Perspectives of Colombian Higher Education Deans and Faculty Directors on Transformational Leadership

Leadership emerges as a powerful force in the effort toward achieving quality education. The transformational leadership style inspires leaders to work toward a common goal to create change. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore higher education deans' and faculty directors' perspectives on their practice of transformational leadership in higher education institutions in Colombia. Transformational leadership theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews with six higher education deans and six faculty directors. Findings from coding analysis revealed seven themes: leadership commitment, shared vision, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, organizational performance, and future orientation. Colombian higher education leaders may use the findings to improve decision-making practices, increase motivation, and enhance organizational commitment and effectiveness.