| American higher education is in the midst of change. Technological innovations have led students, parents, government officials, and employers to expect affordable, high-quality programs that are available to diverse groups of learners. The path to improved higher education is complex, with many innovations for leaders to endorse. Competency-based education (CBE) is one alternative that structures learning around a student's progress toward goals, by requiring students to demonstrate skill mastery. Leaders at the forefront of this movement accelerate reform by teaching others to develop programs while also rapidly developing systems that support new and existing programs. Stakes are high; risk of failure and startup costs potentially preclude institutions from developing new CBE programs.;Using multiple case methods of document analysis, interviews and observations, this research explored the complex nature of leadership that exists within the socio-technical network of stakeholders who support CBE programs in American higher education. Findings in this study relate to collaboration and complexity. In order to share insights while pooling risks and resources, institutional stakeholders engage in rich, dynamic interaction, using channels provided by the coalition organizations. They frequently collaborate with others in the same coalition, and then share products of collaborations with the larger CBE community through reports and presentations. Information is shared freely, following an open-source philosophy. However, greater intentionality and organization in how information is shared would potentially benefit newcomers into the CBE community.;Shared information encourages further discussion between supporters and also fuels rapid growth with the community. Trust forms through frequent interaction; individuals eventually acquire the ability to influence each other. Leadership, and the ability to influence, moves through interactions between individuals in this network, which decentralizes power. As a result, non-linear interactions become normal and hierarchical leadership becomes less effective. In a rapidly growing community, formal leaders, or ones who frequently support administrative actions, have to balance a need for control with a realization a self-organizing system will allow for creative, spontaneous solutions to emerge from interaction.;The findings of this study suggest an opportunity for leaders to encourage greater interactivity between members of organizations, to enrich the creativity and originality within the community. Individuals within the community can benefit by recognizing the significant role of interaction in creating change, while also broadening the number and diversity of interactions. Finally, leaders in this network and other communities that emerge to support reform in higher education may benefit from understanding the characteristics and practices that drive complexity. |
