The intellectual structure of the literature on sustainability leadership in higher education: an author co-citation analysis
International Journal of Educational Management
ISSN: 0951-354X
Article publication date: 18 May 2022
Issue publication date: 3 June 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This review aims to identify the intellectual structure or key theoretical themes that comprise the emerging field of sustainability leadership in higher education.
Design/methodology/approach
The Scopus index was used to identify 180 documents published sustainable leadership in higher education published between 1998 and 2021. Author co-citation analysis in VOSviewer software was used to address the research question driving this inquiry.
Findings
This review found that the intellectual structure of scholarship on sustainability leadership in higher education is composed of four dominant “schools of thought”. These included sustainability leadership, managing campus greening, managing change and system integration, and education for sustainable development.
Research limitations/implications
The findings suggest a need for more theorizing and empirical studies that explore the nature and effects of sustainability leadership in higher education. Particular attention should be given to how features of universities as organizations shape the requirements for and constraints on leadership. From a practical perspective, the findings highlight key domains of policy and practice that higher education leaders can target in efforts to enhance sustainability in their universities and societies.
Originality/value
The bibliometric review offers empirically-based insights into the evolution and current status of the literature on sustainability leadership in higher education. The findings can be used as a benchmark against which future developments in this knowledge base can be assessed.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This study has been funded by the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD), College of Management, Mahidol University.
Citation
Aung, P.N. and Hallinger, P. (2022), "The intellectual structure of the literature on sustainability leadership in higher education: an author co-citation analysis", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 36 No. 5, pp. 784-799. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-09-2021-0371
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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