Leadership styles and AI acceptance in academic libraries in higher education

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between the leadership styles adopted by academic librarians and their openness to artificial intelligence (AI). The purpose was to discern whether particular leadership approaches influence librarians' attitudes and acceptance of AI technologies in higher education. Data was collected from 50 librarians across four Arab countries. Two distinct questionnaires were administered to the participants: the first focused on their perceptions of AI, exploring attitudes, beliefs, and understanding of AI technologies, while the second implemented the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5×) to assess the librarians' leadership styles. Correlational analysis, inferential statistics including structural equation model, and regression analysis were employed leading to explore the predictive power of various leadership styles on librarians' openness to AI. Findings suggest that the implementation of AI in academic libraries is most likely to occur under transformational leadership, with transactional leadership being associated with suboptimal outcomes; a noteworthy association is observed between the perception of ease of use and the adoption of laissez-faire leadership. The insights derived from this study hold particular significance for the development of librarians' professional training programs, offering valuable guidance on fostering adaptive leadership strategies that align with the evolving landscape of AI integration within academic library settings.