Studyspark Study Document

Emerging Definitions of Leadership in Higher Education Article Review

Pages:3 (917 words)

Sources:5

Subject:Education

Topic:Higher Education

Document Type:Article Review

Document:#48418511


The article by Eddy and VanDerLinden (2006) looks at how alternative definitions of leadership are replacing traditional leadership concepts. Specifically, the authors assess emerging definitions of leadership in terms of how community college administrators self-identify as leaders. Using a survey method to collect data, the researchers asked respondents to identify their definition of leadership. The purpose was to see if they viewed leadership in terms of their position at the college or in terms of other variables.

The researchers noted that, traditionally, these colleges have been described as bureaucratic in nature, with positional leadership serving as the main type, but today administrators in these colleges self-identify using a variety of different leadership ideas. These leaders are in fact thinking more complexly about leadership instead of linking leadership to position or to a single characteristic. The authors make the point that it is important to nurture these alternative definitions of leadership by providing additional leadership development and training opportunities.

However, Eddy and VanDerLinden (2006) also show that a large percentage of community college administrators still see themselves as having their leadership tied to their position or role within the college. The authors note that the encouraging finding is that for half of the respondents they did use different terms and variables to define their sense of leadership, instead of just referring to their position in the college as being the source of definition for leadership.

The researchers sampled 682 respondents across a variety of position codes for the survey, so the sample size was large enough and generally representative of the population that the…

Some parts of this document are missing

Click here to view full document

…about leadership is necessarily better or worse than others. The primary important factor in leadership is the ability to build strong relationships with others because without these there will be no way to earn the trust and respect of followers. But, again, how those relationships are defined will depend upon the setting, the leader and the followers. Obviously, it will be different for an Army sergeant than it will be for a member of a Congress. The study by Eddy and VanDerLinden (2006) at least makes it clear that critical thinking about leadership is taking place among roughly half of today’s community college administrators, which is a sign that leadership is not being taken for granted. As I move forward with my doctoral research, I am to explore ideas in leadership in much the same…


Sample Source(s) Used

References

Chliwniak, L. (1997). Higher education leadership: Analyzing the gender gap, ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, 25 (4). Washington DC: ASHE.

Eddy, P. L., & VanDerLinden, K. E. (2006). Emerging Definitions of Leadership in Higher Education: New Visions of Leadership or Same Old “Hero” Leader? Community College Review, 34(1), 5–26.

O'Banion, T. (1997). A learning college for the 21st century. Phoenix, AZ: American Council on Education Oryx Press Series on Higher Education.

Peterson, M. (1997). Using contextual planning to transform institutions. In M. Peterson, D. Dill, L. A. Mets, & Associates (Eds.), Planning and management for a changing environment, 127-157. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Townsend, B. K., & Twombly, S. B. (1998). A feminist critique of organizational change in the community college. In. J. S. Levin (Ed.), Organizational change in the community college: A ripple or a sea change?, pp. 77-85. New Directions for Community Colleges. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Cite this Document

Join thousands of other students and "spark your studies."

Sign Up for FREE
Related Documents

Studyspark Study Document

Servant Leadership in Education

Pages: 5 (1603 words) Sources: 5 Subject: Terrorism Document: #99059915

Servant Leadership Robert Greenleaf developed the concept of servant leadership around the idea that leaders contribute to their organizations the most when they facilitate the people under their charge to be at their best. According to his organization's website, servant leadership is "servant first ... the natural feeling that one wants to serve" (Greenleaf.org, 2015). This juxtaposes the more traditional view of leadership that puts the leader first. In that more

Studyspark Study Document

Leadership in Organizations Organizational Leadership

Pages: 40 (12322 words) Sources: 25 Subject: Leadership Document: #65691491

Leadership, according to La Monica (1938), is when a person has authority that is recognized by others, and the person has followers/subordinates under them, who believe that the person will assist them in attaining certain goals (carrying out specific objectives for the followers). Furthermore, anyone that is willing to assist and help others could be referred to as a leader (p.8) Leaders see what others do not Most leaders have

Studyspark Study Document

Leadership and Employability

Pages: 9 (3181 words) Sources: 9 Subject: Accounting Document: #20145342

Leadership and Employability Report on Accounting and need of Strategic Leadership Accountants at the management levels can be depended upon to have technical accounting expertise to give organizations the financial knowhow they need to fulfill statutory reporting requirements. However, management accounting also entails supporting the enterprise. Management accountants can combine analysis and accounting skills with their business understanding, making them able to give reliable performance metrics and forward looking, evidence-based management information.

Studyspark Study Document

Leadership in International Schools

Pages: 108 (29649 words) Sources: 1+ Subject: Teaching Document: #20990082

Leadership Skills Impact International Education CHALLENGES OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION Practical Circumstances of International schools THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION What is Effective Leadership for Today's Schools? Challenges of Intercultural Communication Challenges of Differing Cultural Values Importance of the Team Leadership Style LEADERSHIP THEORIES Current Leadership Research Transformational Leadership Skills-Authority Contingency Theories APPLYING LEADERSHIP IN AN INTERNATIONAL SETTING Wagner's "Buy-in" vs. Ownership Understanding the Urgent Need for Change Research confirms what teachers, students, parents and superintendents have long known: the individual school is the key unit

Studyspark Study Document

Highest Performing Promotional Tools and

Pages: 25 (10859 words) Sources: 70 Subject: Sports Document: #64102017

The effectiveness of promotional strategies is highly dependent on their ability to resonate and be relevant to the target audiences over time (Reference). This is the basis of the research being undertaken; to determine which promotional tools and strategies are the most effective in attracting, training and retaining the most talented and motivated volunteers for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The following are the aims and objectives of this analysis.

Studyspark Study Document

Educational Leadership and Technology

Pages: 13 (5289 words) Sources: 16 Subject: Leadership Document: #40720326

Leadership for Technology Enhanced Education Organization of paper This paper is divided into 4 sections. In section one, the paper begins by presenting a brief overview that includes how the paper is organized. Following this, the paper presents and defines the construct, Technology Education Leadership, and discusses the significance of the chosen concept. Then, the paper presents and describes the one seminal article identified, which is most central to Technology Education Leadership. Thereafter

Join thousands of other students and

"spark your studies".