Requirements for Achieving Strategic Leadership among Academic Department Heads at Umm Al-Qura University

This study aimed to identify the extent to which the requirements for achieving strategic leadership are present in the practices of academic department heads, as perceived by faculty members at the College of Education, Umm Al-Qura University. Adopting a descriptive survey approach, the study used a questionnaire as its primary tool, which was administered to a sample of 144 faculty members from the total population of 228 in the College of Education at Umm Al-Qura University. The study findings indicated that the degree to which strategic leadership requirements are met in the practices of department heads at Umm Al-Qura University is "moderate" across all dimensions and in the overall score. These dimensions were ranked as follows: the dimension of entrepreneurial leadership ranked first, followed by entrepreneurial culture, and finally, the dimension of resource management. Based on these findings, several recommendations were proposed, including establishing an innovation management office within each college under the university’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This office would promote an innovative culture, foster a supportive environment for creative ideas, and back entrepreneurial initiatives. Additional recommendations include promoting a culture of entrepreneurship among faculty through regular educational meetings, training programs, and workshops, and encouraging the university's investment department to diversify funding sources to achieve financial independence.
Keywords: Strategic Leadership, Requirements, Academic Department Heads, Umm Al-Qura University