Applying the Competing Values Model of Leadership: Reconceptualizing a University Student Leadership Development Program

Abstract

A theoretical model of organizational effectiveness and leadership, developed by Robert Quinn, is adapted and applied to a university student leadership development program. Eight leadership roles are evaluated in this empirical analysis. Results indicated that: (1) student leaders saw themselves most often as mentors to others within their organization/club and least often as brokers to individuals outside their immediate unit, and (2) position of leadership, type of organization/club, student classification, and gender produced significant differences in the leadership roles performed. Quinn's model and these results are discussed as a means of reconceptualizing and improving student leadership development programs.