Rebuilding Lebanon: A descriptive engineering leadership competency assessment of engineers at selected companies in Lebanon and engineering students at the American University of Beirut

The primary purposes of this study are as follows: (1) to describe and profile the key leadership competency dimensions and associated key behaviors inherent to performance at each of the four levels: entry, supervisor, manager, and executive; (2) to measure the perceived importance of the 22 key leadership competency dimensions and 96 associated key behaviors to the success of The American University of Beirut (AUB) engineering students and practicing engineers in Lebanon; (3) to identify developmental opportunities for preparing engineering students at AUB for entry level positions; (4) to identify leadership development opportunities to enhance performance of practicing engineers at their current levels in Lebanon; (5) to identify developmental opportunities for preparing engineers in Lebanon for performance at the next higher level to that at which they currently perform.;The primary significance of this study was to conduct the first documented competency assessment of engineering leadership skills in Lebanon. The target population consisted of 1167 students from the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (FEA) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and 426 practicing engineers from selected engineering companies in Lebanon.;The instrument used for the data collection of this study was based upon the Leadership Effectiveness Framework (LEF) developed by, and used with the permission of, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) of the U.S. government. The practicing engineers ranked the competencies and key behaviors with respect to their current level and the next higher level. Students responses reflected their perceptions of the importance of leadership competencies and associated key behaviors as required for entry level positions.;The findings of this study showed that (1) AUB engineering students rated the competencies and the associated key behaviors at a similar evidence of importance; (2) a discrepancy between the leadership competencies perceived to be important at the supervisor level by practicing engineers at the entry level and the actual leadership competencies needed for performance at that level; and (3) that practicing engineers at the manager level had little understanding of the leadership competencies needed to perform at the executive level.