The Importance of Effective Educational Leadership: Evidence from Malaysian Higher Education Context

The performance of public universities will be greatly influenced by leaders' capacity to demonstrate the proper leadership styles under various conditions. This study has improved our comprehension of academics' preferred leadership philosophies. The information has been a valuable addition to the literature on leadership in Malaysian universities. In response, this study intends to evaluate academics' opinions of university leaders' leadership philosophies in the public higher education sector. It makes an effort to evaluate academics' preferences for transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles as well as to pinpoint the demographic traits of academics that are strongly associated with their preferred leadership philosophies. Using a judgmental sample technique, data were gathered from selected academic staff members employed by public universities in Malaysia. Selected public universities received 500 questionnaires. The poll received 247 responses from academic personnel, yielding a 49.4% response rate. The respondents are made up of academic staff members at various levels, including professors, associate professors, senior lecturers, lecturers, and tutors. The purpose of this study is to determine the preferred leadership style of academics in public higher education institutions in Malaysia.