The Leadership Dimensions of Education Deans

Abstract

Education deans in the United States describe their approach to solving leadership problems that were cast as organizational dilemmas. The deans who participated in the study had been education deans for at least 6 to 7 years, indicating that they had avoided the revolving door syndrome of 4.5 years in a single appointment. Deans described their problem solving in interviews that asked for a response to vignettes. The answers were analyzed using a conceptual model that was developed over a period of 7 years. The framework consisted of four dimensions of leadership: intellectual, emotional, social, and moral. All 14 deans used all four dimensions in responding to the vignettes yet relied on the intellectual dimension as the basis for employing the other three dimensions. Within each dimension, education deans used specific themes (e.g., defining problems) more frequently than other themes. Implications for the professional development of deans are explored.