CIOS TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS IN COMMUNITY

COLLEGES: A COMPARISON-BASED APPROACH TO IMPROVING JOB

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by

SATISFACTION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WORKERS

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Mahmoud S. Abouelenein

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership

UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX
May 2012

UMI Number: 3535722

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2012 by Mahmoud Abouelenein
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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive research study was to determine, through
statistical analysis, any correlation between the perceived transformational leadership
traits of CIOs at two-year community colleges in Kansas and measures of the job
satisfaction among IT workers at those community colleges. The objectives of this
research project were to help fill the gap in the body of knowledge about the growing
number of employees of technology in higher education, and arm community college

leaders with the information needed to better serve staff, and more positively affect
employee experiences, leading to improved campus-based outcomes. Four research

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questions were used in this examination. These research questions included the extent to
which Kansas-based community college CIOs are perceived as transformational leaders,

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whether information technology workers of Kansas-based community colleges express

satisfaction with their jobs, how job satisfaction ratings of those IT workers compare to
national norms, and the extent to which workers job satisfaction correlates with
perceptions of the CIOs transformational leadership behaviors. The research methods
employed included: (a) defining the variables, (b) the ethical collection of data, (c)
aligning statistical hypotheses with the research questions, and (d) calculating appropriate
t-tests and Pearson product moment correlation coefficients (r), and conducting ANOVA
analyses. The results of this research suggested that CIOs were perceived to display
transformational leadership behavior similar to national norms; workers expressed overall
job satisfaction, but were not satisfied with opportunities for promotion, and were
ambivalent about pay; and a positive relationship between transformational leadership
behavior and workers job satisfaction was identified.

DEDICATION
This dissertation is dedicated with love and affection to my daughters, Ameerah
and Maya Abouelenein, who inspire me with their vibrancy and energy. Ameerah told
me recently, Papa, you have been writing since I was a baby. She was right, literally!
And to my dad, who always had faith in my potential. Simply, he was the kindest,

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cleverest, and the greatest hero a son can hope for.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Completing this dissertation and earning a doctorate degree is a life-long goal that
fulfills the dream of two men: my dad and me. Growing up in a household that put a lot
of emphasis on the importance of education, I always had the privilege of being
surrounded by supportive parents who sacrificed their own lives for their children. Such
unconditional support and sacrifice empowered me to overcome the fear that somewhere
along the way I would possibly fail to earn a Ph.D. Now that I am at this stage, I must

start by expressing my deepest appreciation and gratitude to my parents, Laila and Salah

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Abouelenein. Thank you, mom and dad! I am forever indebted to you!

I was fortunate to have a great team of people who helped me turn this

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dissertation into its final form. I greatly appreciate the support and ideas from Dr. Jay
Klagge, committee chair, and the rest of committee members, Dr. Ify Diala and Dr. Greg
Worden, for their suggestions to improve the research and for helping me get to the finish
line. You all were great advisors and guides! I am also grateful to Dr. Diane Nixon
(George), who believed in the vision and importance of this research study and helped me
improve my work in a number of ways. Diane, your thoughtful comments and insights
were indispensable in developing the proposal and getting it approved by IRB. I greatly
appreciate your support and wisdom. Julie Tenenbaum, my editor, was incredibly skilled
at helping me organize my thoughts into coherent chapters.
Several friends helped immensely by offering words of encouragement and by
reviewing drafts of this dissertation, including Dr. Charles Wilson, Dr. Ben Hayes, Mr.
Brian Bode, Mr. Lee Tigue, Mrs. Regina Smith, Ms. Risala Allen, and many others. I
also would like to express my sincere appreciation to few individuals who, intentionally

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or unintentionally, put obstacles in my path. Their presence in my life made me a better

and stronger person.
Additionally, I would like to acknowledge myself for making it to the finish line.
Completing the academic work to earn a doctorate degree was a huge undertaking in the
context of a life filled with challenges both at home and work. I managed to successfully
complete the required work, and I am proud of my accomplishment.
And one more thing! My everlasting gratitude and appreciation go out to my

spiritual teacher and role model, Steven Paul Jobs. We never met in person; however, his

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professionally. Thank you, Steve!

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work and legacy in this life have influenced me in a very deep sense both personally and

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................... xii
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................xiii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 1
Background of the Problem ................................................................................ 2
Statement of the Problem.................................................................................... 5
Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................... 7

Significance of the Study .................................................................................... 8

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Nature of the Study ............................................................................................. 9

Research Questions ........................................................................................... 12

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Hypotheses ........................................................................................................ 12
Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................... 14
Definition of Terms .......................................................................................... 16
Scope of the Study ............................................................................................ 18
Assumptions ..................................................................................................... 18
Limitations and Delimitations .......................................................................... 19
Summary ........................................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .................................................. 23
Community Colleges ........................................................................................ 24
History of Community Colleges .................................................................. 24
Role of Information Technology in Community Colleges .......................... 27
Community College IT Workers ................................................................. 28
Leadership......................................................................................................... 30

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Leadership Definition .................................................................................. 31

Leadership Theories ..................................................................................... 32
Transformational Leadership ....................................................................... 33
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) ............................................................... 34
Strategist/Futurist ......................................................................................... 36
Change Agent............................................................................................... 36
Project Manager ........................................................................................... 37

Resource Allocator....................................................................................... 37

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Policy Maker ................................................................................................ 38

Job Satisfaction ................................................................................................. 38

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Theories of Job Satisfaction ......................................................................... 39

Job Satisfaction in Community Colleges ..................................................... 42
Job Satisfaction of IT Workers .................................................................... 42
Transformational Leadership and Job Satisfaction........................................... 44
Gaps in Literature ............................................................................................. 47
Summary ........................................................................................................... 48
CHAPTER 3: METHOD ......................................................................................... 49
Research Design and Appropriateness ............................................................. 49
Research Questions ........................................................................................... 51
Hypotheses ........................................................................................................ 52
Population and Sampling .................................................................................. 53
Instrument ......................................................................................................... 55
Instrument Validity and Reliability .................................................................. 56

Data Collection ................................................................................................. 58

Informed Consent and Confidentiality ............................................................. 58
Data Analysis .................................................................................................... 62
Summary ........................................................................................................... 63
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS .......................................................................... 64
Data Collection Process .................................................................................... 65
Data Cleaning and Coding ................................................................................ 67

Hypotheses Testing ........................................................................................... 68

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Hypothesis 1................................................................................................. 68
Hypothesis 2................................................................................................. 69

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Hypothesis 3................................................................................................. 80
Hypothesis 4................................................................................................. 82
Summary ........................................................................................................... 86
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................. 88
Findings ............................................................................................................ 88
Research Question 1 .................................................................................... 89
Research Question 2 .................................................................................... 89
Research Question 3 .................................................................................... 92
Research Question 4 .................................................................................... 93
Recommendations............................................................................................. 93
Further Research ............................................................................................... 97
Discussion ....................................................................................................... 101
Summary ......................................................................................................... 105

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REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 107

APPENDIX A: LIST OF PARTICIPATING COMMUNITY COLLEGES ........ 120
APPENDIX B: DOCUMENTATION OF THE LITERATURE .......................... 121
APPENDIX C: HERZBERGS MOTIVATION HYGIENE THEORY ............... 122
APPENDIX D: JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL .......................................... 123
APPENDIX E: MASLOWS HIERARCHY OF NEEDS..................................... 124
APPENDIX F: JDI/JIG PERMISSION FORM AND SAMPLE .......................... 125

APPENDIX G: MLQ PERMISSION FORM AND SAMPLE ............................. 127

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APPENDIX H: EMAIL TO PROSPECTIVE PARTICIPANTS .......................... 129

APPENDIX I: INFORMED CONSENT FORM ................................................... 130

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APPENDIX J: CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT .......................................... 132

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Characteristics of Transformational Leaders........................................... 34
Table 2. Results of MLQ Rater Survey.................................................................... 70
Table 3. Sample Results for the Abridged JDI/JIG Surveys ................................... 71
Table 4. Abridged JDI/JIG Survey Response Results ............................................. 73
Table 5. National Abridged JDI/JIG Comparisons to Study Sample ..................... 81
Table 6. College Worker Abridged JDI/JIG Comparisons to Study Sample .......... 81

Table 7. Linear Regression Model Summary (b) and ANOVA Results .................. 84

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Table 8. Summary of Coefficients (a) ..................................................................... 84

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Table 9. Documentation of the Literature............................................................. 121

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Willingness to Participate among IT Workers ......................................... 65
Figure 2. Abridged Job In General (JIG) Sample Survey Results ........................... 74
Figure 3. Abridged JDI Sample Survey Results, Opportunities for
Promotions Facet................................................................................................... 74
Figure 4. Abridged JDI Sample Survey Results, Pay Facet ................................ 75
Figure 5. Abridged JDI Sample Survey Results, People on Present Job Facet .. 76

Figure 6. Abridged JDI Sample Survey Results, Work on Present Job Facet ..... 77
Figure 7. Abridged JDI Sample Survey Results, Supervision Facet.................... 78

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Figure 8. Abridged JDI/JIG Sample Satisfaction Ratings, N=44 ............................ 79

Figure 9. Relationship of Transformational Leadership to Job Satisfaction ........... 85

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Figure 10. Normal P-Plot of Regression Standardized Residual ........................... 86

Figure A1. Herzbergs Motivation-Hygiene Theory ............................................. 122
Figure A2. Hackman & Oldham Job Characteristics Model ............................... 123
Figure A3. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs ............................................................ 124

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Information Technology (IT) has become an essential pillar in almost every
business operation, from multinational to home-based, small-sized, and entrepreneurial
companies. As the complexity and subtle functions of technology have recently
increased in higher education, so has the demand for professionals who can manage and
strategize the role that information technology plays in two-year community colleges.
Across a variety of industries, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are now responsible for

leading information technology functions of their organizations. Brown (2006) posited

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that CIOs in higher education play a pivotal role in solidifying the relationship and
bridging any communication and action gap between the organization and Information

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Technology (p. 49). Expected to accomplish more with less, CIOs in two-year
community colleges face many challenges, one of which is how to improve and sustain
job satisfaction among Information Technology workers.
Leadership is considered an essential component of community college
environments. CIOs can influence Information Technology workers through their
leadership behaviors and traits. Consequently, CIOs must exhibit certain leadership
behaviors and traits that foster an environment that boosts Information Technology
workers job satisfaction. Through an effective worker-leader relationship between CIOs
and Information Technology workers, two-year community colleges can better serve
students and achieve strategic goals. Previous research shows that a transformational
leadership style may have a positive influence on IT workers organizational commitment
and job satisfaction, which may then improve IT workers implementation of community
college information technology applications (Chen, 2004; Sparks & Schenk, 2001).

Background of the Problem

A community college is any institution regionally accredited to award the
associate in arts or the associate in science as its highest degree (Cohen & Brawer, 2009,
p. 5). Community colleges may be private, non-profit, or for-profit. Community colleges
may also be government-funded. Cohen and Brawer (2009) posited that community
colleges were founded on the pressing need for higher education beyond secondary
education in the early 1900s. As costs for traditional four-year universities continue to

skyrocket, transfer among academic institutions offers a financial advantage for students

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when they start at a lower-cost community college and later transfer academic credits to
universities as junior-level students (Shannon & Smith, 2006). Franco (2002) described

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community colleges:

Americas 1,166 community colleges represent a higher education movement,

enrolling 5.4 million ethnically and age diverse students, 44 percent of all U.S.
undergraduates, 45 percent of first-time freshmen, 46 percent of Black, 55 percent
of Hispanic, 46 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander, and 55 percent of Native
American undergraduate studentsthe average age of community college
students is 29community colleges will increasingly become the access point to
higher education for lower and perhaps middle-income students. (p. 324)
The last decade brought even more growth and diversity to community college
campuses. According to the American Association of Community Colleges (2011), the
number of students enrolled in community colleges in the United States grew to 6.5
million in 2005 and almost doubled to 12.4 million students in 2011. As attendance is
growing, the costs of attending are similarly escalating. Community colleges are

complex, with increasingly diverse enrollments, decreasing funds which lead to

increasing costs, and increasing outcome expectations. Technology paves the way and
assists community colleges in meeting the challenge of serving a diverse student body
effectively. The new way of doing things makes the information technologies more
valuable, and the new and better technologies make the new ways of doing things more
possible (Friedman, 2007, p. 178). Information technology not only helps to automate
processes, but helps to shape organizations and facilitate the creation and maintenance of

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colleges serve (Ball, Weaver, & Kiel, 2004).

relationships among employees, leadership, stakeholders, and the students that the

Burns (1978) was among the first researchers to distinguish between transactional

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and transformational leadership, characterizing transformational leadership as a model in

which leaders and followers operate in greater levels of morality and motivation.
Transformational leaders use a four-step process to influence their followers (Kouzes &
Posner, 2003; Senge, 2006; Shamir, House & Arthur, 1993). The leader must first
articulate a shared vision that enables personnel to obtain higher levels of job satisfaction,
motivation, loyalty, productivity, and clarity about the organizations goals. Second, the
leader communicates performance expectations and expresses confidence in the
followers. Third, the leader exemplifies the values and attributes desired. Fourth, the
leader reinforces the positive behaviors that are new and have not been commonly
practiced.
Recent studies have identified factors that influence IT worker job satisfaction,
which also relates to employee turnover. Ghapanchi and Aurum (2010) classified these
determinants as individual, organizational, job-related, psychological, and environmental.

McKnight, Philips, and Hardgrave (2009) studied job security, reward fairness, team
information sharing, and trust in senior leadership. Role ambiguity, role conflict, work
exhaustion, and work-family conflict have also been studied in relation to aspects of IT
personnel job satisfaction (Allen, Armstrong, Reid, & Riemenschneider, 2008; Calisir,
Gumussoy, & Iskin, 2009).
Examining and studying technology leaders such as CIOs in higher education can
be a source of human inspiration (Bhardwaj & Monin, 2006), competitive advantage

(Bakker & Schaufeli, 2008), individual well-being, and organizational effectiveness

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(Lim, 2008). Throughout several earlier studies of worker-leader relationships,

transformational leadership behaviors have been shown to have the potential to exert a

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strong and positive influence on organizational commitment and job satisfaction, intrinsic
motivation, and goal commitment (Al-Hussami, 2008; Brooke, 2011; Chen, 2004; Lok &
Crawford, 2004; Piccolo & Colquitt, 2006; Viator, 2001; Walumbwa, Orwa, Wang, &
Lawler, 2005; Walumbwa, Wang, Lawler, & Shi, 2004). Although studies have been
performed on job satisfaction, transformational leadership, IT workers, and community
college staff, there is a lack of published research with a focus on all of these elements
together.
This research study examined the relationship between those transformational
leadership behaviors of community college CIOs that are perceived by IT workers and
the IT workers expressed job satisfaction. The study focused on the potential of
transformational leadership qualities to maximize community college Information
Technology workers job satisfaction, thereby adding information from the outcomes of
the rigorous data analysis to the published literature on the background of the topic.

Statement of the Problem

IT personnel have become a vital element in ensuring the efficient and effective
use of technology (U.S. Department of Labor, 2009). With the level of rapid change and
high volatility in the visible, often competitive environment in which two-year
community colleges now operate, information technology operations have become
critical to the overall operation of these institutions. With the exponentially increased use
of technology, particularly in education, two-year community colleges rely on their IT

personnel to maintain and implement appropriate technology to provide proper resources

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to staff, faculty, and students. IT personnel at these institutions are now utilized more
than ever to provide around-the-clock support for the various systems that serve their

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constituents computing needs.

At the same time, community colleges are beginning to experience higher

turnover rates in both staff and leadership (Klein & Takeda-Tinker, 2009). Employers,
particularly in higher education, are challenged to find the optimum balance between
hiring new employees and retaining current employees. Luftman (2008) argued that
attracting, developing, and retaining staff is the most important task of IT managers and
executives. The use of new employees often results in incurring employment expenses;
additionally, the transition phase required could lead to larger expenses and delays in
productivity, compared to maximizing the potential of current employees (Mitchell,
Holtom, & Lee, 2001).
Failed leadership behavior is linked to poor performance, low morale,
absenteeism, and employee turnover among IT workers across diverse fields. Poor
performance, low morale, absenteeism, and employee turnover may be related to the

level of overall IT workers job satisfaction and may be influenced by leadership

behaviors (Bakker & Schaufeli, 2008; Bhardwaj & Monin, 2006; Lim, 2008). Low levels
of job satisfaction among staff can impede the mission of community colleges and can
incur significant costs (Klein & Takeda-Tinker, 2009).
Job satisfaction and effective leadership are important elements in improving the
quality of education that community colleges provide learners. Leadership must be able
to relate to staff needs, and staff must be satisfied with their jobs, or retaining them may

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suffer (Klein & Takeda-Tinker, 2009).

be difficult. If college staff show low job satisfaction levels, the quality of education may

A growing percentage of the workforce in the United States is employed in an IT

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environment, and the IT workforces of community colleges are expanding in similar

proportion. However, there does not appear to be a sufficient amount of literature
available that documents how leaders manage IT employees, especially in a community
college environment (Scharff, 2005). There is a lack of knowledge regarding the
relationship between leadership behaviors and the job satisfaction of IT workers in
community college IT departments. Chief Information Officers and technology leaders,
in general, must demonstrate management skills capable of successfully leading IT
employees through complicated, costly, and complex institutional initiatives. However,
some researchers have noted the possibility of a growing ambivalence among IT workers
that could stem from the relationship between IT workers and IT leaders. The problem is
that there is a lack of knowledge regarding the leadership behaviors of community
college CIOs as perceived by IT workers. The relationship of those leadership behaviors
and traits to IT workers job satisfaction is unknown (Brown, 2006; Green, 2007).

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive research study was to determine,
through statistical analysis, any correlation between the perceived transformational
leadership traits of CIOs at two-year community colleges in Kansas, and measures of the
job satisfaction among IT workers at those community colleges. The research on the
relationship of higher education IT workers perceptions of the CIOs transformational
leadership behavior on their job satisfaction helped to fill the gap of knowledge and better

informed stakeholders of ways that the leadership-worker relationship can be improved.

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This study provided a possibility of greater understanding of CIOs

transformational leadership behaviors that could help two-year community colleges

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ensure that their IT workers and their leaders have the best chance at successfully
achieving and supporting the goals of the institution. Hogue and Dodd (2006) contended
that the CIO in higher education institutions must transform the information technology
unit on campus into a strategic organization aimed at meeting current and future needs
of constituents (p. 49). The concerns of college trustees, administrators, and the general
public traditionally relate to improving student outcomes and cost effectiveness.
Hagedorn (2000) claimed that positive outcomes and cost effectiveness can be achieved
only when the job satisfaction of all of those employed by the college is considered and
improved. Effective leadership behaviors and traits could be found to enhance job
satisfaction of information technology workers, and therefore reduce poor performance,
low morale, absenteeism, and employee turnover. Enhanced job satisfaction of
community college information technology workers could improve the effective

application of information technologies, positively affecting almost all aspects of the

college.
The objective of this research project was to provide an examination of the
perceived leadership behavior factors that may influence the level of job satisfaction
among information technology workers. This study fills the gap in the body of
knowledge about the growing number of employees of technology in higher education. It
arms community college leaders with the information needed to better serve staff and

more positively affect employee experiences, leading to improved campus-based

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outcomes.

Significance of the Study

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Historically, the relationship between leadership styles and workers job

satisfaction has been studied. In the college setting, many research studies had been
conducted on faculty job satisfaction in relationship to leadership behaviors. In other
industries, such as healthcare, retail, and manufacturing, leadership behavior was studied
in relation to job satisfaction and employee retention. Understanding what causes job
satisfaction or dissatisfaction among community college staff can be important to
ensuring continued success of two-year colleges (Klein & Takeda-Tinker, 2009).
Employee job satisfaction is of critical importance it influences key employee-related
aspects such as absenteeism and turnover. Good leaders understand the importance of
job satisfaction and make conscious interventions to improve job satisfaction (Nayab,
2011, para. 13).
Job satisfaction and effective leadership are important to improving the quality of
education that community colleges provide learners. Hagedorn (2000) noted that job

satisfaction should be a primary concern of collegiate managers and leaders. Retaining

employees is a paramount concern for all businesses, and educational organizations are
not exempt from the implications stemming from staff job satisfaction. However,
research has not focused on community college information technology leadership. In
the educational arena, discerning the relationship of leadership style on job satisfaction
is of paramount concern (Brooke, 2011, para. 2).
This study offered an opportunity to add to the body of knowledge associated

with the influence of transformational leadership on the job satisfaction of community

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college information technology workers. It addressed the problem of the unknown

influences of community college IT workers perceptions of their CIOs leadership

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behaviors on IT workers job satisfaction. The data gathered through validated

questionnaires and subsequent analysis helped identify those types of leadership
behaviors and characteristics that could contribute positively to IT workers job
satisfaction in a two-year community college. Through more knowledge about the
relationship of leadership behaviors and job satisfaction, the job satisfaction of
community college information technology workers may be improved. Improved job
satisfaction positively affects employees performance, boosts morale among employees,
reduces absenteeism, and improves employees retention. Improved work performance,
morale, and retention enables community colleges to better serve students, reduce costs,
and demonstrate greater levels of successful accountability to their stakeholders.
Nature of the Study
The research study was quantitative because the variables were measurable.
Quantitative research is an appropriate application to a problem that requires that variable

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relationships be explained (Cooper & Schindler, 2011; Creswell, 2008). Numerous peerreviewed research studies based on the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and
the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) survey with the Job in General Scale (JIG) have been
published using quantitative statistical analyses to examine relationships and associations.
The validated Job Descriptive Index survey and the Job in General (JIG) Scale
have been used to examine workers expressed satisfaction with their job, providing a
neutral point or feeling of ambivalence concerning job satisfaction and indicators for

satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The Abridged Job Descriptive Index and Abridged Job in

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General are shorter versions of the original surveys that maintain adequate reliability,
while reducing the completion time. An indication of relative job satisfaction can be

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determined and the results of the completed, abridged versions of the JDI/JIG can be
compared with national norms developed by Bowling Green State University.
The MLQ measures a broad range of leadership types and identifies the
characteristics of a transformational leader. The MLQ is not designed to encourage the
labeling of a leader as transformational. Instead, it is more appropriate to identify a
leader or group of leaders as more transformational than the norm (Avolio, Bass
Walumbwa, & Zhu, 2004, p. 110).
The population of this research study included personnel who serve in IT roles in
the public, Kansas-based, community college institutions listed in Appendix A.
Technology personnel must have been at least 18 years old to be included in the sample.
All full-time and part-time IT workers of diverse ages, ethnicities, employment training,
and educational backgrounds, and whose colleges publicly publish their contact
information were invited to participate in this study. Each community college employed