Developing and testing a methodology for analysis of the staff development leadership role

Abstract

A research project used critical incident technique to investigate the expertise of leaders in staff development in United Kingdom Higher Education institutions. The origins and development of the project, together with a number of issues in the analysis of complex expertise are here explored. A model of professional expertise is introduced, including both functionalist and experiential conceptions of expertise, and devised through an inductive and iterative process of analysis of interview data. The model is tested by applying it to sample situations. The development process and the implications of the model for professional development are considered. © 1998 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.