Purpose

In rapidly changing global village, individuals, organizations and the society are faced with various unforeseen challenges every day, and these challenges continuously trigger and test the instincts for survival, and higher education is of no exception. In the context of today’s most critical uncertainty, i.e. COVID-19, the purpose of this study is to highlight the significance of two leadership styles, i.e. adaptive and academic leadership, and assessing readiness for change among higher education institutions (HEIs) of Punjab, Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was conducted to collect data from 404 permanent faculty members in the public sector universities identified using stratified random sampling. The hypotheses developed were tested using co-variance-based structural equation modeling.

Findings

As per the findings, both leadership styles as exogenous constructs and the presence of organizational learning capability as mediators contributed positively in crafting organizational readiness for change (ORC) among HEIs in the course of unpredictable circumstances.

Practical implications

The COVID-19 episode globally has reiterated the importance of change, and the role of leadership in this regard cannot be undermined. This study, for that matter, stresses on the importance and benefits of academic and adaptive leadership dealing with uncertainties or change and the readiness of HEIs for change. Several institutions faced challenges in doing so, and the transition was not smooth, except for institutions where leaders were the differentiating factor. On top of it, institutions that had timely invested in digital systems and had enhanced organizations learning capacity survived in these turbulent times.

Originality/value

COVID-19 has placed tremendous challenges on HEIs to adapt with the rapidly changing conditions. Hence, this study is unique in understanding the academic and adaptive leadership styles in context of ORC. This study further helps in understanding that how public sector universities that are already influenced by stringent bureaucratic structures react to change.

中文翻译：

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适应性学术领导二人组能否让大学为变革做好准备？鉴于 COVID-19，来自巴基斯坦高等教育机构的证据

目的

在瞬息万变的地球村中，个人、组织和社会每天都面临着各种无法预料的挑战，这些挑战不断地触发和考验着生存的本能，高等教育也不例外。在当今最严重的不确定性（即 COVID-19）的背景下，本研究的目的是强调两种领导风格（即适应性领导和学术领导）的重要性，并评估旁遮普高等教育机构 (HEI) 的变革准备情况，巴基斯坦。

设计/方法/方法

进行了一项在线调查，以收集使用分层随机抽样确定的公立大学的 404 名长期教职员工的数据。使用基于协方差的结构方程模型对所提出的假设进行了测试。

发现

根据研究结果，在不可预测的情况下，作为外生结构的领导风格和作为中介的组织学习能力的存在，都积极促进了高等教育机构的组织变革准备（ORC）。

实际影响

全球范围内的 COVID-19 事件重申了变革的重要性，领导层在这方面的作用不容削弱。就此而言，本研究强调了学术和适应性领导在应对不确定性或变化以及高等教育机构为变革做好准备的重要性和益处。一些机构在这样做时面临挑战，过渡并不顺利，除了领导人是差异化因素的机构。最重要的是，及时投资于数字系统并增强组织学习能力的机构在这些动荡时期幸存下来。

原创性/价值

COVID-19 给高等教育机构带来了巨大挑战，以适应快速变化的条件。因此，本研究在理解 ORC 背景下的学术和适应性领导风格方面是独一无二的。这项研究进一步有助于了解已经受到严格官僚结构影响的公立大学如何应对变化。