SOCIAL POWER PREFERENCES OF CABINET LEVEL COMMUNITY COLLEGE ADMINSTRATORS IN THE ROLE OF CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER IN THE NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM

Abstract

This study investigated the social power preferences of cabinet level community college administrators in the role of chief academic officer in the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS). The Power Base Inventory (PBI), developed by Kenneth and Gail Thomas was modified from a pencil-and-paper survey to an electronic web-based survey comprising 30 force-paired questions relative to social power and 10 demographic questions pertaining to age, gender, and institutional size. The PBI identified social power preferences from the six bases of social power: (a) referent, (b) coercive, (c) expert, (d) legitimate, (e) reward, and (f) informational power. Descriptive statistics determined the preferred bases of power among this group, and inferential statistics determined the statistical significance by gender, age, and institutional size.