An Investigation into the Implementation of Distributed Leadership in University Quality Management: The Case of a Sino-Foreign Cooperative University in China

Abstract

This thesis investigates how quality management (QM) is enacted within a Sino-foreign university operating under dual regulatory regimes in China. Against the backdrop of increasing transnational education (TNE) activity and ongoing tensions between accountability and enhancement, the study explores how leadership for quality can be distributed and agentically enacted. It challenges the dominance of compliance-driven quality assurance (QA) models and instead argues for a more context-sensitive approach that integrates continuous quality enhancement (QE) through collaborative leadership and professional agency (PA).

The research is grounded in the complementary theoretical frameworks of Distributed Leadership (DL) and PA, with the latter informed by the Subject-Centred Socio-Cultural (SCSC) model. DL is used to examine how leadership is dispersed across formal and informal actors, while PA explores why individuals choose to engage (or not) in quality-related leadership practices. This dual lens enables a richer understanding of how institutional structures and individual motivations interact to shape QM in TNE settings.

Using an insider-researcher methodology, the study draws on qualitative data from a China–UK joint venture university with a unique governance model. The findings reveal three interconnected themes: (1) building leadership capacity through individual and institutional agency; (2) developing a shared understanding of quality goals; and (3) fostering a culture of change through trust, collaboration, and relational leadership.

The thesis contributes theoretically by proposing an integrated DL–PA framework for understanding QM in TNE, and practically by offering strategies for enhancing leadership engagement and institutional learning. It concludes that high-quality TNE requires not only structural compliance but also the meaningful involvement of academic and professional staff. By shifting focus from top-down control to distributed, agentic leadership, this research offers a new paradigm for sustaining quality in internationalised higher education.

Date of Award	2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Dan Davies (Supervisor), Farooq Mughal (Supervisor) & Katharina Chudzikowski (Supervisor)