Resumo

FERRER SOTO, Juliana; COLMENARES ACEVEDO, Fedra  e  CLEMENZA, Caterina. An Ethical Leader for Change: Strategic Management Platform in Higher Education Institutions . Revista de Ciencias Sociales [online]. 2010, vol.16, n.4, pp.642-653. ISSN 1315-9518.

Ethical leadership presents different strategic alternatives centered on participation and cooperation for constructing institutional social relevance. This article analyzes ethical leadership as a support for strategic management in Venezuelan universities. The methodology considers, through a non-probabilistic sampling by judgment that responds to the typology and geographical location of the universities, researchers responsible for LOCTI and community service projects in public, national universities in the regions of Zulia and the East; another sampling is directed toward the involved communities. Results demonstrate that 85% of the projects respond to timely initiatives from the communities without any form of planning that might allow for integral development of the zone, while 15% of the projects are linked to the national development plan. In the eastern region, the academic actors involved refer to a permanent connection with the community (65%), as opposed to 15% for the Zulia region, reflecting the actors’ commitment to improving the quality of life. The study recommends raising the ethical social levels in university institutions, as well as training ethical leaders centered on values, capable of fomenting administrative action focused on cooperative relations.

Palavras-chave : Higher education; ethical leadership; strategic management for change.