Author: David Todd Harrison

Publisher:

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13:

Globalization and emerging technologies have had a profound impact on the U.S. economy, making a highly skilled workforce a national priority. The community college, with its great number, openness to nontraditional students, and key role in workforce development, is poised to become a more prominent contributor to America's success in the new economy. However, new technologies, reduced budgets, and higher levels of accountability are adding to the challenges facing community colleges. These new challenges have brought about the need for a different kind of educational leader, one who can manage the needs of a diverse group of stakeholders, empower others to accept responsibility, and get results without being autocratic. Such leaders are known as transformational leaders. In contrast, transactional leaders focus on the efficient running of the system within the context of existing organizational constraints. Transformational leaders are compared with transactional leaders in this investigation. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between transformational leadership factors, transactional leadership factors, and measures of community college performance. Forty-six North American community colleges participated in the study. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for this investigation. Information on the leadership behaviors of college presidents was collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Information on college effectiveness was collected using the Institutional Performance Survey. Both leadership and effectiveness data were based on faculty perceptions at the respective colleges. The relationship between presidential leadership and college effectiveness was evaluated using multiple regression analysis. A subset of presidents in the study was interviewed to achieve a better understanding of the social complexities associated with community college leadership. Transformational leadership was shown to be a better predictor of organizational effectiveness than transactional leadership for this sample. Based on the interviews, transformational presidents rely more on strong personal convictions, open communication, and trust to establish and articulate their vision than do their transactional counterparts. Leadership behaviors of the president predict only a portion of the overall performance of a college. Many other factors contribute to college performance, including the culture of the college and the conditions under which a leader assumes the presidency.