Leadership effectiveness in Higher Education:Managerial self-perceptions versus perceptions of others

• Main Authors: Herbst, THH, Conradie, PDP
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: SA Journal of Industrial Psychology 2011
• Subjects: Self-knowledge; Interpersonal skills
• Online Access: http://encore.tut.ac.za/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1000556

It is generally accepted that effective leadership is an essential element of positive social change in any institution. It also seems evident that no society can continue to grow and develop without it and that no institution can thrive where it is unavailable. However, these statements raise a number of questions such as: • Whose perceptions of effective leadership is applicable here – the perceptions of those in leadership positions themselves, or the perceptions of others? • What is likely to happen in the case of conflicting perceptions of leadership effectiveness? This study explores this issue by focusing on the relationship between self-ratings and otherratings of managerial leadership within a particular context, namely a South African higher education institution that is in the throes of a radical merging process and on the prevalence of self-perception accuracy amongst the managers of that institution.