Voices of Academic Leadership: Lived Experiences of Liberal Arts Faculty Members in Navigating Communication, Collaboration, and Institutional Change in a Thai University

Abstract

Academic leadership in contemporary higher education increasingly depends on effective communication, collaborative relationships, and the capacity of faculty members to navigate continuous institutional change. While leadership is frequently examined from the perspectives of university executives and administrators, comparatively less attention has been given to how faculty members experience leadership processes in their everyday academic environments. This qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of Liberal Arts faculty members in navigating communication, collaboration, and institutional change within a Thai university. The study is guided by three interconnected concerns: how faculty members experience communication within academic leadership structures, how they negotiate collaboration with colleagues and administrators, and how they make sense of institutional change. Purposive criterion sampling is proposed to identify faculty members with sufficient institutional experience to provide information-rich accounts. Data are generated through semi-structured, in-depth interviews and analyzed through thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's reflexive approach. The analytical framework focuses on communication as a foundation of trust, collaboration as relational academic work, institutional change as an emotionally and professionally negotiated experience, faculty voice and participation, and adaptive leadership practices. The study contributes to the literature by positioning faculty members not simply as recipients of administrative decisions but as active interpreters and participants in academic leadership. Findings are expected to provide contextually grounded insights for strengthening transparent communication, participatory governance, collegial collaboration, and human-centered approaches to organizational change in Thai higher education.