Do newly appointed university leaders in Tanzania experience behavioral shifts? An IPA study of lived experiences and motivations

Although leadership has been extensively studied, relatively little is known about the behavioral shifts that newly appointed leaders experience during role transitions. This study explores the lived experiences and motivations underlying such shifts among newly appointed university leaders in Tanzania, using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a theoretical lens. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted with six leaders appointed within the previous three years at two public Tanzanian universities. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using Clarke and Braun's six-phase thematic framework. The analysis identified five interconnected factors driving participants’ behavioral shifts: new role expectations and requirements, shifting priorities from individual to institutional growth, the need for control and authority, tone-setting and standards, and the disparity between prior abilities and new leadership responsibilities. These shifts varied systematically by leadership level (QA Directors, College Principals, and Heads of Department), reflecting differences in subjective norms and perceived behavioral control within resource-constrained, hierarchical contexts. They underscore the importance of rigorous vetting, structured succession planning, seniority considerations, performance-based selection, and targeted mentoring/induction programs to support smoother transitions in sub-Saharan African higher education.