Double, Double, Toils and Troubles: Analyzing the “Magical” Relationships between University Leaders’ Personality Traits and their Self-Efficacy in Leadership Situations

This present study investigated the relationship between higher education leaders’ personality traits and their self-efficacy in leadership situations. A total of 151 leaders employed across the nine institutions within the University of Louisiana System completed a survey that prompted them to identify their personal values, traits, and skill sets, as derived from the online Pottermore quiz, the official Harry Potter Hogwarts House sorting instrument. This niche personality metric was chosen to cater to higher education’s evolving landscape, as it welcomes an influx of Millennials into leadership positions. Participants’ responses were eventually recoded to “sort” them into their respective Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. The survey also prompted them to indicate their feelings of adequacy in handling scenarios that fell within four situational categories: managing crises, promoting camaraderie, strategic planning, or administering discipline. Demographic data, such as current job title/position, age, and years of leadership experience were also considered in the post-data analysis, which resulted in an emergent independent variable: management levels. Means analyses and a review of the literature supported the four hypotheses’ predictions: Gryffindors felt most equipped to manage crises, Hufflepuffs preferred to promote camaraderie, Ravenclaws excelled at strategic planning, and Slytherins were comfortable with administering discipline. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were used but may not be a reliable measure for this study’s intentions due to the unequal distribution within the sample. This study provides implications about proper selection of statistical tests, the need for better crisis management training, team diversification, and shifts in generational references and metrics within the higher education workforce.