INFLUENCE OF LEADERSHIP SKILLS ON ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT

(A CASE STUDY OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION IN PLATEAU STATE)

Abstract

The study aimed at evaluating the influence of leadership skills on organizational management in Nigeria using Plateau State College Of Education. The evaluation was done through the use of questionnaire and structured interview question, tailored towards: determining the impact of leadership skills on the performance of the organization; assessing the effect of the relationship between leadership skills and organizational performance in promoting maximization of the objectives of the organization examining whether there are leadership obstacles that hamper organizational performance in the Plateau State College Of Education; finding out if there are possible way of enhancing organisational performance in the Plateau State College Of Education. The study employed survey research design in the work. The questionnaire was structured in five point scale in line with the objectives set out to be achieved in the study. The instrument was checked for reliability using test-re-test method. A sample size of 82 was selected from a total population of 103 and stratified random sampling was used to select the respondents. The data generated from the field survey were presented and analysed using quantitative method like frequency distribution tables and simple percentage (%). The test of hypothesis was performed using chi-square statistical test. The result arising from the primary data tested at 0.05 co-efficient interval and degree of freedom revealed that there is positive and significant relationship between leadership skills and organizational performance in Plateau State College Of Education. The study also revealed that there are leadership obstacles that hamper organisational performance in the Plateau State College Of Education resulting from the structure of the organization management. Again, the work also revealed that in the Plateau State College Of Education there are possible ways of enhancing organisational leadership for effective performance. Above all, the study revealed that there are no empirical evidence to show the relationship between leadership skills and organisational performance. In view of the above, since it is people that make up organisation therefore, it has been recommended among others that all those things the people need to enable them perform at high level should be put in place for them.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Leadership is the process by which a person exerts influence over other people and inspires, motivates and directs their activities to help achieve group or organizational goals. Development, on the other hand focuses on building knowledge and skills of organizational members so that they are prepared to take on new responsibilities and challenge (Gareth, 2003). Organizational management may be considered as the theory and practice of planned systematic change in the attitudes, beliefs and values of the employees through creation and reinforcement of long term training programs. Organizational management is action oriented. It starts with a careful organization-wide analysis of the current situation and of the future requirements and employs techniques of behavioural science, such as behaviour modeling, sensitivity analysis and transactional analysis. Its objective is to enable the organization in adopting better to the fast changing external environment of new markets and technology.

The role of leaders in ensuring excellent organisational management cannot be over emphasized. Adequate motivation, suitable work environment, compensation, efficient communication between managers and subordinates play an important role in promoting this goal. Planning and organisation of work is also very crucial in organisational attainment. Some researchers have argued that the most common problems affecting organisational performance in Nigeria business and other institutions are poor attitude to work among workforce, inefficiency as well as ineffectiveness of leaders in most places, though others share a contrary view. This second school of thought believes that organizations in Nigeria are managed through leadership styles that are strange to typical Nigerian are managed through leadership styles that are strange to typical Nigerian culture. In the wake-up call to address this issue, management practitioners in Nigeria have embarked on series of studies in an attempt to establish the relationship between effective leadership and organisational management.

The extent (degree) to which all members of an organisation use their abilities and influences in the effective utilization of resources depends upon how well the leaders of the organisation understand and perform their jobs. Maddock and fullton 1998 in Iyang (2006) explain that leadership styles and other processes of the organisation must be such that can ensure maximum probability within all interactions and relationships with the Organisations, each member will in the light of his background, values and expectation view the expenses as supportive and one which can build and maintains his sense of personal worth and importance.

Despite the above, we should note that individuals have their needs to satisfy and that is why they offered their labours to become organisational members and the extent to which they are committed to the organisation depends on the degree of their conviction that their membership of the organisation will enable them realize their predetermined objectives. In this case, the support an organisation gets from the individuals will be based on the realization that by doing that, his personal objectives and goals will be met, otherwise his interest in the organisation will wane. Based on that, leadership effectiveness should be given adequate attention it the organisaiton intends to achieve it objectives. That is why it is a common agreement among management scholars that the success or failure of an organisation is largely a function of leadership and its styles.

Inyang on his part sees effective leadership as a unique ways and integrating employees with the organisation to achieve its vision or objectives and that to a large extent the effectiveness of a leader is largely dependent to the styles adopted by mangers which he says is central in the management of Organisations. Speaking in the same vein Edem, observes that failure or success of an organisation, which affect the subordinates, the customers and agencies within and outside the organisation. Although there is no standard method through which a leader can be effective in achieving high performance in an organisation but that what is required is the modification and the combination of the variables that make a leader effective if the goals and objectives of the organisation have to be realized (Edem 2002).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Managing people in Organizations is parts and parcel of management Process. Therefore, managers should realize, that people are the critical elements in organizations and that they should be recognized as being synonymous with the organization. But the problem is, to what extent do managers recognize this fact that employees are synonymous with Organizations and that they should be adequately motivated so that they can give their best to ensure high performance? Again the leadership behavior/stills in most organizations which believe that workers could be treated anyhow as a result of unemployment situation in the country which makes job switch difficult has resulted in the hardship workers face in their places of work in Nigeria. This behavior/style of leadership has an impact on reforming and/or creating organisational culture which in turn affects organisational performance and commitment. So given this situation, how effective can a leader be to elicit the best response from subordinates and make for the highest or best performance (Usoro, 2000). Furthermore, some researchers are of the opinion that the most common problems affecting organisational performance in Nigeria businesses and other institutions are poor attitude to work among the workforce, inefficiency and ineffectiveness of leaders in most places, others still belief that organisations in Nigeria are managed through leadership styles and behaviours that are strange to typical Nigerian culture.

In view of the above contending issues, it was necessary to look at influence of leadership stills on organisational management in Nigeria using a case study of college of education in Plateau state.

1.3 Research Questions

1. what is the effect of leadership skills on the execution/implementation of the programmes of the school?

2. To what extent does the management structure of the school influences the performance of the organization

3. How can effective leadership in Plateaue state college of education be engendered

1.4 Objectives of the Study

The general objective of this study is to examine the influence of leadership skills on organisational management. The specific objectives are as follows:

1. To find out the effect of the leadership skills on the execution/implementation of the programmes of the school.

2. To examine the extent to which the management structure of the school influences the performance of the organization.

3. To suggest recommendations aimed at engendering effective leadership in Plateaue state college of education

1.5 Hypotheses of the Study

The following hypotheses were formulated for the study

Ho There is no relationship between leadership and organizational management in Plateau state college of education

H1 There is a relationship between leadership and organisational performance in Plateau state college of education

2. Ho There is no leadership obstacle that hampers organizational performance in the Plateau state college of education

H1 There is leadership obstacle that hampers organistional performance in the Plateau state college of education

1.6 Significance of the Study

The significance of any research study lies in the application of its findings for operational purpose. It is believed that this study will be of immense importance because the empirical finding will reveal how effective leadership skills impacts on organisational management.

The study among others, seek identify the weaknesses or inadequacies of various variables of leadership. It is the researcher’s belief that this work through its findings will change the perception of the institutions leadership and other organisation’s leaders about their leadership skills and styles. Scholars and practitioners suggest that effective leadership behaviours can facilitate the improvement of performance when organisations face challenges (Avery 2008).

Again, leadership is viewed by some researchers as one of the driving forces for improving a firm’s performance. That is why effective leadership is seen as a potent source of management development and sustained competitive advantage for organisational performance improvement. This is because leadership helps organisations achieve their objectives more efficiently by linking job performance to valued rewards and by ensuring employees have the resources needed to get the job done.

Another theoretical significance of this study is that when organizations seek efficient ways to enable them to outperform others, a long-standing approach is to focus on the effects of leadership. This is because team leaders are believed to play a vital role in shaping collective norms, helping teams cope with their environments and coordinating collective action.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The scope of the study covers only the plateau state college of education. Thus, the focus of the study is on the influence of leadership skills on organisational management.

However, to facilitate a sound grasp of the subject matter within the thought framework of the objectives of the study, the scope of the study covered such issues as the concept of leadership, the relationship between effective leadership and organisational management, leadership and motivation.

Others include motivation and job performance, leadership effectiveness and job performance and leadership styles. It also includes organisational performance, how to measure organisational performance, leadership and communication, characteristics and qualities of good leadership and managing subordinates in organizations.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

In conducting this research project, the work would have been more thorough if the country as a whole was covered. However, it was difficult to study all the thirty six States due to costs of associated logistics and time constraints. Owing to these constraints, this study focused on Plateau state college of education alone.

A major limitation to research work in this part of the country is the inability of the researcher to get the necessary information which could have made the work richer were not obtained due to the unwillingness of the officials to give out rich information so the researcher resorted to getting the little to give out rich information so the researcher resorted to getting the little he could from the staff of the secretariat. Also, due to lack of culture of proper record keeping, only very limited data were gotten by the researcher for this work.

However, in spite of all these limitations and other constraints which may not be mentioned here, it does not in any way affect the reliability of the research work for the purpose of reference and its usage by all the stakeholders.

1.9 Definition of Key Terms (if any)

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