Instructors’ Perception of the Leadership Styles of their Department Heads at Jimma University
Keywords:
perception, leadership style, department heads
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate instructors‟ perception of the leadership styles of department heads at Jimma University. The study employed descriptive survey method and used quantitative approach. Instructors were source of data. A total of 192 sample instructors were selected using proportionate stratified sampling technique. LEAD-Others instrument and Demographic Variables Survey questionnaires were employed to collect the data. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Finally, it was examined using relevant literature. The results of this study showed that instructors perceived „selling‟ as department heads‟ predominant and „participating‟ as their secondary leadership style. The study further revealed that the perception of instructors did not significantly vary across demographic variables such as work experience and disciplinary background except level of education. Finally, the researchers recommended that department heads, as leaders; need to vary their leadership style in order to fit into the situations. Moreover, the university is advised to arrange continuous and relevant training for department heads to make them move able to varying their leadership styles. In addition, since leadership styles can vary across situations and time, further research should be conducted to see if there may be any differences in the leadership styles of department heads longitudinally.
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References
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Dyer, B.G., & Miller, M. (1999). A critical review of literature related to the department chair position. ERIC: ED 432 193. Fullan, M. (1992). Successful school improvement: The implementation perspectives and beyond. Buckingham: Open University press. Gabbidon, S. L. (2005). A study on the attitudes and experiences of chairpersons in American criminology and criminal justice programs. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 15(1), 1-17. Gay, L.R. (1987). Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Application. (3rd Ed.): Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Publishing Company. Gay, L.R. (1980). Educational Evaluation and Measurement. Columbus: Charles Publishing Company. Gmelch, W.H. (2002a). The Call for Department Leaders. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (54th, New York, NY). ERIC: ED 460 098.
Gorsky, P. et al. (2010). The Relationship between Academic Discipline and Dialogic Behavior in Open University Course Forums. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11(2).
Govindsamy, V. (2006). An Analysis of Self Perception Leadership Style against Demographic Variables. Unpublished Master‟s Thesis, University of KwaZulu-Natal. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K.H., & Johnson, D.E. (1996). Management of organizational behavior: Utilizing human resources (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Hersey, P., and Blanchard, K .H. (1982). Management of Organizational Behavior: Utilizing Human Resources. Third Edition. Englewood Cliffs, N .J. Prentice-Hall. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K .H. and LaMonica, E .L. (1976). A Situational Approach to Supervision: Leadership Theory and the Supervising Nurse. Supervisor Nurse, United States. Katz, D. (1982). The effects of group longevity on project communication and performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 27(1). Keiser. J. D., (2004). Chief Executives from 1960–1989: A trend toward professionalization. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 10(3). Kreiner, K. (1999). Knowledge and mind: The management of intellectual resources. Advances in Managerial cognition and organizational information processing, 6, 1–29. Leaming, D. R. (1998). Academic leadership: A practical guide to chairing the department. Lucas, A.F. (2000a). Leading academic change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Lucas, A. F. (2000). Strengthening departmental leadership: A team-building guide for chairs in colleges and universities. (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Meulemester, J. & Rochat, D. (1995). A Causality Analysis of the Link Between Higher Education and Economic Development. Economics of Education Review. 14(4), 351-361.
Mullins .L. J. (2005). Management and organizational behavior .7th ed, Visit us on the World Wide Web at: www.pearsoned.co.uk. Neumann, Y. & Borris, S.B. (1978). Paradigm development and leadership style of university department chair persons. Research in Higher education, 9, 291-302. Psacharopoulos, G. (1985). Returns to Education. A Further International up Date and Implications. Journal of Human Resources, 20(4), 583-604. Santiago, P., Tremblay, K., Basri, E. and Arnal, E. (2008). Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society: Special Features: Equity, Innovation, Labor Market, Internationalization. Volume 2. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Seagren, A. T., Creswell, J., & Wheeler, D. (1993). The department chair: New roles, responsibilities, and challenges. [Electronic version]. Eric Digest. Retrieved May 7, 2005 from ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education. Eric Identifier: ED363165. Smart, J.C and Elton, C.F. (1976). Administrative Roles of department chairs. New direction for institutional Research, 10, 39-60. Swinyard, A. W. & Bond, F. A. (1980). Who gets promoted? Harvard Business Review, 19(1). Teshome Yizengaw (2005). Policy Development In Higher Education In Ethiopia And The Role Of Donors And Development Partners. Paper presented at the International Expert Meeting-“Formulas that work: Making Higher education Support More effective; The Hague, The Netherlands, 23-24, May, 2005.
Transitional Government of Ethiopia [TGE]. (1994). The New Education and Training Policy. Addis Ababa: EMPDA.
UNESCO. (2005). EFA Global Monitoring Report: The Quality Imperative. UNESCO, Paris. Viljoen (1997) 'Themes in Management and Changes in Africa.' Retrieved from http://africamanagement.org Vroom, V. H., & Yetton, P. W. (1973). The new leadership: Managing participation in organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Wolverton, M, Gmlech,W,H, Montez, J., & Niess, C.T. (2001). The Changing nature of academic deanship. ASHE-ERIC, Higher Education Report, 28(1). Yousef, D.A. (2000). Organizational commitment: a mediator of the relationships of leadership behavior with job satisfaction and performance in a non-western country. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 15(1). Yukl, G. A. (1989). Leadership in organizations (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Published
2012-06-01
Section
Articles