Dean & Provost
3
Human Resources
Consider whether job candidates
have traits that make academic leaders successful
The environment academic leaders operate in
is changing. Economic pressures mean that many
campus administrators must take a more businesslike or entrepreneurial approach. But can academic
leaders change or do they possess innate personality
traits and values that preclude them from doing so?
Some search committees have reacted to the changing higher education environment by hiring business
leaders as presidents. But do those professionals have
what it takes to be successful on campus?
Officials at Witt/Kieffer, an executive search firm
that works with many higher education clients, researched personality differences between business
and higher education professionals to seek answers
to those questions.
The results, reported in “Leadership Traits and
Success in Higher Education,” revealed that business and academic leaders are similar in many key
respects, but several key differences stood out.
The comparison raises the questions of whether
the differences are innate or based on experiences,
and whether training can help leaders adjust to new
demands, said Lucy Leske, vice president and director of the higher education practice at Witt/Kieffer.
Also, knowing what traits strong academic leaders possess has practical implications for making
hiring decisions, Leske said. Committees can test
candidates to see if their personality traits correlate
with those of successful leaders.
That’s especially important when interviewing
candidates for dean positions because many don’t
have the types of experience that enable search committees to predict their future success, Leske said.
About the study
Witt/Kieffer teamed with Hogan Assessment Systems to conduct the research. Hogan offers a widely
used and well-respected system of assessments.
More than 100 presidents, deans, vice presidents,
and other academic leaders with proven track records
completed the Hogan Personality Inventory, which
measures personality as seen when people are at
their best; the Hogan Development Survey, which
identifies “dark-side” personality traits that surface
when people are stressed out or their guard is down;
and the Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory, which
reveals what a person desires and strives to attain.
Researchers compared the results with those for
successful business leaders. Hogan has tested a
large number of business leaders and provided the
data on their characteristics for comparison.
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The business and academic leaders had similar
scores for “ambition” and “learning approach.”
But college and university leaders scored higher
on the “altruistic” scale, indicating a desire to help
others and contribute to society. They also scored
higher on “interpersonal sensitivity.”
Academic leaders scored significantly lower on
“commerce,” a measure of interest in profits, investment and business opportunities.
And they scored lower on the “mischievous” scale,
indicating that business leaders are more likely to
react to stress by making daring decisions and testing boundaries and limits.
Implications
The characteristics an individual demonstrates
may not be static. Leske and her colleagues at Witt/
Kieffer have seen academic leaders adapt to change.
And some college and university presidents hired from
the corporate world have done well, Leske said. The
most successful ones value transparency and shared
decision-making, but they bring an entrepreneurial
spirit and a willingness to urge people to take risks
in a risk-averse culture, she added.
Witt/Kieffer offers personality testing for job candidates. Search committees can use it to determine
if a candidate is similar to others who have been
successful in similar positions, Leske said.
For more information, you can review the report at
www.wittkieffer.com/News/Leadership-Traits-andSuccess-in-Higher-Education. ■
Prepare to lead
through changing times
Academic administrators need skills to lead their
institutions through change. Those include problemsolving skills, effectiveness working with groups, and
the ability to anticipate change, said Lucy Leske,
vice president and director of the higher education
practice at Witt/Kieffer.
Higher education has never been good at providing the management training opportunities available
in a field like banking, so you’ll need to create your
own to boost your leadership capabilities, Leske said.
Volunteer for complex projects such as a general
education review, she said. Those experiences will
help you develop the skills to work with groups to
implement change, Leske added. ■
Vol. 14, Iss. 9
DOI: 10.1002/dap