ABSTRACT
This research thesis focuses on the leadership styles and
employees job performance in the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi. Methodologically
the study deployed both the primary and secondary data. The investigation of
the study raveled that co-operative mode of administration is preferred to the
suppressive and free – rein systems. It also showed that cooperative
disposition of leadership breeds team –work, employees’ participation in
formulation organization and implementation of institutional goal and
objectives attainment. The findings empirically noted that hostile department
leads should be punished for their actions and bureaucratic rules and procedure
be adopted to check care free department heads. The management and Head of
Departments of Federal Polytechnic Auchi should implement the following
recommendation of adopting cooperative approach of administration as a matter of
a policy for the institution: The Management of Federal Polytechnic Auchi
should implement the following recommendation of adopting cooperative approach
of administration as a matter of a policy for the institution; also the
findings empirically noted that hostile department heads should be punished for
adopting care-free attitude in performing his duties. Base on the findings some
recommendations were made which include adoption of co-operative approach of
administration as a matter of policy for the institution. The management of
federal polytechnic Auchi should be put in place motivational incentives to
encouraged workers at work especially reward of excellent performance,
promotion, welfare package, training and retraining of employees, welfare package,
training and retrain.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of the Study
Leadership is to any organization what the heart is to
the human body. Just as the body depends on the heart to pump blood for it to
stay alive, so also an organization relies on its leadership for persistent
coordination in order to survive. Cole (2002) posits that leadership is a vital
element in the social relationships of groups at work. He further argues that
in a dynamic process at work in a group, leadership influences the other group
members to commit themselves freely to the achievement of group tasks. It
follows therefore that in an organization, the leadership and employees
complement each other. While commenting on leadership-employees relationship,
Nwachukwu (2007) explains that once employees are recruited, it becomes the
function of leadership to utilize them in the accomplishment of organizational
objectives. He stresses that although the employees are hired to assist in the
realization of predetermined organizational goals, they come to the
organization with their own personal goals, aspirations, biases and preferences
[which determine their behavior in the organization] and they exhibit the
aforementioned through much concern about their roles, risks and involvements.
It then becomes the function of leadership to marry employees’ goals with
organizational goals for harmonious coexistence and achievement of
organizational objectives. Uma (2005) added that having knowledge of
organizational behavior which entails the actions and reactions of employees to
various stimuli helps leadership to effectively handle individuals, groups, and
organizational resources to achieve the goals of organization. And at the same
time, enhance the quality of life for employees and enable them to reach their
full potentials.
Apart from the aforesaid valuable roles of leadership,
the styles adopted in playing those roles are also very important to an
organization. According to Ojokuku, Odetayo, and Sajuyigbe (2012) leadership
style is a key determinant of the success or failure of any organization. They
maintain that while leadership influences, directs, and motivates others to
perform specific tasks for the accomplishment of the stated corporate
objectives, leadership style serves as the manner and approach of providing
direction, implementing plans, and motivating employees to be committed to
organizational objectives. The major leadership styles include the democratic,
autocratic, and laissez-faire. They are as well known as transformational,
transactional, and free-rein styles of leadership. The transformational or democratic
leadership style is the type that motivates followers by appealing to
higher ideals and moral values which can inspire employees to perform beyond
expectations and transform both individuals and organizations (Bass, 1985 cited
by Belonio, undated). The
transactional or autocratic leadership style is based on bureaucratic
authority and legitimacy within the organization. It emphasizes work standards,
assignments and task-oriented goals. It focuses on task completion and employee
compliance and relies on organizational rewards and punishments to influence
employee performance Burns, (1979). The Laissez-Faire or free-rein leadership style
is characterized by a total or general failure to take responsibilities for
managing Bass, (1999). The choice and application of any leadership style in
supervising the subordinates depends on the preference of the leader. The exact
leadership style adopted in any organization can have either positive or
negative impacts on the leader, other employees and the organization as a
whole. That is why the issue of leadership and leadership style often generate
a lot of controversies and if not timely attended to, it degenerates to misgivings
and displeasures which eventually debilitate even a once vibrant organization.
In Auchi Federal
Polytechnic, this issue of leadership style is currently breeding heated
debate. The employees’ attitude to work and their present level of performance
which negatively robs off on the institution is speculatively blamed on the
Management’s manner of leadership. This investigation is therefore put in place
to unravel the actual impacts of leadership style on employees’ performance in
Auchi Federal Polytechnic from 2008-2015.
1.2.1
Brief
History of Federal Polytechnic
The federal polytechnic Auchi was established in 1964 as a
technical college by Midwestern region. The former president Ibrahim Babagida
announced the takeover of the institution as a federal polytechnic Auchi in
1994 by a decree.
The new polytechnic started off as a multi-campus institution with
its headquarters in Benin City. The Department of Accountancy and company Administration
moved from Auchi to join the government Academy, Benin City, which had been
absorbed to form the school of Business Studies in the Benin campus of the
Polytechnic while the Engineering Department remained in Auchi to become the School
of Engineering of the Polytechnic.
Mean while, in 1974, the name of the institution was changed to
Auchi Polytechnic, and in 1975, the Headquarters was moved back to Auchi.
The federal government Decree of
1997 set up the National Board for technical education (NBTE) to coordinate
technical education in Nigeria with the following mandates:
i.
To provide science and technical education
which produced middle level technical manpower and their training.
ii.
To provide full-time and part time course in
teaching and training in technology, applied science Business, and administrative
sectors relevant to the need of development of manpower in Nigeria.
iii.
To conduct courses in technical education for
qualified middle level trainees.
iv.
To arrange conferences, seminars and workshop
relevant to the field of study or leaning.
1.3
Statement of the Problem
The issue of
leadership styles has been a subject of much concern. A lot of researches have
previously carried out investigations related to this subject matter.
In the study
conducted by Belonio R.J. (undated) on “The Effects of Leadership Style on
Employee Satisfaction and Performance of Employees in Bangkok”,
Transformational leadership was seen to have a positive effect on the
significant subscales of job satisfaction. Transactional leadership also had a
positive effect on the significant subscales of job satisfaction and
laissez-faire leadership had a positive effect as well on the significant
subscales of job satisfaction. Belonio therefore advises that since leadership
styles affect various aspects of employee job satisfaction, which in turn
affect job performance, managers, supervisors, leaders and organizational heads
should not stick to only one form of leadership style. The management of Auchi
Polytechnic has not lived up to expectation in combining the various leadership
styles that will possibly bring more satisfaction and enhance employee
performance in the institution.
Shafie,
Baghersalimi, and Barghi (2013) also carried out a similar investigation on
“The Relationship between Leadership Style and Employee Performance” (Case
Study of Real Estate Registration Organization of Tehran Province) in 2013. The
findings showed that transformational and pragmatic [transactional or
autocratic] leadership both impacted on the staff performance but
transformational leadership style is associated with higher relevance. They
however noted that transformational leadership and pragmatic leadership are not
two contradictory theories, rather they are complementary ideologies. This
implies that leadership styles ought to be alternated to embrace the various
employees’ behavior in an organization. Not knowing how to interchange
leadership styles is a bane to Employees job satisfaction.
Spector (1997)
argues that employee or job satisfaction is an important concern in every
organization since it focuses on both humanitarian and utilitarian
perspectives. According to the humanitarian perspective, people deserve to be
treated fairly and with respect. The utilitarian perspective proposes that
employee or job satisfaction can lead to employee behaviors that affect organizational
functioning and performance.
Over the years,
the Federal Polytechnic at Auchi has enjoyed tremendous harmony in terms of
management-employees relationship. The staff performance cum organizational
reputation has been commendable to some extent. But internal wrangling and
contention are becoming rampant. Employees’ job satisfaction has reduced
drastically while their performance is also in its lowest ebbs. Some lapses in
the choice of leadership style by the institution’s management are speculated as
the chief causes of these negative occurrences.
1.4
Objectives of the Study
The general objective
of this study is to examine the impacts of leadership style on employees’
performance. The specific objectives are outlined below.
(1) To reveal the
connection between cooperative mode of administration and the level to which
employees are doing their jobs in Federal Polytechnic Auchi.
(2) To show the link
between suppressive system of management and the degree of workers’ frustration
in Federal Polytechnic Auchi.
(3) To show how the
free-rein method of supervision is associated with the rate of staff’s
absenteeism in Federal Polytechnic Auchi|.
1.5 Research Hypothesis
The following
hypotheses are put forward for testing in this study.
(1) There is a relationship
between cooperative mode of administration and employees’ service delivery in
Federal Polytechnic Auchi.
(2) There is a
relationship between suppressive manner of management style and workers
frustration in Federal Polytechnic Auchi.
(3) There is a
relationship between free-rein method of supervision and workers’ absenteeism
in Auchi, Federal Polytechnic
1.6 Significance of the Study
This research
will offer essential information that will helpfully guide administrators in
the general acts of organizational management specifically on the issues that
concern superiors / subordinates.
The revelations
pertaining to the subject of impacts of leadership styles on employees’
performance in organizations will further build-up existing literature.
The results
obtained in this investigation will expand the frontiers of knowledge.
1.7 Scope of the Study
This study centered
attention on the issue of impacts of leadership styles on employees’
performance. The study location is Federal Polytechnic, Auchi. It is situated
in Edo North senatorial district of Edo State. The period covered by this
investigation ranges from (2000 to 2015).
1.8 Limitations to the Study
Obtaining information
from the respondents in Federal Polytechnic, Auchi was limited by bureaucratic
bottle-necks. Some official information was scarcely disclosed by respondents
owing to the secrecy that characterizes the public service. More so, many
respondents were reluctant to participate in the research due to fear of
indictment after responding to certain questions on the research instrument.
There was also some delay in the process of retrieving the questionnaires
because of some respondents’ belated response. Nonetheless, the researcher was
able to muddle-through after much resilience.
1.9
Operational definition of terms
The following terms are
presented to explain the concepts.
(a)
Cooperative administration: The use of friendliness
and sympathy in the supervision of workers in the workplace.
(b)
Service delivery: Job performance or the act of doing a
given job.
(c)
Suppressive management: Displaying hostility in
controlling employees in the organization.
(d)
Frustration: This is the dissatisfaction suffered by
the personnel working in an organization owing to the unbearable working
conditions.
(e)
Free-rein supervision: The freedom given to employees to
discharge their duties with little or no control.
(f)
Absenteeism: It is the staff’s habit of staying away
from workplace for unconvincing reasons and without taking permission.
(g)
Impacts: These are the good and bad mutual influences that
the behaviors of individuals and groups have on one another in an organization
at a given period.
(h)
Leadership styles: It encompasses the methods and
techniques applied by superiors in controlling their subordinates in the
office.
(i)
Employees’ performance: It entails the extent to which
workers discharge their assigned tasks in their place of work.
1.9b
Organization of the Study
This work is organized
into five chapter, chapter one has
background of the study, brief of federal polytechnic,
Auchi,Statement of the problem,
objective of the study, research hypothesis , significance of the study, scope of the study, limitation to the study,
Chapter two covers review of related
literature with subheading
like “System theory” “MC
Gregor theories x and y”. The concept of leadership,
leadership styles conceptualized approaches
of the study
leadership, Administrative/ Organizational structure and the concept of
job performance in the Federal Polytechnic Auchi. Also the Chapter three has research method with the following
topic like Research Design, Sources of
Data, Population of Study,
Sample and Sampling Techniques , Research Instrument,
Validity and Research Reliability
Test, and Statistical
Techniques for Data Analysis. While Chapter
four will present the summary of the major
findings; Chapter five Summary of
the findings Recommendation, conclusion and Contribution to Knowledge.
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