INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Leadership style can be strategic when it is adopted to address a given problem at a point in time. As in International Business Machine Company (IBM), United State of America in 1993, when the CEO Louis Gerstner effected a complete turnaround on the company’s dwindling state of economy using what he called ‘driving strategy into action at IBM’ ‘Changelogic’; In SB. Moeller (2005:96), a study of ‘Acquiring Firm Returns in the Recent Merger Wave’; Again in KM. Lehn and M. Zhao (2006:105), ‘CEO Turnover After Acquisitions: Bad Bidders Fired’? And in Kim, Chan and Renee Mauborgne (2003:114) ‘Creating New Market Space’. Strategic leadership styles were used in all these cases to record particular success. So we can safely speculate that a leadership style can become strategic at any given point in time of adoption provided it is geared toward achieving a set target. Leadership is often credited for the success or failure of organizational operations. Leadership styles and practices that work well in one culture may not necessarily be effective in another. For instance, the leadership approach used by Nigerian managers would not necessarily be the same as that adopted in other parts of the world.
Effective leadership tends to be very situation – specific and culture – oriented but adequate motivation, suitable work environment, compensation and efficient communication between managers and subordinates play a good role in achieving excellent organizational performance. It is some researchers’ opinion that most problems affecting organizational performance in Nigeria businesses are workers` poor attitude to work, inefficiency as well as ineffectiveness of leaders, (Udofia 2009, Abe 2010). Others are of the view that organizations in Nigeria are managed through leadership styles strange to typical Nigerian culture (Minogue, 1997). In an attempt to address this issue, some works of management scholars attempting to establish the relationship between leadership styles and organizational performance were examined. In Fielder (1967), contingency model where leadership behaviour is matched to three factors in the situation, the nature of the relationship between the leader and the members, the extent to which tasks are highly structured and the position power of the leader. The appropriate leader behaviour that is, whether task - oriented or relationship - oriented depends on the combination of these three aspects in any situation. This study is based on the relationship between style and performance in existing organizations in different contexts. Goleman (2000), reports the results of some researches carried out by Hay/McBer who sampled almost 20 % of a data base of 20,000 executives. The results were analyzed to identify six different leadership styles namely Coercive, Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Coaching Leadership Styles. Goleman reports that leaders with the best results do not rely on only one leadership style. There are divergent views to these studies. These notwithstanding, empirical evidence on how each of the leadership styles already mentioned impacts on organizational performance was lacking. One cannot measure the success or failure of each of these styles on the various performance variables which include Productivity, Profitability, Efficiency and Competitiveness, Innovation and Learning Status, Customer/Staff Relationship. Leadership qualities can be largely developed but sometimes they are inate. As a result of this, the contention still exists as to whether great leaders are born or made.
The two leadership functions, task – related and group – maintenance, tend to be expressed in two different leadership styles. Managers who have a task – oriented style closely supervise employees to be sure that the task is performed satisfactorily. Getting the job done is more important to them than employee’s growth or personal satisfaction. Managers with an employee – oriented style try to motivate rather than control subordinates. They seek friendly, trusting and respectful relationship with employees, who are often allowed to participate in decisions that affect them (Ile, 1999). Leadership style in a managerial context is the general way a leader behaves towards subordinates in the pursuit of organizational objectives. They include the degree to which managers delegate authority, modes of power manager employs, and his or her relative concern for human relationship or task orientation (Edem, 2002). Inyang, (2006) see leadership, styles as unique ways or manners to carrying out leadership functions of motivating and integrating employees with the organization to achieve organization’s objectives. The effectiveness of the leadership styles adopted by managers at work is central in the management of organization.
Etuk (1995), observes that failure or success of organization is due to the leadership styles adopted in managing the organization, which affect the subordinates, customers and agencies within and outside the organization. Khan, (1989) opines that, corporate success depends directly upon the style of the Chief executive. It is really the style of the chief executive that builds corporate culture, which in turn, create the necessary work culture conducive for management. Though, sustained organizational achievement can never be a one-man affair. The leader is the only one who plays the crucial role of creating culture, which channels collective energy for corporate growth and success. Effective leaders are capable of flexing their styles to meet the demands of the situation. Normally some leaders may have to shift into more of a directive mode when faced with a crises, but they make clear what they are doing and why. Poor leaders change their style arbitrarily so that their team members are confused and do not know what to do next.
Good leaders may flex their styles when dealing with individual team members according to their characteristics. Some people need more positive directions than others. Others respond best if they are involved in decision making with their supervisors. But there is a limit to the degree of flexibility that should be used. It is unwise to differentiate too much between the ways in which individuals are treated or to be inconsistent in one’s approach (Armstrong, 2012).
Agboli and Chikwendu, (2006) are of the opinion that there may be no leadership style that could be effective in every situation, so there has to be modifications so that different work situations take different leadership styles so that employees and leaders alike may perform optimally.
| Project details | Contents |
|---|---|
| Number of Pages | 66 pages |
| Chapter one | Introduction |
| Chapter two | Literature review |
| Chapter three | methodology |
| Chapter four | Data analysis |
| Chapter five | Summary,discussion & recommendations |
| Reference | Reference |
| Questionnaire | Questionnaire |
| Appendix | Appendix |
| Chapter summary | 1 to 5 chapters |
| Available document | PDF and MS-word format |
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