The Big five factors of personality traits and leadership practices of academic department chairs : a predictive study

Assiri, Mohammed Ali (author)

This study investigated whether the big five factors of personality traits can predict academic department chairs' leadership practices. The study had a predictive research design; the data were collected from 424 participants in the 2023 academic year, and the instruments of this study were two questionnaires. The study found that the big five factors of personality traits predict the leadership practices of academic department chairs. Two factors of personality traits, conscientiousness and openness to experience, were statistically significant and predicted the practices in modelling leadership. Four factors (agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and extroversion) were statistically significant and predicted leadership practices in inspiring a shared vision. Three factors (neuroticism, extroversion, and conscientiousness) were statistically significant and predicted leadership practices in challenging processes. Two factors (conscientiousness and openness to experience) were statistically significant and predicted leadership practices enabling others to act. Three factors (conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience) were statistically significant and predicted leadership practices encouraging the heart. The study recommended that academic leaders be required to consider personality traits as an important dimension in selecting and assigning academic department chairs and other academic leaders at all levels at higher education institutions.

• Language: English
• Keywords: personality traits, leadership practices, academic leader
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 255–278
• Numbering: Vol. 15, no. 3 (varia issue)
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-179471
• UDC: 378
• ISSN on article: 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.1736
• COBISS.SI-ID: 186476803

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC-BY 4.0 je naveden na spletni strani revije (https://ojs.cepsj.si/index.php/cepsj/about). (Datum opombe 14. 2. 2026)

• Publication date in RUL: 14.02.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS journal : Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal = revija Centra za študij edukacijskih strategij
• Publisher: Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-2647
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254029824

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Velikih pet dejavnikov osebnostnih lastnosti in prakse vodenja predstojnikov fakultetnih oddelkov : napovedna študija

Abstract

Ta študija je ugotavljala, ali lahko velikih pet dejavnikov osebnostnih lastnosti napoveduje prakse vodenja pri predstojnikih fakultetnih oddelkov. Študija je imela napovedni raziskovalni načrt; podatki so bili zbrani prek 424 udeležencev v študijskem letu 2023, instrumenta te študije pa sta bila dva vprašalnika. Študija je pokazala, da velikih pet dejavnikov osebnostnih lastnosti napoveduje prakse vodenja predstojnikov fakultetnih oddelkov. Dva dejavnika osebnostnih lastnosti, tj. vestnost in odprtost za izkušnje, sta bila statistično značilna in sta napovedovala prakse pri zglednem vodenju. Štirje dejavniki (prijetnost, vestnost, odprtost za izkušnje in ekstravertnost) so bili statistično značilni in so napovedovali prakse vodenja pri navdihovanju skupne vizije. Trije dejavniki (nevroticizem, ekstravertiranost in vestnost) so bili statistično značilni in so napovedovali prakse vodenja pri preizpraševanju procesov. Dva dejavnika (vestnost in odprtost za izkušnje) sta bila statistično značilna in sta napovedovala prakse vodenja, ki omogočajo drugim, da ukrepajo. Trije dejavniki (vestnost, prijetnost in odprtost za izkušnje) so bili statistično značilni in so napovedovali vodstvene prakse spodbujanja srčnosti. Študija je priporočila, da bi morali vodje fakultetnih oddelkov upoštevati osebnostne lastnosti kot pomembno dimenzijo pri izbiri in imenovanju predstojnikov teh oddelkov in drugih akademskih vodij na vseh ravneh v visokošolskih ustanovah.

• Keywords: osebnostne lastnosti, prakse vodenja, akademski vodja, osebnost, višje in visokošolsko izobraževanje