Date of Award

12-2016

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Educational Leadership, Research and Technology

First Advisor

Dr. Andrea L. Beach

Second Advisor

Dr. Sue Poppink

Third Advisor

Dr. Erika Carr

Keywords

Empowerment, creativity, Saudi universities, academic, women leaders

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the influence of leaders’ sense of psychological empowerment for women leaders on those leaders’ administrative creativity in both established and emerging universities in Saudi Arabia. The five guiding research questions were used at both established and emerging Saudi universities: (1) what are both male and female leaders’ perceptions of women leaders’ psychological empowerment? (2) What are their perceptions of the administrative creativity among women leaders? (3) How do perceptions of both psychological empowerment and administrative creativity differ between male and female leaders and between established and emerging universities? (4) What other characteristics influence their perceptions of psychological empowerment and administrative creativity? And (5) to what extent do women leaders’ senses of psychological empowerment influence their administrative creativity?

The study population consisted of all the academic male and female leaders at six public universities in Saudi Arabia. A stratified random sampling method was utilized to determine the respondents for this study from each university, stratifying the sample by university type and gender. A total of 377 academic male and female leaders participated in this study (for a response rate of 47%). Overall, analysis indicates five significant predictors of the perceptions of administrative creativity for academic female leaders. The significant demographic predictors include gender type of university, while the significant dimensions of psychological empowerment include meaning, competence, and self- determination. Multiple regression analysis showed a high positive influence of psychological empowerment on administrative creativity. This analysis concludes that administrative creativity is strongly affected by psychological empowerment for academic female leaders. Based on these results, it can be concluded that academic female leaders need to be psychologically empowered to reach the desirable administrative creativity at both established and emerging universities in Saudi Arabia.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

Share

COinS