| The aviation industry and higher education environments are ever-changing due to a multitude of economic and external variables. The leaders of aviation higher education programs must successfully lead their organization and followers in preparing student graduates for the industry that awaits them upon graduation. This study examined the leadership styles of aviation program leaders at higher education institutions utilizing the four leadership frames of Dr. Lee Bolman and Dr. Terrence Deal.;An anonymous online survey developed using the Leadership Orientation Instrument of Bolman and Deal was sent electronically to 878 aviation faculty and staff at higher education institutions. Five-point Likert scales were used by aviation faculty and staff to assess the leadership frames used and the perceived leadership effectiveness of aviation program leaders. Additional questions were asked to determine if leadership style differed based on the characteristics of the institutions where program leaders reside.;An analysis of the data revealed that aviation program leaders did subscribe to the structural frame the most, followed by the human resource, political, and symbolic frames, respectively. The difference separating the frames, however, was very small which indicates that aviation program leaders do not subscribe to one of the four leadership frames more than the others, and that type of frame did not have a significant effect on perceived leadership effectiveness. Aviation leaders were perceived to be more effective, however, if they implemented more than one frame in their leadership style. The study also discovered that the majority of institutional factors had little impact in the type of primary leadership style in place at the respective institution. |
