Identifying and Validating Dimensions and Components and Assessing the Ethical Leadership of University Directors in the Viewpoints of the Faculty Members of the University

 The purpose of this study was to identify and validate the dimensions and components of ethical leadership of the university directors and the status assessment of the university administrators’ ethical leadership at comprehensive units of Azad University in the educational year 2016-2017.

 The research was carried out using a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) method. In order to collect information in the qualitative section, after studying the available resources related to the subject of research, 25 of the university directors in the educational, cultural and student units that were members of the faculty board members in the 2016-2017 academic year were purposefully selected by the network of specialists. The interview was conducted by a semi-structured method. In the quantitative section, using the results of interviews and the study of resources, the ethical leadership questionnaire for university directors was developed. In this research, factor analysis of the questionnaire, factor analysis, and convergent validity index (AVE index) and audit validity (Farnell and Larker criteria, cross-factor load and HTMT index) were used. Cronbach alpha coefficients and composite reliability were used to assess the reliability of the tool. To calculate the above indicators, the Structural Equation Modeling approach and Smart PLS software were used.

 By analyzing the qualitative data, four dimensions of ethical leadership and their components were set for university administrators, and their validation was done in a quantitative section. Cronbach alpha and combined reliability of four dimensions were higher than 88. And the Convergent Validity Criterion for the four dimensions was upper than 0.59. It was a sign of the solidarity of the ethical leadership structure of the university administrators of their own dimensions. These dimensions are as follows: organizational dimension, interpersonal dimension (management and the faculty board members, management and students, management and staff), social dimension and individual dimension. The results of the one-sample t-test demonstrated that the average of viewpoints of faculty members in all four dimensions was higher than 3 and close to 4.The results of this study showed that there are four important dimensions in relation to each dimension and there are some components for ethical leadership of academic directors that can be used to assess the ethical leadership of academic directors. The university, as a center of research and instruction, should be ethical in interactions with students, professors, employees, and the academic community. Thus, the university requires the implementation of the ethical leadership styles more than any other organization. The main objectives of higher education administrators include assistantship in resolving community problems and educating more efficient civilians for serving the country, which is not possible unless by their observance of the ethical principles and accepted regulations. Therefore, the significant duty of university administrators is providing an environment where the principal functions of ethical leadership can be ethically carried out. The administrators’ decisions related to the organizational and structural dimensions of the university, comprising legislating, employing, acclaiming, punishing, the source usage, and the administrators’ behavior, can cause some ethical and behavioral obligations.