Identification and Prioritization of Factors Influencing Convert Leadership Based on the Lived Experiences of Higher Education Center Managers
Keywords:
New leadership, Lived experiences, Managers of higher education centersAbstract
The aim of this study is to identify and prioritize the factors influencing convert leadership based on the lived experiences of managers in higher education centers. This research adopts a descriptive-survey approach and is applied in nature. The statistical population included managers of universities and higher education institutions in the western provinces of Iran (Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Hamedan, and Ilam). Using purposive quota sampling, 215 individuals were selected as the statistical sample. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of faculty members and management experts, and its reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The research findings ultimately led to the identification of factors influencing convert leadership based on the lived experiences of higher education managers, conceptualized within a convert leadership model. This model includes components such as knowledge-based economic development, technological advancement, educational revolution, learning environment, information and digital literacy, managerial competencies, legal requirements and frameworks, unwritten rules, organizational policies, decentralized management, innovation ecosystems, digital participation, globalization, digital governance, digital ecosystems, and data management. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis of the convert leadership model demonstrated that the convert leadership style model based on the lived experiences of higher education managers is well-fitted and applicable. The data are reliable, and the resulting model possesses sufficient validity. Furthermore, the ranking results indicated that the most influential factors on convert leadership are technological advancement, educational revolution, and information and digital literacy. Other factors—such as organizational policies, legal requirements and frameworks, learning environment, digital governance, data management, digital ecosystems, digital participation, globalization, managerial competencies, decentralized management, unwritten rules, innovation ecosystems, and knowledge-based economic development—followed in descending order of importance.
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