Impact of Organizational Setting on Leading by Influence in a Higher Education Organization.

Leading by influence shapes the organizational behavior of a higher education institution and develops its quality culture. Collective efficacy (Hoy & Miskel, 2008) of the members of these educational organizations impacts positively in developing their academic culture and outcomes. While collective efficacy effects such an ideal organizational setting, process, and results, the leadership that promotes them is also crucially important (Versland & Erickson, 2017). Leading by influence within a higher education ecosystem takes into consideration multiple factors that define its actual organizational setting. The present study analyzes the impact of organizational factors like knowledge, experience, skills, and the attitude of those within the academic ecosystem in shaping the leadership patterns and its influence on the academic culture. This qualitative study includes interviews with top and middle level leaders of 20 higher education institutions. The analysis shows that the years of leadership experience and educational background of the leaders and the number of years of teaching, the educational background and the attitude towards organization of teachers impact positively the leading by influence within a higher education ecosystem.