104 Leadership styles of state extension specialists

Abstract

The focus of this study was the leadership styles of extension specialists. Many studies have been conducted on leadership characteristics of extension agents and administrators, however the current knowledge base concerning leadership behaviors of extension specialists is lacking. Traditionally, specialists were strictly used as a resource for subject matter information, however, changes to cooperative extension have seen specialists move into a position that involves leading agent groups and conducting programing that directly serves the clientele. Many specialists find themselves with newly acquired expectations, yet lack training or educational background to ensure these skills. Using a mixed methodological approach, this sequential explanatory study was conducted using transformational leadership theory, with the purpose of examining current leadership characteristics among extension specialists. The specialists were sent a survey which contained questions relating to educational background, make-up and tenure of their position, and included the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) to analyze self-perceived transformational leadership characteristics. This survey was followed by a voluntary individual interview. The purpose of the interview was to gain a broader understanding of the group’s leadership perspectives. Although no significant connections could be made concerning demographic information and MLQ leadership scores, the group as a whole registered below average for displaying transformational leadership characteristics, ranking in the 40^th percentile for composite MLQ scores compared to the general population. The interview data showed that the specialists agreed with the concepts of transformational leadership, however MLQ scores and anecdotal evidence show that practical application of transformational leadership was lacking. Most participants indicated they did not initially feel prepared for their job, and many indicated that interpersonal relationship skills were used more often than their degree specialization. The findings from this study may help to encourage leadership training focused towards extension specialists, and to emphasize the need for leadership skills within this position.