This study identifies four patterns of how college presidents (N=32) interpret their own leadership roles and defines them in terms of a president's target of attention, mode of action, and relatedness to college life. It concludes that the presidency is not a singular, objective event but a subjective construction that may be experienced in…

A study identified eight cognitive roles played by college presidents' administrative teams and concluded that the resulting complexity, although difficult to manage, may improve executive-level leadership. Teams with multiple cognitive roles typically include a cognitively complex president, norms favoring cognitive diversity, and varied…

The thinking, or "strategy," that underlies presidential behavior was examined. Presidential strategy has become more complex and it focuses more on shaping organizational members' perceptions and attitudes. Changes in presidential strategy may result from changes in the environment or in the presidents themselves as they learn on the…

The self-reported errors of college and university presidents are examined and analyzed from the perspective of organizational learning. Very little is known about how presidents take on their roles, identify and assume their responsibilities, and learn about their workplaces or the difficulties they face and the mistakes they make in doing so.…

A survey of experienced and new presidents in 32 various colleges revealed that making mistakes is important to learning on the job, including when and how to take action, and when not to. Presidents reported learning about working relationships, contextual differences, the human side of administrative action, and their own limitations.…

This interpretive case study examined how members of a college culture (faculty and administrators) experienced change related to the entry of a new college president, and how the president himself changed as a result. The relationship between established community members and the new president is explored in five phases. (SLD)

The views of 31 college presidents and 29 faculty officers concerning good faculty leadership were studied with a national sample of respondents during 1986-1987. The analysis was part of interviews with persons holding formal leadership positions in a sample of 32 institutions, 8 each of major research/doctoral institutions, state colleges and…

A comparative case study examining selected aspects of internal college leadership during financially troubled times is discussed. Continuous negotiation between university presidents and faculty members is explained. Presentation of the budget to the college community is examined, noting how the president may use the event to define hard times…

Strategies employed by college presidents in a national sample of 32 institutions were investigated in 1986-1987. The schools included eight each of major research universities, state colleges and universities, private colleges, and community colleges. Sixteen new (in office 1-3 years) and 16 experienced presidents (in office for 5 or more years)…

A study of two colleges examined how the president's communicative behavior affects organizational life, viewed from a social constructivist perspective. It is concluded that the president can inadvertently create hard times even in good financial circumstances and abate them during serious financial decline. (Author/MSE)

A survey of faculty leaders (n=29) and college presidents (n=31) at varying types of institutions examined how individuals in these very different campus leadership roles define "good faculty leadership" and whether the views are likely to be more congruent in one institution type than another. Implications for governance and…