Leadership and Interpersonal Characteristics Related to Administrator Overall Evaluations

• In Event: Top Down or Bottom Up? Building Human Capacity in Higher Education

Abstract

We examined which interpersonal and leadership qualities of higher education administrators are most highly correlated with overall ratings of their performance. Participants were 732 higher education administrators from 58 institutions and 38,325 personnel who rated their respective administrator’s performance. Respondents completed The IDEA Center Feedback for Administrators survey. Successful performance of roles, interpersonal characteristics, and leadership style were positively related to overall job performance and confidence in the administrator. Presidents and provosts received lower ratings than others. However, when provosts performed administrative roles successfully and conveyed a leadership style of decisiveness, organization, and consistency they received higher performance ratings. Future research should explore whether such skills and personal characteristics can be improved with feedback and professional development.

Authors

• Stephen L. Benton, The IDEA Center, Inc.

• Amy Gross, The IDEA Center, Inc.

• William H. Pallett, Individual Development and Educational Assessment Center

• Rodney K. Goodyear, University of Redlands