Leadership Style of the Heads of the Departments in Hamadan

Introduction. One of the most important duties of the heads of departments is effective leadership. In theory and practice, the effectiveness of educational leaders could cause the improvement of education and provide a proper ground for personal development of faculty members. This study was conducted to determine the leadership style of the heads of the departments in Hamadan Medical University. Methods. In a descriptive cross-sectional study all the heads of departments (42 persons) were selected through census sampling method and investigated using a valid and reliable questionnaire. The questionnaire composed of 2 parts, the first part asked about demographic characteristics, and the second part measured the leadership style of the heads. The data was analyzed by SPSS software using frequency distribution of the data and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results. In total, most of the heads (37.4%) used directive leadership style. A significant relationship was found between effective leadership style and the age of the departments’ heads (r=.34). Conclusion. It is necessary that appropriate changes take place in the organizational structure and communication, so that the heads of the departments use supportive effective leadership style more and have a dynamic management system.