Comparative study of self-perceived leadership styles of Black and White women in higher education administrative programs in New Jersey community colleges

Historically, women as a group were rarely represented in top academic administrative positions in higher education. Reasons have included sex discrimination, negative perceptions of them as administrators and negative evaluation of their administrative performance. Additionally, there has been a lack of data on women administrators' views of their own leadership behavior and their history of low status. Regardless, there have been large numbers of women who have moved into the higher education arena seeking positions of educational leadership. The number of women faculty and administrators has increased, anti-discrimination laws have been passed, and many policies and practices that limited women's access to academe have been eliminated. Their leadership experiences and career paths inspire and instruct women as to how both personal initiatives and initiatives of others can be useful in developing successful administrative opportunities for women.;The purpose of this study was to compare the self-perceived leadership styles of Black and White women in administrative positions in New Jersey community colleges to determine if there are variations in their leadership traits, and what factors contributed to the development of these leadership traits. The study included a review of available literature that focused on leadership theories, women's leadership styles and an examination of literature that addressed the female experience in administrative positions in community colleges.;The source of data analyzed in this study was a purposeful sampling of 33 Black and White women administrators from New Jersey's 19 community colleges. Each participant completed a biographical questionnaire, and the Leadership Effectiveness and Adaptability Descriptor - Self (LEAD-Self) questionnaire.;Based upon the data gathered from both instruments, the study revealed that there were differences between the primary and secondary leadership styles of Black and White women in higher education administrative positions in New Jersey community colleges. Analysis of style adaptability, the degree to which a female administrator is able to appropriately vary her style to meet the readiness level of followers in a given situation, indicated no significant difference by race of Black and White female administrators.;While one cannot generalize the findings of this study to the larger population due to the low number of Black participants in the final sample, one can surmise that differences do exist in the self-perceived leadership styles of Black and White women in this study. If women are to continue aspiring to positions of leadership in higher education, and in community colleges in particular, there needs to be a clear understanding of the strategies and skills that will make them successful. In doing so, one must strive to differentiate between the experiences of Black and White women, and the possible differences in their leadership styles.