Paradoxical Leadership and its Impact on the Formation of Perceived Organizational Image: An Exploratory Study at the College of Administration and Economics, University of Basrah

The current study aimed to explore the correlation and impact relationships between paradoxical leadership and perceived organizational image at the College of Administration and Economics. The research problem was characterized by the ambiguity and distortion surrounding the perceived organizational image, as some employees lack a connection to both the internal and external organizational image and do not actively work to preserve it. The study sought to verify the adoption of paradoxical leadership as a leadership style and to assess the clarity of the organizational image within the surveyed college. A questionnaire was distributed to 140 individuals, from which 128 valid responses were retrieved and analyzed. The findings revealed a correlation and impact relationship between paradoxical leadership and perceived organizational image at the overall level. The study recommended separating hierarchical relationships from personal relationships in managing college affairs to achieve a state of balance, maintain equal distances, and interact with employees uniformly to establish a unified organizational image among all members.