The Need for Sustainable Leadership in Academia – a German Case Study

Academic leaders are selected based on their publication record, citation index and acquisition of third party funding. However, heading a successful research team, also requires leadership skills. Despite the clear need, leadership development has been systematically neglected in the present academic system. At the same time, growing evidence suggests that leadership styles of academic supervisors can dramatically affect the mental health of academic employees as well as drive highly skilled researchers out of academia. Here, we assessed the current state of academic leadership in the German academic system by surveying 368 participants currently employed in academia in Germany. We report that 64% of current academic leaders did not feel prepared for their current position while 86% of participants expressed their interest in leadership development programs offered by their research institutions. Our results highlight the demand for leadership development programs in German academic institutions to ensure a more efficient academic system.