Date of Award
5-2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Program
Educational Administration
Department
Educational Administration
Major Professor
Christopher Broadhurst
Second Advisor
Marc Bonis
Third Advisor
Ashley Wicker
Fourth Advisor
Eric Summers
Abstract
This present study investigated the relationship between higher education leaders’ personality traits and their self-efficacy in leadership situations. A total of 151 leaders employed across the nine institutions within the University of Louisiana System completed a survey that prompted them to identify their personal values, traits, and skill sets, as derived from the online Pottermore quiz, the official Harry Potter Hogwarts House sorting instrument. This niche personality metric was chosen to cater to higher education’s evolving landscape, as it welcomes an influx of Millennials into leadership positions. Participants’ responses were eventually recoded to “sort” them into their respective Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. The survey also prompted them to indicate their feelings of adequacy in handling scenarios that fell within four situational categories: managing crises, promoting camaraderie, strategic planning, or administering discipline. Demographic data, such as current job title/position, age, and years of leadership experience were also considered in the post-data analysis, which resulted in an emergent independent variable: management levels. Means analyses and a review of the literature supported the four hypotheses’ predictions: Gryffindors felt most equipped to manage crises, Hufflepuffs preferred to promote camaraderie, Ravenclaws excelled at strategic planning, and Slytherins were comfortable with administering discipline. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were used but may not be a reliable measure for this study’s intentions due to the unequal distribution within the sample. This study provides implications about proper selection of statistical tests, the need for better crisis management training, team diversification, and shifts in generational references and metrics within the higher education workforce.
Recommended Citation
Boudreaux, Fay Ludvine, "Double, Double, Toils and Troubles: Analyzing the “Magical” Relationships between University Leaders’ Personality Traits and their Self-Efficacy in Leadership Situations" (2025). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 3228.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/3228
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Adult and Continuing Education Administration Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Community College Education Administration Commons, Community College Leadership Commons, Community Psychology Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Cultural History Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Fiction Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Organizational Communication Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Philosophy of Mind Commons, Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons, Social History Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Television Commons, Theory and Criticism Commons, Theory and Philosophy Commons
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.