The structure and measurement of Chinese university leadership

Leadership is one of the most examined topics in the field of social science. Globalization has led to increased interest in leadership in different cultural contexts and in alternative organizations. Developing the relation of Western and Chinese leadership models can enrich each and aid in cross cultural contact.;The study focused on developing an instrument for measuring higher education leadership in the Chinese social and cultural context. To address this issue, both western leadership theories and instruments and the Confucian philosophy of leadership were systematically examined for insights for instrument development. Based on top-down and bottom-up procedures and repeated revisions, a survey consisting of 58 leadership items was administered to participants over the Internet. 316 respondents took the survey and 304 were valid data after the clean up for missing values.;Confirmatory factor analyses of eight hypothesized models using LISREL 8.7 demonstrate that the survey is reliable with six confirmed factors---morality, academic expertise, nurturing, communication, fairness, and managing. Findings suggest that the Chinese view of leadership is consistent with the Confucian philosophy of leadership. The findings have implications for the study of the impact of socio-cultural factors on leadership and provide foundations for future research on leadership in different cultural contexts and in alternative types of organizations.