-Peña, and Neena Thota. 2022. Role Modeling as a Computing Educator in Higher Education: A Focus on Care, Emotions and Professional Competencies. In Proceedings of the 2022 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE-WGR '22). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 37–63. https://doi.org/10.1145/3571785.3574122

Mentioned in this episode:

Call to sign up for next online Academic Leadership Development course

If you are interested in understanding who you are as a leader and how do you create environments in which people can thrive and develop and do their great work together, then consider signing up for our next online academic leadership development course. The sign up deadline is 6th of April, 2025, and the course will take place online on Friday mornings during May, 2025. You can find the details by going to wwwinformaticseurope.org. We'd love to have you as part of our next cohort and be part of changing academic life for the better. https://www.informatics-europe.org/events/academic-leadership-development.html