The International Leadership Competencies of Jordanian Universities Leaders

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to assess the competencies required by presidents of universities to lead a Jordanian institution of higher education in an international society as perceived by academic administrators and faculty members chosen randomly from three universities representative of the northern, middle, and southern regions of Jordan. Two hundred fifty-eight survey packages were mailed and 225 responses were received (86 academic administrators and 139 faculty members), for a response rate of 87%. The results of the study reveal that four of five dimensions of international leadership competencies were rated by academic administrators and faculty members as moderately important: International Culture, Vision, and Mind set; International Strategic Planning; International Human Resources; and International Operations and Structure. The dimension learning was rated as very important by administrators and faculty. Training higher education leaders for the future and urging them to consider the forces of internationalization and its impact on the development of their institutions were recommendations resulting from this study. Introduction Events that occur miles away may seriously affect institutions of higher education, often without the knowledge of those at the local level (Witte, 2000). In the 21st century, a new social force, internationalization, and globalization, plays a substantial role in shaping and influencing higher education. Factors in internationalization and globalization include rapid development in all areas, expanding use of technology, growing interdependence of world economics, increasing inter-connectivity of the global environment, staggering increases in the availability of information, heightening in mobility of the world's population, and blurring of national boundaries (Black, Morrison, & Gregersen, 1999; Bondreau, Lock, Robey, & Straud, 1998; Connor, 1998; Dauphinais & Price, 1998). Bohn, Davis, Meares, and Pearce (2002) illustrated in a study the importance of the internationalization and globalization in that it sets out the size of the global challenges for institutions over the next quarter century. The authors estimated that in 2000, there were 1.8 million international students enrolled in institutions of higher education around the world, and projected that this global demand for international higher education will exceed 7 million by 2025. As societal influences transform the structure and purpose of the institution, they also serve to modify the leadership role of presidents and to determine the competencies required for success. Hahn (1995) and Shaw (1999) noted that a president should understand the nature of the institution he or she leads; an understanding of shared values and a capacity to build trust to enhance a leader's effectiveness. Whereas a leader's effectiveness within an institution is significantly improved through an understanding of shared values and trust, leadership is also about change--change in personal competencies as well as change within organizations (Kouzes & Posner, 1987). The presidential leadership is essential to facilitate such a change to a more global focus (Fischer & Koch, 1996). Today, in the internationalized and globalized society of the 21st century, the nature of presidential leadership continues to evolve. This study's focus on presidents of Jordanian institutions of higher education provides insights on how leadership competencies are being redefined in an era of internationalization and globalization. To internationalize an institution, a leader focuses on the vision, structure, and strategies of that institution. The president's role in the internationalization of an institution includes development of international human resources, allocation of financial resources to support international activities, and communication of an international mission and vision (Arum, 1987; Henson, Noel, Gilliard-Byers, & Ingle, 1990; Robertson & Michael, 1999; Scott, 1992). …