Leadership Effectiveness of Collegiate Aviation Program Leaders: A Four-frame Analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived leadership effectiveness of aviation program leaders at higher education institutions utilizing the four leadership frames of Drs. Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal. A frame is a tactic which allows an individual to gain a perspective on a given situation. The four frames of Bolman and Deal are the structural, human resources, political, and symbolic frames. An anonymous online survey, developed using the Leadership Orientation Instrument of Bolman and Deal, was sent electronically to aviation faculty and staff followers at University Aviation Association higher education institutions. Five-point Likert scales were used by aviation faculty and staff to assess the perceived leadership effectiveness of aviation program leaders. A one-way ANOVA was conducted comparing the perceived leadership effectiveness scores based on the four leadership frames. No significant difference was found in perceived leadership effectiveness based on the primary leadership frame, F(3,90) = 1.08, p > .05. An additional one-way ANOVA was run comparing the perceived leadership effectiveness scores of the four frame groups (no frames, single frame, paired frames, and multiple frames). A significant difference was found in perceived leadership effectiveness based on the number of frames utilized, F(3,222) = 101.93, p < .05. Post-hoc tests revealed that aviation program leaders scored higher in perceived leadership effectiveness if they subscribed to the paired frames or multiple frames approaches.