Study of performance and leadership in industrial engineering students using social network analysis

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the relationship between leadership and performance in teams of higher education students. First, we conceptualize leadership as an influence process between team members, and second, we model this team process using social network analysis. To study the proposed relationship between leadership and performance, we conducted a study with 164 students from 41 teams of industrial engineering students in two universities in Chile. Linear regression analysis shows that leadership network density is positively related to performance, and leadership network centrality is negatively related to performance. These results provide a reliable statistical tool for teachers and higher education institutions to track student leadership development throughout the curriculum.