CONTRIBUTION OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP TO THE HEAD DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS

Abstract

Higher educations play important role in effort to develop a nation. Good quality of a higher education will contribute to the progress of the nation. The quality of higher education can be seen from the quality of its leader. Head of department  has an important role in advancing the department head, then in turn contributing to the quality of a university. The current research aimed to examine the leadership styles of head of departments and their leadership effectiveness. The research used 60 lecturers to be respondents. Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X (MLQ) was used. Research findings showed that the department heads exhibited combination of transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles. Research findings also indicated that dimensions of transformational leadership: idealized influence (behavior), inspirational motivation, individualized consideration were consistent with the norm of MLQ (fairly often). While for dimensions of transactional leadership, contingent reward and management by exception-active and passive were also consistent with the norm of MLQ (sometimes). The rest were not suitable with the norm of MLQ, namely: idealized influence (attributed), intellectual stimulation, and laissez-faire. The findings also indicated that combinations of transformational and transactional leadership styles of head departments were more effective if compared with the single contribution of leadership style. The research findings implied empirically to the implementation of transformational leadership style in the field and theoritically to the body of transformational leadership style theory of department head.

Keywords: department head, transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles, leadership effectiveness