•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Abstract

A new University of Belize (UB) was created through the assimilation of several smaller institutions and was only two years old at the time of this study. The authors recognized that the creation of this most-recent university would bring different expectations of leadership on the part of faculty and administrators. As higher education changes, particularly at the UB, the need for persons in leadership positions who can bring groups together in spite of differences, will be critical. According to Machiavelli (1961), there is nothing more difficult to plan, more uncertain of success, or more dangerous to manage than the establishment of a new order. This study utilizes the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire developed by The Ohio State University to measure the ideal behavior faculty members expect of administrative leaders at the University of Belize, using three research questions (descriptive and comparative for statistical analysis) and two open-ended questions. The survey results show no significant statistical differences between the two dimensions of leader behavior for any of the three research questions asked, leading the authors to conclude that faculty members want a balanced relationship with department chairs. The open-ended questions indicate faculty expect administrative leaders to be effective in setting and achieving departmental goals and that they value a relationship built on mutual trust and respect, desire a leader who listens, who is open to suggestions for problem solving and who fosters a spirit of teamwork and cooperation.

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.