Social Intelligence and Its Relation to Leadership Style for Academic Leaders at Al-Jouf University in the light of some Demographic Variables

Abstract

The aim of the study was to identify the level of Social Intelligence and its relation to the leadership style for academic leaders at Al-Jouf University and to detect the correlation between them. The study followed the analytical descriptive method. The questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument. The sample consisted of (346) faculty members at Al-Jouf University in Saudi Arabia. The results of the study showed that the level of social intelligence for the academic leaders at Al-Jouf University was very high. The leadership style of the academic leaders at Al-Jouf University was the democratic leadership style to a large extent followed by the autocratic style. The results also showed a strong and statistically significant correlation between social intelligence and the democratic leadership style for the academic leaders of Al-Jouf University, and a negative and statistically significant correlation between social intelligence and autocratic leadership style for academic leaders at the University of Al-Jouf. The result also found that there were no statistically significant differences in the level of social intelligence for academic leaders at the University of Al-Jouf according to the variables of gender, grade and college. There were also no statistically significant differences in leadership style for academic leaders at Al-Jouf University according to the variables: gender, grade, and college. The study recommended a dissemination of the social intelligence culture among the university staff, clarification of its role in the success of individuals on professional and personal levels, holding training courses for the development of social intelligence and the skills of democratic leadership style for academic leaders at Al-Jouf University. The study also suggsted that social intelligence must be taken into consideration when selecting academic leaders at Al-Jouf University.