Intellectual Leadership

‘Intellectual leadership’ is a loosely applied term that relates to how intellectual ideas and ways of thinking are disseminated and adopted. It may be explained generally as a process through which schools of thought or theoretical perspectives are conveyed from one person to another and assimilated and accepted by the latter.

Since the term incorporates the concept of leadership, this entry progresses towards examining intellectual leadership by first discussing what is meant by leadership. It then considers the relationship between intellectual leadership and two other specific leadership foci, (1) academic leadership and (2) research leadership. The final section brings together this discussion through a detailed examination of intellectual leadership in the context of higher education.