The effects of transformational and transactional leadership perceptions of academicians on their self-efficacy

Leadership concept has a widespread usage and takes attention in numerous field. For Higher Education Institutions, leadership became an opportunity for academicians. It is believed that leaders have a monstrous capacity to boost self-efficacy. Based on the fact that the relationship between leadership and self-efficacy has been discussed in different contexts in the literature, there is also a need to examine this relationship in higher education institutions and to raise awareness of the role of leaders on the self-efficacy of their followers in higher education institutions. Thus, this study aims to examine the effect of perceived transformational/transactional leadership behaviors on academicians' self-efficacy. In accordance with the literature, "idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration" were accepted as dimensions of transformational leadership. However, as it was explained in many researches in the literature, "contingent reward and management-by-exception" were accepted as dimensions of transactional leadership. Based on the main purpose of the study an empirical research was conducted with academicians of Kastamonu University. Data of the study was collected by means of questionnaire technique. In order to explore the role of the effect of perceived transformational/transactional leadership behaviors on academicians' self-efficacy, correlation analysis and regression analysis were utilized. Thus, hypotheses of the study were tested in terms of statistical analysis. Findings reveal that both transformational and transactional forms of leadership behaviors have an effect on academicians' self-efficacy. Additionally, this relationship stem from individualized consideration in terms of dimensions of transformational leadership and stem from contingent reward in terms of dimensions of transactional leadership. In this context, transformational and transactional leadership behaviors in higher education institutions need further examination. Increasing change in higher education and many new challenges facing higher education leaders suggest that higher education institutions have to develop their knowledge on new styles of leadership.