A Leadership Reality Check Involving County Extension Leaders and Their Stakeholders

Abstract

The perceptions of stakeholders as well as leaders' self-perceptions are critical in maximizing leadership and outreach capacity within higher education and extension organizations. This study demonstrates a leadership style assessment that includes perspectives of both leaders and stakeholders. West Virginia University Extension Service county program coordinators and local extension service committee members completed surveys scoring perceptions for four types of leadership frames: structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. Among coordinators, 39 percent reported using none of the four leadership frames frequently; 33 percent reported a single frame style, 15 percent a paired frame style, and 12 percent a multiple frame style. In contrast, committee members reported 21 percent of coordinators used no frame style, 18 percent a single frame style, 6 percent a paired frame style, and 55 percent a multiple frame style. Results suggest that committee members perceive more frequent use of leadership styles than is reflected in coordinators' self-perceptions.