Moderating Effect of Situational Leadership on the Relationship between Change Management and Sugarcane Productivity in Sugar Factory Cane Catchment Areas in Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to determine the moderating effect of situational leadership on the relationship between change management and sugarcane productivity in sugar factory cane catchment areas in Kenya. The philosophical foundation of this study was positivism. Cross-sectional survey design was adopted. A sample of 478 respondents were used where 400 were farmers and 78 were the factory leaders. Regression analysis was used to establish the moderating effect. This was assessed using coefficient of determination (R-Square), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the regression coefficients. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed with an interaction term (a product of Change Management and Situational Leadership) introduced as an additional predictor. The findings indicated that the P-value of the interaction term (CM*SL) is 0.000< 0.05 and the R2 increased from 56.3%, 64.8% and 67 % after the interaction term and thus, Situational Leadership moderates the relationship between change management and sugarcane productivity in sugar factory cane areas in Kenya. The study rejected the null hypothesis and adopted the alternative hypothesis that there is a significant moderating effect of Situational Leadership in the relationship between change management and sugarcane productivity in sugar factory cane areas in Kenya. The study concluded that there exist a moderating effect of situational leadership on the relationship between change management and sugarcane productivity in sugar factory cane catchment areas in Kenya. Situational leadership was confirmed to be a very effective leadership style to motivate farmers in different in the sugarcane sector. The study recommends that situational leadership will be core in incorporating the competence of managers to identify the problems at hand and be able to diagnose for solution finding in the sugar factory sector. The sugar factories leadership needs to focus on running the sugar factories as a business that must survive in a fierce competitive environment. Keywords: Situational Leadership, Productivity, Sugarcane Factories