Leadership styles and HEI performance: relationship and moderating factors

Abstract

ABSTRACT The growing attention paid to the performance of state Higher Education Institutions (HEI), caused by the growing demands and changes in these institutions’ ways of acting, has contributed to valorization of leadership as an instrument guiding their line of action, able to stimulate their success and with positive impacts on HEIs’ performance. This study has the twin objective of analyzing the relation between the different leadership styles and performance in Brazilian and Iberian HEIs, and the possible moderating effects of culture and autonomy on that relation. A questionnaire was completed by rectors, vice-rectors, pro-rectors and leaders of HEIs. The data collected were analyzed through descriptive statistics and application of the PLS-SEM method. Adaptive integrative, cybernetic, knowledge-oriented, strategic and transformational leadership styles were found to have a positive and significant influence on the performance of Brazilian HEIs, but this was not the case in Iberian HEIs. In addition, staff autonomy was seen to have a positive and significant moderating effect on the relation between leadership styles and performance in Brazilian HEIs. The study also contributes by identifying the types of culture and autonomy that have a positive and significant influence on HEI performance.