Abstract
ABSTRACTThis research delves into shared leadership and its impact on delivering quality education in higher educational institutions. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between shared leadership and the delivery of quality education in a higher educational institution. The study aims to comprehensively examine faculty members' perceptions of shared leadership, identify factors impeding its development among faculty, and investigate the influence of shared leadership on the quality of education delivered. This study embraces the interpretivism paradigm to understand shared leadership's subjective nature. Given shared leadership’s inherent subjectivity, this paradigm enables an exploration of faculty members' diverse and context-specific perceptions, enhancing the study's depth and richness. The study involves faculty members from the College of Education and Human Development at Northwestern Pacific University, a U.S. university. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed to extract, categorize, and synthesize insights from interview data. The findings of the study are organized into the following three themes: (1) Faculty perceive shared leadership as an evolving process, becoming more inclusive and collaborative over time; (2) Barriers such as centralized decision-making and insufficient communication hinder the development and effectiveness of shared leadership; and (3) Shared leadership positively influences educational delivery by fostering collaboration and innovation in teaching and curriculum development. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of shared leadership dynamics within the higher education context, shedding light on its potential to enhance the quality of education delivery.