Leadership Programming: Exploring a Path to Faculty Engagement in Transformational Leadership

Abstract

Transformational leadership has served as a model for positive, individual-focused leadership, based on its emphasis on motivation and higher levels of organizational performance. Change is a constant for faculty that become leaders within the Land Grant University System. Changes to governance and accountability of institutions and threats to research through commercial or political interests reflect the need for positive and effective leaders. The purpose of this study was to examine if participation in LEAD21, a leadership development program intended for land grant universities’ colleges of agricultural, environmental, and human sciences and NIFA, changes participant levels of transformational leadership. Results indicated overall level of transformational leadership rose by an average of 7%. This finding was unexpected based on previous research that found statistically significant changes in transformational leadership dimensions of 1% - 2%. These results are encouraging, considering transformational leaders tend to lead higher performing organizations. Agricultural educators and leadership development professionals can use the results of this study to inform future teaching practices. The empirical evidence that transformational leadership development within a sample of emerging leaders is encouraging. The continuation and expansion of leadership development programs focused on transformational leadership dimensions are encouraged.