📄 Abstract
Purpose. This study measures how far the leadership competencies that stakeholders expect of graduates are matched by the support that higher education institutions actually provide. It compares an Expected Competency Index with an Observed Institutional Support Index built from three levers: the learning environment, stakeholder interaction and institutional culture. Design/methodology/approach. A cross-sectional survey was administered in November 2025 to faculty, students and employers linked to universities, colleges and firms in Karnataka, India. After screening, 27 usable responses remained (17 faculty, 7 students, 3 employers). Eight competencies (logical-analytical, emotional-social, cultural, technical, financial, communicative, motivational-ethical and team intelligence) were rated for belief and importance. Thirty items captured observed institutional support. Data were analysed with reliability tests, paired t and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests, Spearman correlations, multiple regression and content analysis of open-ended responses. Findings. All scales were reliable (Cronbach’s α = 0.85–0.92). Expected competency (M = 4.27) significantly exceeded observed institutional support (M = 4.01): t(26) = 2.24, p = .034, Cohen’s dz = 0.43; Wilcoxon p = .009. Three in four respondents (74%) rated expectations above provision. Understanding people, team collaboration and smart thinking were expected most; financial sense least. The weakest observed practices were valuing everyone’s ideas regardless of background, rewarding leadership behaviour, open expression of opinion and learner initiative. Stakeholder interaction predicted leadership culture (B = 0.54, p = .026; model R² = .63). Respondents most often named team collaboration and self-drive as the qualities young people need to improve. Practical implications. Institutions can narrow the gap by recognising and rewarding student leadership, strengthening mentoring and feedback loops, creating safe spaces for voice and inclusion, and embedding financial and data literacy into leadership learning. Originality/value. The study offers a compact, reliable eight-intelligence framework for leadership competency and a simple expectation–provision gap method that institutions can repeat for self-assessment under the National Education Policy 2020.
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📚 How to Cite:
Dr. K. C. Prashanth, Veena M , OBSERVED AND EXPECTED LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES: A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER GAP ANALYSIS OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS OF KARNATAKA , Volume 13 , Issue 10, October 2026, EPRA International Journal of Economics, Business and Management Studies (EBMS) , Pages: 68 - 77 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra29133