The relationship between leadership development initiatives and leadership effectiveness among middle-level leaders in three Malaysian public institutions of higher education / Sakinah Muslim

In a competitive world, higher education institution must move at the right pace in response to the fast changing global higher education landscape. No doubt, a world class higher education system need a world-class leadership. One important concept of the theory for this study is that transformational leaders can be developed. A large body of research related to leadership effectiveness and succession planning emphasised the importance of leadership development. This explores the potential relationship between leadership development initiatives and leadership effectiveness in higher education setting. The research questions addressed by this research include how significant experiential learning, developmental relationship, education and assessment has been in ensuring leadership effectiveness. It also explores the influence of senior leaders' commitment in the relationship of leadership development initiatives with essential elements of leadership effectiveness in Malaysian public higher education institution. Survey instruments were sent to 651 middle-level leaders in three Malaysian public institutions of higher education. A total of 221 survey instrument (34% response rate) were obtained. The collected data were subjected to multiple procedures of analyses, and finally, the data was analysed using SmarfPLS 2.0 M3. Eventual results empirically supported eight hypotheses and rejected eight hypotheses (both the direct and moderating hypotheses). Essentially, the information in this research will provide a platform for creating, fostering and developing future leaders in higher education. It will also add to the greater body of knowledge. This study would benefit higher education institutions, professional organizations and future leaders in knowing and understanding how leaders learn. The study revealed that many of the elements outlined in the literature were incorporated in the programs examined.