Viktor Wang, associate professor of educational leadership and technology at Cal State San Bernardino, has published his latest book, “Handbook of Research on Andragogical Leadership and Technology in a Modern World,” which discusses diverse perspectives, experiences, theories, and philosophies related to andragogical leadership and technology across all levels of education.

Covering key topics such as transformational leadership, learning pedagogy, and instructional technology, this major reference work is ideal for policymakers, managers, industry professionals, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.

“Leadership is much more than mere influence. It is about releasing the creative energy of the followers in a guided way to engage the process of change and work towards mutually beneficial goals,” said Wang, who teaches in the CSUSB James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education's Department of Educational Leadership & Technology. “The nature of the andragogical leader is grounded in optimistic assumptions about people. The faith of andragogical leaders in their subordinates manifests in delegating challenging responsibilities and growth opportunities. It is starkly apparent to subordinates that their leaders value them. Andragogical leaders involve their followers in every step of the planning process, assessing needs, formulating goals, designing lines of action, carrying out activities, and evaluating results.

“At a time when change is ever-present, the approach of andragogical leaders fosters a culture of continual improvement and drives innovative organizations rather than static organizations. As human activity fuses with technological domains,” Wang said, “innovation and creativity in organizations are pivotal to survival.”

“Modern leaders must contend with the disruptive forces of technologies and navigate the social and economic unpredictability of our times, the outcomes of which can be 'for better' or 'for worse,’” said Chinaka DomNwachukwu, dean of the Watson College of Education. “The mission of leaders extends well beyond their singular capacity. Leaders must understand and enact their leadership with an unshakeable positive belief in their followers. They must free the untapped potential, motivate and encourage experimentation, creativity, and innovation, and value the rich diversity in their followers – these are captured by an andragogical approach to leadership. The chapters in this book bring andragogical theory to the fore as a leadership theory and guiding philosophy for modern times.  The multiple perspectives and 'use cases' developed by the authors make the book a valuable resource for the theory and practice of leadership in a challenging era.”

 “Leaders and teachers at all levels of education must be empowered to “do the right things, and do things right,” said John A. Henschke, past president of the American Association For Adult and Continuing Education and professor emerita, University of Missouri & Lindenwood University. “The 20 chapters in this book will do this. For the first time since the inception of andragogy, the authors prove that the theory of andragogy, is an encompassing and powerful frame for developing and applying leadership theories and practices such as andragogical leadership and transformational leadership. This much-needed book fills a void in leadership literature. Authors from nine countries on five continents collectively and empirically address andragogical leadership and technology, capturing diverse cultural and ideological perspectives.”  

Added Rebecca Lubas, dean of CSUSB’s John M. Pfau Library, “This new handbook gathers global perspectives on a nurturing approach to leadership.  With expectations for career growth and satisfaction rising, research on successfully encouraging continuous learning, improvement, and actualization is critical for leaders and organizations to thrive.”

Other testimonials include:

  • Kathy Peno, professor and program coordinator of the Adult Education Master’s Program at the University of Rhode Island: “While applying principles of andragogy to leadership is not new (see McCauley et al., 2017), this book provides the most comprehensive, multi-faceted examination of andragogy and leadership in various contexts. This work is timely in exploring online teaching and learning, resilience and stress in higher education, and social justice, to name a few. Administrators, faculty, and learning designers alike will find this work of significant value for a positive impact on their practice.”
  • Maria M. Witte, associate dean, The Graduate School, professor of Adult Education, Auburn University: “‘The Handbook of Research on Andragogical Leadership and Technology in a Modern World’ brings together a selection of critical topics that reinforce the importance and value of andragogy.  Educational philosophies and practices based on andragogy assist in facilitating the development and growth of others as well as encouraging followership and continuous improvement, both personally and professionally.  These chapters illustrate that leading others takes courage and putting faith and trust in their skills so that innovation and creativity can result. This Handbook will serve as a worthwhile and valuable resource for those applying andragogy in both the leadership and technological areas.”
  • William J. Rothwell, Distinguished Professor of Education, Penn State University: “This book is the best one in print on this topic. It covers traditional leadership topics by applying the art and science of helping adults learn, namely andragogy comprehensively, giving the reader new ideas/food for thought and options to move forward to learn to survive and thrive in the 21st century organizations that are impacted by the volatile technological advancements, geographical power struggles, the continued swaying of ideologies, and above all, the moral leadership theories and practices. This book makes the bold conclusion that other leadership theories and practices flow from the beautifully well-reasoned theory of andragogy. It shows the researchers how to research the complexities of leadership theories and techniques from the andragogical angle. The book’s authors make meaningful connections between andragogy and traditional leadership theories and practices. Upper-division undergraduate students, graduate students, primarily doctoral students, and faculty researchers will come to many realizations by applying “andragogical leadership and technology” to practice. Finally, I highly recommend adapting this book critically and flexibly to lead your organizations andragogically rather than pedagogically.”

“I thank university research director Dr. Cynthia A. Crawford and Provost Dr. Rafik Mohamed for giving me release time to complete this milestone book for CSUSB, ranked 194th as a newly designated research university,” Wang said. “As senior faculty, I have this historic responsibility to help maintain the research university status by publishing refereed books nationally and internationally.”

Wang is a former tenured professor at two other major public universities, which required and received letters of recommendation for his tenure and promotion from the world’s leading scholars, including Stephen Brookfield and the late Patricia Cranton. Wang was the 2016 recipient of the Presidential Award for Exceptional and Innovative Leadership from the American Association For Adult and Continuing Education.

Wang brought more than 240 refereed publications to CSUSB. The Pfau Library has cataloged 10 e-titles of Wang’s 57 books and Wang’s two versions of international journals. CSUSB faculty and students can access these e-books and journals anywhere and anytime.

“I cannot help but conclude that I work for the best college at the best university where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is actively being promoted. I genuinely enjoy working in this non-discriminatory environment where each faculty/staff and each student are appreciated. The university has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country,” Wang said.

“Once again, I am grateful to the world’s leading scholars who contributed leading-edge chapters to this book,” he said. “Without their continued support, this milestone book would not be completed given the time frame (release time granted).”