The importance of effective management strategies for higher education in Malawi cannot be overemphasized. Survival and achievement of national goals expressed in national documents may be promoted by leaders that are effective and transformational. Major theories on leadership have claimed that transformational leadership can be useful in dealing with a changing environment and uncertainty. Studies conducted in developed countries have documented the significance of transformational leadership styles and the impact this has had on organizations. But, unlike the developed countries, few studies have been done in Sub-Saharan Africa, let alone Malawi. Very little is, therefore, known about transformational leadership in Malawi. The purpose of this study was to explore leadership behaviors, especially in public higher education institutions in Malawi, and to explore the perceptions of faculty and academic leaders about leadership styles exhibited in the institutions.
The study took place between November 2003 and April 2004. A total of 319 academic staff and 62 academic leaders completed Bass and Avolio's (1995) Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Form 5X "Other" and "Self" rater) together with a personal data questionnaire indicating sex, age and education level. Responses to 45 questions on the MLQ were analyzed using the SPSS package. Based on a factor analysis and descriptive statistics, the findings indicated that faculty members perceive their administrators to have some transformational as well as some transactional behaviors. They also perceive their administrators to use situational leadership styles focusing mostly on tasks rather than relationships. They do not see their administrators as empowering, effective or satisfactory. On the other hand, administrators perceive themselves to be more transformational than transactional. But, they also perceive themselves to use situational leadership styles. The results, may allude to some of the reasons for faculty retention problems although this has to be investigated further. The study therefore has recommended that data that has been collected be expanded upon through a qualitative research method to replicate this study.
