Evolution of Leadership Behaviors During Two-Semester Capstone Design Course in Mechanical Engineering

This study explores the changing self-perceptions of leadership abilities among mechanical engineering students during a two-semester senior capstone design course in which large teams worked on industry-sponsored projects. Leadership behaviors were reported by students using the Competing Values Framework which focuses on student behaviors in four orientations: Collaborate, Create, Control, and Compete. The results show that there were some significant differences among self-perceptions at the beginning, middle, and end of the class, especially in the Create, Control, and Compete leadership orientations. Differences in self-perception among men and women were more prominent in the Create orientation at the beginning of the course with women starting lower but nearly matching men at the end of the course. Implications of this study generate insights into a potential method of assessing leadership development through the length of a course.