A Study of Division Deans' in the North Carolina Community College System Self Perceived Leadership Style Based on Bolman and Deal's Four Frame Theory

Abstract

This study was designed to expand the knowledge base of academic division deans by correlating differences in leadership styles (i.e., frames) of the division deans within the North Carolina Community College System. The data was collected using the Leadership Orientation Instrument-Self (LOI-Self) developed by Bolman and Deal (1990) to measure and identify the perceived organizational frames of leadership: human resource, political, structural and symbolic. The LOI-Self survey, the focus of this study, was completed by the North Carolina Community College System division deans. The North Carolina Community College System is the third largest in the nation, composed of 58 community colleges. The first research question in this study identified the primary leadership orientation frame of the division deans. The remaining three research questions used one-way ANOVAs to test the perceived leadership orientation of North Carolina Community College System division deans in relation to educational level, prior business (non-educational) experience, and number of years of serving as dean. The research methodology used in this study is quantitative in design. The results of this study indicate that the human resource frame was found to be most prevalent among the North Carolina Community College System deans along with a paired orientation with the structural frame. Statistical analysis of the findings revealed no significance in reference to the division deans' perceived orientation leadership frames and educational level, prior business (non-educational) experience, or number of years of serving as dean as described in the research questions. Cronbach's Alpha was used to establish reliability and demonstrates a high degree of consistency among the electronic survey respondents. The results of this study correspond to Bolman and Deal's maintained population pool of total group means on the leadership orientations frames based on a collection of other studies. Implications of this study suggest programs which would facilitate the deans in their development and utilization of the lesser used leadership skills of the political and symbolic frame orientations.