A Leadership Model for the Optimal Institutionalisation of a Results-Based Performance Measurement and Management Culture in the Agricultural and Natural Resource Sector of Ethiopia

Abstract

The aim of the study was to construct a leadership model that drives the optimal institutionalisation of a results-based performance measurement and management (RBPMM) culture in the agricultural and natural resource sector of Ethiopia. A concurrent mixed-methods design was adopted for the research. The quantitative study comprised a total sample of 228 respondents, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 key informants. The primary researcher administered a self-developed instrument with 167 items to the respondents, and made a discussion guide available to them in both English and Amharic. The methods of data analysis included various multivariate analysis methods and a structural equation analysis. A thematic content analysis was done to identify the themes emerging from the qualitative data. The direct influence of the independent variable of leadership roles and tasks on the optimal institutionalisation of an RBPMM culture was positive but not significant. Indirectly, this variable significantly influenced the indicator variables of the optimal institutionalisation of an RBPMM culture through the mediating variables of leading and managing for an institutionalised RBPMM culture. The adoption of performance measurement information for control and compliance purposes was evident in the Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transition (MERET) programme, but its implementation to optimise decision-making, accountability and transparency was not evident. These results were confirmed by triangulating the qualitative findings with the quantitative results. The limitation of the study was that it focused on a specific region and a public service project in Ethiopia within a specific time frame and context. Therefore the study may not be representative of similar programmes in the private sector. Also, it was not a longitudinal study that tracked changes over time. The study contributes to scholarly discourse and the existing body of knowledge by presenting a leadership model that drives and optimally institutionalises an RBPMM culture in agricultural development programmes in Ethiopia. This model could be implemented in other developing economies as well. The mediating variables can be adopted by policy-makers and organisational practitioners for the optimisation of the institutionalisation of an RBPMM culture.