Leadership Practices and Subordinate Perceptions in Continuing Education: A Case Study at Santa Ana College

Community colleges play a critical role in expanding access to higher education and workforce development for diverse populations, yet traditional leader-centric models remain prevalent, despite growing calls for collaborative and distributed leadership approaches (Eddy et al., 2023; Fulton-Calkins & Milling, 2005). This qualitative phenomenological study explores leadership, styles, strategies, and perceptions of subordinates among continuing education leaders at a California community college. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 administrators, faculty, and classified professionals at Santa Ana College’s School of Continuing Education. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase thematic analysis approach. Findings identified four dominant leadership approaches: collaborative/participatory, servant and transformational, relational or people-centered, and adaptive leadership responsive to technological and policy changes. Leaders identified staff strengths such as initiative, teamwork, and emotional intelligence, while commonly perceived weaknesses included communication challenges, resistance to change, and limited proactive problem-solving. Findings suggest that leadership in community college continuing education is shifting toward collaborative, people-centered models, underscoring the need for intentional professional development that strengthens organizational capacity and leadership pipelines.