The impact of spirituality on the leadership practices of African American women college presidents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of spirituality on the leadership practices of current African American women college presidents. This study used a multiple case study approach encompassing in-depth interviews within a naturalistic inquiry paradigm and through the lens of Collins’ (1991) Afrocentric feminism theory. Interviews were conducted with Presidents Hinton (2-year public), Suber (4-year private), Tate (2-year private), and Thompson (4-year public).

This study revealed that the spirituality of these four African American women college presidents greatly impacted their leadership practices. They were given an opportunity to describe their leadership practices and their perception of spirituality. Then, they were asked to reflect upon both elements and consider whether their spirituality impacted their leadership practices. These college presidents shared that they prayed before making big decisions and during challenging professional moments. They also credited their spirituality with the way they chose to treat their colleagues and subordinates. All four constructs - concrete experiences, dialogue, ethic of caring, and ethic of accountability - were found at work in the spirituality and leadership practices of the four African American women college presidents interviewed. As a result of these findings, a new conceptual framework for African American women’s spiritual leadership was developed.