THE higher education and research institutions in Pakistan are sadly dominated by monopolists who form an alliance with bureaucrats to maintain their supremacy. Consequently, the institutions become weaker, and the power of individuals increases.

These individuals use their ‘abilities’ to establish a system where they can control the organisation. To maintain their influence, they go beyond the limits and ensure that no one else is ready to run the institution in their absence.

As a result, merit is badly compromised, incompetent people are rewarded, and deserving candidates are deprived of their rights. There is no room for such malpractices and feudal thinking in modern times. Social scientists are defining new characteristics of leadership. The attributes of an ‘influential leader’ in this era include the spirit of service to his/her subordinates, unity of all and the partnership of power. In this age of technological grasp, new principles of leadership and guidance are needed in national organisations.

There is a need for debate on the scope of a dominant style of leadership and top-down leadership models. We should initiate the opportunity to build intelligent institutions that care about people and contribute to a better society.

Kamran Azim
Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2021