The Characteristics, Behaviors, and Training of ...

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Running Head: EFFECTIVE DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

The Characteristics, Behaviors, and Training of Effective Educational/Leadership Department Chairs

Judy Harris, Middle Level Education Program Coordinator University of Central Arkansas Conway, Arkansas Mashburn Hall #104 B 501 852-5152 Barbara N. Martin, Professor Educational Administration Southwest Missouri State University 901 S. National Springfield, MO 65805 [email protected] William Agnew, Department Head Educational Administration Southwest Missouri State University 901 S. National Springfield, MO 65805

Roundtable Presentation at the 2004 Annual Conference UCEA November 11-14, 2004 Kansas City, Missouri

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ABSTRACT This study investigated leadership characteristics of chairs of Leadership Departments. Five nationally recognized universities were the sample. Data collection included the Leadership Practices Inventory, Q-sort, and interviews. The purpose was to develop a profile of an effective chair and identify the training that made them effective. The data revealed that the chairs had prior administrative experience and a commitment to professional development. The subordinates identified visionary, ethical and moral leadership as important.

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Introduction In the 21st century, leaders of colleges and universities are being required to meet challenges that are more monumental in scope than any in previous American history (Cohen, 1998). Bennis (1997) noted that leaders for the twenty-first century must be able to reform organizations, create new organizational enterprises, preside over a myriad of experiences in order to deliver new services to clients, and form major alliances and partnerships with others to achieve mutual goals. Because public organizations such as universities often have diverse and conflicting goals and leaders work within structures that are different from other organizations, demands on leaders are further increased ( Vroom, 1983). “Although leadership is a well-researched topic about which much has been written the complexity of the research makes it difficult to develop a final version of a leadership model that will pertain specifically to academic chairs” (Lucas, 1994. p. 46 ). Research inquiries have clarified who is involved in the chair position in terms of roles but have not clarified ways to improve the effectiveness of the position (Dyer & Miller, 1999). Quite often, the assumption is that administration is synonymous with leadership, and that appointment of a chair automatically provides a leader when in reality, that is not the case (Eble, 1990a). Due to the lack of formal training, most of the learning process for new chairs has been largely informal or self-directed (Gmelch, Reason, Schuh, & Shelley, 2000). Thus using the chair of educational leadership departments as the focus the following research questions were investigated: 1). What are perceived to be effective leadership behaviors and characteristics of department chairs in Educational Administration/Leadership departments as indicated by their superiors, subordinates, and self? 2). What are the leadership behaviors and characteristics of

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academic chairs in Educational Administration/Leadership departments as measured by the Leadership Practices Inventory? 3). What model of effective leadership by Educational Administration/Leadership chairs may be proposed? 4). What model of professional development for future and current department chairs may be proposed? Conceptual Organizers Leadership Effectiveness. Researchers and leaders promote a number of theories on what constitutes effective leadership. Over the past several years a number of studies were conducted to identify what is considered effective leadership in organizations and Bolman and Deal (1997) reported that the results of this extensive research effort revealed a consensus on three characteristics of effective leadership. The first characteristic is that effective leaders help establish a vision. The second characteristic is that effective leaders have a commitment to a vision and the ability to passionately communicate that vision to others. The third characteristic that effective leaders have is the ability to inspire trust and build relationships within the organization. Kouzes and Posner (2001) have concluded that leadership is an observable, learnable set of practices. While a few research studies have focused on leadership practices in higher education, little research has focused on effectiveness or on the means for increasing effectiveness of leaders, particularly at the departmental level (Whetton &Cameron, 1985). Educational Administration/Leadership Departments. From 1947 – 1985, social sciences began influencing administration programs with the development of scientific and theoretical ideas (Arnold & Hollis, 2001). Most educational administration /leadership programs focus on preparing leaders for k-12 administration, but a need is growing for professors and leaders in higher education. The idea is gaining momentum

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that professors who teach in school administration must decide whether the primary goal is to prepare individuals for the K-12 arena or to prepare people for becoming higher education faculty in the field of leadership (Shipman, 1999). Effectiveness of Chairs. .For a variety of reasons, the job of academic department chair is a topic for research that is fertile (Dyer & Miller, 1999). Gmelch and Carroll (1991) explored chairs’ use of time and role orientation at more than 100 universities and identified structural relationships that created conflict. They found that chairs should possess enough flexibility, skill, and comfort to use any of the five skills of assertiveness, competing, collaborating, accommodating, or avoiding in managing conflict. In addition, elements of effective departmental leadership may vary according to the context in which it is exhibited (Chaffee & Tierney, 1988). In addition, the effective chair must be able to forge relationships with the commercial world, and to give attention to student recruitment and enrollment, as well as recruit and retain large numbers of new faculty (Bensimon, Ward, & Sanders, 2000). While research has addressed the importance of personal characteristics and professional abilities associated with effective department chair leadership, little research has focused on training of department chairs (Lindholm, 1999). By studying department heads in Educational Administration/Leadership departments that are nationally recognized for preparing leaders and by studying the preparation those chairs received, the researcher hopes to add to the body of knowledge related to improving training of effective leaders, particularly at the departmental level. Methods Particpants. Participants in this study consisted of Educational Administration/Leadership department chairs, their immediate supervisors, and other

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faculty members in the Educational Administration/Leadership departments. Chosen for the sample of this study were five purposefully selected doctoral/research universities. The institutions selected for the sample had the following common characteristics: (1) all five universities were ranked by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2000) as a Doctoral/Research University and all five awarded Doctoral degrees in the area of Educational Administration/Leadership. (2) all five universities were included in the U.S. News & World Report (“Specialities,” 2002, ranked in 2001) list of America’s best graduate programs in Administration and Supervision and (3) all department chairs in the population had been in the chair position for at least two years. The five participating universities are located throughout the United States. Two are located in the eastern third of the United States, one is located in the mid-west section, and two are located in the western third of the United States. Instrumentation. Utilized in this study were three methods of gathering data. During the first phrase of the study Kouzes and Posner’s (2001) Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) Self and Observer instruments were sent to the chairs, the deans of their colleges, and to other members of the departments. During phase two, after the Leadership Practices Inventory were completed, the researcher then scheduled site interviews and administered the Q-sort instrument (McKeown & Thomas, 1988) with the department chairs, deans, and other members of the departments. In this study, Q stimulus statements were based on of Kouzes and Posner’s (1997) five leadership practices as well as other researchers’ work regarding leadership characteristics and preparation for assumption of the chair position ( Gmelch et. al., 2000; Lindholm,

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1999).During phase three the researcher, conducted semi-structured interviews with chairs and others regarding effectiveness issues and training opportunities. Data Analysis. By using a myriad method of data gathering, the researcher was able to examine parameters of effective leadership behaviors, characteristics, and preparation that would have been difficult from a single approach. Triangulation was accomplished by comparing the analysis of the Self and Observer LPI to the results of interviews and Q-sorts. Discussion of Preliminary Findings Research question 1: What are perceived to be effective leadership behaviors and characteristics of department chairs in Educational Administration/Leadership departments as indicated by their superiors, subordinates, and self? Information gleamed from the data (Q-sort procedures and qualitative interviews) is indicating that the most effective leadership behaviors and characteristics of department chairs in Educational Administration as perceived by superiors, subordinate, and themselves are ethical behavior, utilization of effective communication methods, development of a shared vision, and empowerment of all faculty members. Chairs themselves are also placing a high importance on intuition in decision making, celebrating faculty accomplishments, communication, and collaboration efforts. Research question 2: What are the leadership behaviors and characteristics of academic chairs in Educational Administration/Leadership departments as measured by the Leadership Practices Inventory? Initial information gleamed from the data (LPI instruments) is indicating that the leadership behaviors and characteristics of Chairs in educational Administration departments are demonstrating primarily three leadership

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practices: enabling others to act, encouraging the heart, and modeling the way. Specific components within each practice include: treating people with dignity and respect, developing cooperative relationships, letting people choose how to do their work, praising people for a job well done, giving team members appreciation and support, expressing confidence in people’s abilities, following through on promises and commitments, and having a clear philosophy of leadership. While the other two elements of effective leadership were present they were not noted as strengths. Research question 3: What model of effective leadership by Educational Administration/Leadership chairs may be proposed? Preliminary data from the Q-sort procedures, LPI instruments, and qualitative interviews are revealing that the following list constitutes an initial profile of an Effective Educational Administration chair based on the data: 1).exhibits good ethical behavior treating people with dignity and respect.; 2).communicates clearly with others especially in regard to expressing confidence in people’s abilities, praising, and giving appreciation to staff. ; 3). promotes collaboration among the k12 partnerships and with other campus offices and departments building consensus and involving others in the vision of the department.; 4). understands the changing role of leadership preparatory programs and is visionary and proactive in creating programs that meet the challenges of leadership in contemporary school settings.; 5). is clear and articulate about his or her philosophy of leadership and about framing curriculum and instructional process around that vision based on current theories and national standards. Research question 4: What model of professional development for future and current department chairs may be proposed? Information gleamed from the semi-structured interviews and the literature initially suggests that leadership preparation is a continuously

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evolving profession and effective leadership in the chair position is essential. Also the data reveals that most individuals in chair leadership roles have made a strong commitment to the profession and are interested in consistently upgrading themselves through staff development programs. The type of program mentioned most often was data driven staff development that framed around national standards. Also stressed was the issue that the staff development needed to be on going and relevant to the issues facing leaders in the current school environment. Additional data indicates that there is a need for consistent leadership behavior demonstrated within the profession. Of the components necessary to be a successful leader in the educational leadership department, one of the most essential as identified by subordinates was vision. The chair must be able to cast a vision and help others buy into that vision. Another important theme that emerged was ethical behavior demonstrated consistently by the leader and the need to incorporate more ethical experiences/case studies into a chair leadership-training program, as well as into the curriculum taught in an Educational Administration program. . Further Issues to Investigate Questions/themes. For k-12 and higher education institutions to be successful for all graduate students a culture that is characterized by effective leadership must exist, along with departments intensifying their efforts to create meaningful research based leadership preparatory programs. By creating leadership programs that create effective leaders in a myriad of disciplines and settings perhaps a more comprehensive picture of what is truly needed in a higher education setting can be revealed. Within this particular context the authors’ wish to address the following questions/themes:

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What are the characteristics of “effective preparation programs” and how do they respond to contextual conditions (i.e., higher education, diversity, equity, k-12)?



What implications does assessing the effectiveness of leaders through the lenses of a variety of stakeholders in different disciplines and roles have on graduate student learning and effective leadership preparation programs?



What are the critical features of meaningful leadership development, and how should it be designed if we view leadership through various theories such as social justice?

References Arnold T, & Hollis, M. (2001). Raising the standard toward excellence in educational administration programs: A brief review of literature with value added. Bolivar, MO: http://www.sbu.edu. Astin, A.W. & Scherrei, R.A. (1980). Maximizing leadership effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Bennis,W. (1997). Managing people is like herding cats. Provo: Publishers Press. Bensimon, E. M., Ward, K., & Sanders, K. (2000). Department chair's role in developing new faculty into teachers and scholars. Bolton, MA: Anker. Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (1997). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Chaffee, E. E., & Tierney, W. G. (1988). Collegiate culture and leadership strategies. New York: ACE/Macmillan.

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Cohen, A. M. (1998). The shaping of American higher education. San Francisco: JosseyBass. Dyer, B. G., & Miller, M. (1999). A critical review of literature related to the department chair position (ERIC document 432 193). Eble, K. E. (1990a). Chairpersons and faculty development. In J. B. Bennett & D. J. Figuli (Eds.), Enhancing deparmental leadership: The roles of the chairperson. New York: ACE / MacMillan. Gmelch, W. H., Reason, R. D., Schuh, J. H., & Shelley, M. C. (2000). The call for academic leaders: The academic leadership forum evaluation report. Ames: Iowa State University. Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2001). The leadership challenge: How to get extraordinary things done in organizations (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey - Bass. Lucas, A. F. (2000). Leading academic change: Essential roles for department chairs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. U.S. News and World Report: Best Graduate School Rankings 2001. (2001). Education Specialties: Administration/Supervision. Retrieved October 13,2001 from Http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/beyond/gradrank/gbedusp1.htm. Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (1985). Administrative effectiveness in higher education. Review of Higher education, 9 (1), 35-49.

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