Leadership Styles and Employee Performance in Cameroon: The Case of St. Veronica Medical Centre

Francisca Hongla Biaka

doi:10.4236/ojl.2020.94011

Abstract

This study investigated the role of leadership styles on employee performance in Cameroon. It was anchored on the premise that leaders exhibit a series of leadership behaviours with remarkable influence on the output of employees. Specifically, the study identified the leadership behaviours exhibited by managers in St. Veronica Medical Centre in enhancing employee performance and the specific behaviours that affect the performance of these employees. Methodologically, the study employed a quantitative approach which benefited from a descriptive survey design. Data were gleaned from the administration of questionnaires to 100 personnel in St. Veronica Medical Centre via simple random sampling. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26 statistical package. From the regression analysis, this study found that democratic, transformational and ethical leadership styles had a significant positive effect on performance at 95% confidence level. Democratic and transformational leadership styles were the most predominantly used styles and did not differ significantly with respect to sex. Authoritative leadership had the least impact on performance proven by its insignificant and negative beta coefficient. The conclusions of this study commend the management of St. Veronica Medical Centre for the use of transformational and ethical leadership styles which help build trust, inspire shared vision and encourage creativity. Hence it was recommended that leaders of this institution should pay more attention to developing efficient team work and express warm concern and trust to co-workers through transformational leadership behavior. Nevertheless, other leadership styles could be implemented occasionally for better performance.

Highlights

The role of leaders in today’s organizations has changed and the success of any organization relies on the leadership styles practiced by the leaders. Mintzberg (2010) propounded that true leaders engage others with their consideration and modesty because they involve themselves in what they are doing not for individual gains
With respect to ethical leadership styles, the results showed that supervisors in this institution exhibit all the leadership styles except authoritative which was fairly used
Findings indicated that supervisors in this institution help employees to develop their strength, enabled them to adapt to new work environment and even encouraged them to be optimistic about the future by instilling in them new mindsets

Summary

Introduction

The role of leaders in today’s organizations has changed and the success of any organization relies on the leadership styles practiced by the leaders. Mintzberg (2010) propounded that true leaders engage others with their consideration and modesty because they involve themselves in what they are doing not for individual gains. The role of leaders in today’s organizations has changed and the success of any organization relies on the leadership styles practiced by the leaders. For the success of an organization to be secured, its labour force needs to be inspired to invest themselves in the organisation’s mission: effectiveness can be procured if staffs are stimulated as such effective organizations require effective leadership (Wall, Solum, & Sobol, 1992) cited in Suri (2016). Fiedler and House (1988) indicated that organisational performance will suffer in direct proportion to the neglect of this effective leadership. It is the individual employee who either performs, or fails to perform, a task. In order for an organisation to perform, an individual must set aside his personal goals, at least in part, to strive for the collective goals of the organisation (Cummings & Schwab, 1973)

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion