Abstract
The South African higher education (HE) sector has been criticised for an apparent lack of leadership, calling into question the leaders’ ability to manage change as a result of the recent mergers of HE institutions. The aim of this present research was to establish the frequency of exhibition of transformational leadership and its behaviours and its level in this sector, including the commonly manifesting themes and strategies that transformational leaders, as change agents, utilise to effect change in their organisations. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was administered to 190 HE leaders, followed by individual interviews. It was found that these leaders exhibit transformational leadership fairly often and that, contrary to criticism, they manage change fairly successfully.
Highlights
The study of leadership has recently become quite intense and diversified (Northouse, 2001)
This study investigated the problem of the apparent lack of leadership in the higher education (HE) sector in South Africa (SA), the perception that there is a lack of transformational leadership in the public HE institutions
The leaders investigated in this study have been found to exhibit transformational leadership and its behaviours fairly often, which is a relatively high level
Summary
The study of leadership has recently become quite intense and diversified (Northouse, 2001). Examples are the effect of leadership on organisational culture (van Tonder, 1998); investigating the transformational leadership skills which are essential to mobilise people (Handford, 1999); the relationship between certain personality traits and transformational leadership (van Rensburg & Crous, 2000); and the relationship of transformational leadership with locus of control (van Staden, Scheepers & Rieger, 2000) Change is one such variable that can provide the context within which leadership can be studied (File, 2000). This study investigated the problem of the apparent lack of leadership in the higher education (HE) sector in South Africa (SA), the perception that there is a lack of transformational leadership in the public HE institutions This will compromise the leaders’ ability to manage change successfully. It has been recognised that one of the major failings of the South African HE sector, delaying its effective transformation, is a shortage of skilled leadership, problematic governance and a lack of adequate management capacity (Higher Education Leadership and Management Programme, 2004)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
