From Introduction:

Despite the recognition of the importance of multi-sector partnerships (MSPs) in higher education, the role of leadership in initiating and maintaining these often complex partnerships remains under-researched. Amidst a lack of suitable frameworks for the role of leadership in higher education MSPs for the SDGs, this study investigated the leadership component of higher education MSPs. Doing so contributes to the understanding and practice of multi-sector partnering for sustainable development. The study expands relational leadership theory and the responsible leadership approach – the former by investigating the critical tenets of relational leadership in the context of implementing the SDGs, and the latter by exploring how leadership responds to the ethical challenges involved in complex stakeholder relations.

The study analyzed leadership processes in both formal and informal higher education MSPs that were already in place in two Universities representing both a developed (Germany) and developing (South Africa) context. The main objective was to investigate relational leadership by describing the strategies organizations use to structure, evaluate, and maintain partnerships to leverage the value created by the collaboration to achieve the SDGs. This signals a choice beyond describing leadership in terms of individual characteristics to understanding leadership as a process. From a research perspective, the study utilized Wieland’s Relational Economics Theory as a framework to analyze both how leadership contributed to establishing MSPs in the higher education sector and the complexity within them. A second objective was to develop guiding frameworks for establishing and maintaining higher education MSPs for the SDGs based on the insights gained. The study offers perspectives on and recommendations for organizations of all sectors who wish to partner with educational institutions. It also contributes to current scientific knowledge regarding multi-sector partnering and leadership from the perspective of Relational Leadership Theory and the Responsible Leadership approach. The comparative analysis between Germany and South Africa is unique and contributes to the study’s value since it sheds light on higher education MSPs that address the SDGs in both a developed and developing economic context.