CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

An organization without good leadership is like a ship on the high sea without a captain. The goal of any organization is not only to survive, but also to sustain its existence by improving performance. In order to meet the needs of the highly competitive markets, organizations must continually increase performance (Arslan and Staub 2013:65-78) .Of interest to organizations is to ascertain the importance and influence of leadership style on organizational performance (Swapna & Ali, 2016:87-117). The mysterious question of suitable leadership models and behaviors has received vast attention from researchers during the past. There is a debate that is continuing on the effects of leadership on organizational performance.

The history and evolution of leadership styles has been a subject of interest among many scholars and they have advanced many theories to explain this phenomena and how it affects performance of individuals and organizations as well. According to Shrestha, (2012:59-112), hub chronicles a kind of evolution in leadership style is traced back from the early 20th century. Where Frederick Winslow Taylor proposed the scientific management theory though it was not a leadership style but it shaded light on how leaders manage employees, interact with them and increase performance. His work attracted other scholar to propose leadership styles that leads to effective performance for instance: In the early part of 20th century studies on leadership style focused on what was referred to as the great man and trait theory which emphasized that certain men were born to lead and also that it is only those born with leadership traits can succeed (David, 2015:3-16).

In 1939 Kurt Lewin and the colleagues proposed three leadership styles that are exhibited by leaders in organizations and these were; Autocratic where the leader retains decision making powers with no consultation, Democratic where the leader adopts a participative approach in decision making and Laissez faire where the leader has a minimal role in decision making.

Other scholars like Max Weber proposed the Charismatic authority which was later advanced by House in 1976 when he published a theory of charismatic leadership. Fred Fielder proposed the Contingency leadership style in the a view of opposing other styles that there was no one best style of leadership that can lead to best performance but the situation at hand determined the best style of leadership. Fielder was followed by Rensis Likert (1967), who proposed the Participative

leadership theory, Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard proposed the Situational leadership theory (David, 2015:3-16).

In a rapidly changing world, organizations must adapt quickly to meet the needs of their changing environment (Shadraconis, 2013:28). According to Shadraconis (2013:28), organizations can only remain relevant and achieve long-term success and sustainability by adopting a democratic model of leadership that addresses the needs of their fluctuating environment. What governments, corporations, hospitals, schools, and other organizations need now, more than ever, are what “real leaders’’ who “help us overcome our limitations” (Harvard Business Review, 2020). Leaders today need to manage uncertainty and complexity, navigate the

unrelenting pace of change, meet an insatiable need for innovation, stay grounded with constantly shifting goals and expectations, and lead people through the discomfort. What is needed now is courageous leadership, leaders who are willing to make tough decisions and have difficult conversations. Moreover, it appears that influential leaders believe in a partnership-driven solidarity response to the pandemic and implement a decisive, open, and compassionate leadership style (Al Saidi et al., 2020:493).

The effectiveness of a leader is a major determinant of success or failure of an organization, group or even a country (Fiedler, 1996:89), the concept of leadership has gained a lot of attention from managers to researchers worldwide. One of the most cant functions performed by Leaders is making and executing decisions. Leaders and leadership practice have been in existence since the onset of mankind.

Man is a complex social being that can be simplistically categorized into two groups namely leaders and followers Adegboyega & Olawumi, (2021:47-64). The successes recorded by most human endeavors can be attributed to leadership quality (Matira & Awolusi, 2020:1-12). Over the years, various scholars have studied the concept of leadership with the aim of understanding and improving the inherent benefits of effective leadership; these studies have given rise to several definitions of leadership.

The practice of leadership has evolved considerably over time and the need for leaders and leadership has witnessed a significant upswing over the years.  Historically, leaders were simplistically selected based on lineage, wealth or by exhibiting distinguishing acts of velour. It was believed at that time that such individuals possessed innate talents and attributes that set them apart from others and conferred upon them the right to be leaders. This natural leadership selection process was the premise of the Great man theory (Matira & Awolusi, 2020:1-12).

Leadership is the essential resources for creating and sustaining organizations, communities and societies, it involves establishing and clear vision, sharing that vision with others so that they will follow willingly, providing information, knowledge and methods to realize that vision, coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members and stakeholders (Ethelmary & Chidi, 2020:13-14). Leaders steps up in times of crisis and is able to think and act creatively in difficult situations. Leaders despite the failures will continue with passion and innovation towards success. Leaders act in inspiring subordinates to perform and engage in achieving an objective or a goal.

The role of leadership in an organization is crucial in terms of creating a vision, mission, determination and establishment of objectives, designing strategies, policies, and methods to achieve the organizational objectives effectively and efficiently along with directing and coordinating the efforts and organizational activities (Xu & Wang, 2008:1090-1097).Top quality leadership is essential to achieve the mission and vision along with coping with the changes occurring in the

external environment. In current time, many companies are facing problems related to unethical practices, high labor turnover, poor financial performance, etc. This may be due to the lack of effective leadership (Harris et al, (2007:337-347). The main aim of many companies is to accomplish its stated objectives; hence, there is a need of effective leaders for coordinating and motivating the employees (Vigoda-Gadot, 2012:661-683). Unfortunately, some companies do not take account of the leadership style adopted by their managers. Based on this premise, the present study aims to explore the relationship between leadership style and organizational performance.

Nonetheless, Cameroon has over the years had the kind of leadership that is deep-rooted in corruption, favoritism, and insignificant tribal politics that misuse the rich human and natural resources for personal gains (World Bank, 2019). Therefore in this integrative literature review, the study will be looking at the leadership behaviors that are ingrained in socio-cultural practices in Cameroon in the context of the General Certificate of Education Board to ascertain if indeed leadership plays a greater or limited distinguishing role in influencing the performance of the organization. Again, the study aims to challenge leaders to be aware of their values, beliefs, policies, and practices, and to aim for a more equitable outcome that is responsive to the plights of the people of Cameroon in general and

especially the General Certificate of education Board. It is also worth noting that the practice and concept of leadership as mainly exercised in Cameroon are different from the practices of the Western world (Amenumey and Yawson 2013:327-330). But they are somewhat similar to the practices in Africa with contemporary African countries sharing the tenet of democracy and all failing to achieve this goal at the same rate (Agulanna, 2006:1-11). As a result, there is a dearth of research done solely on Cameroon but broadly Africa or developing countries as these countries are thought to share certain cultural influences and value orientations as pertains to leadership and development.

The study is to be carried out at the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Board located in Buea, Southwest region of Cameroon. Buea (bakweri) is the capital of the southwest region of Cameroon. The town is located on the eastern slopes of mount Cameroon and has a population of 300000 (at the 2013 census). It has two government hotels, the mountain hotel and the parliamentarian flat located around the government residential area.

The research study covers the entire GCE Board which is located in the Buea municipality, in the Molyko area, Southwest region of Cameroon. In order to have finite and clear understanding the study concentrate the effect of compensation package and other non-monetary incentives on employee productivity. The Cameroon General Certificate of Education was created in July 1993 and now has 115 employees.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Today, the competitive environment in which organizations operate is expanding globally and bringing them too many challenges. Thus, in order to achieve their objectives, organizations must have leaders who can stimulate employees to achieve said objectives. And to do this, organizational managers must seek the appropriate leadership style to better manage their organizations.

There have been reported cases of leadership failure or management crisis in some organizations in Cameroon especially in the public sector and particularly the educational sectors of the economy in recent times (Cameroon News Agency, 2022). These problems cannot be said to be limited to the boundaries of Cameroon alone but a global phenomenon. It cannot also be limited to only one particular government institution but across all types of institutions as well as business and government establishments.

From observations, a large number of organizations in Cameroon, the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Board inclusive, spend considerable huge amount of money on solving managerial problems. Besides, personnel do not know enough about management’s leadership style and the organizational performance. The GCE Board like other organizations in Cameroon today have the problem of leadership and the style to be adopted in leading employees for greater performance.

Over the years, organizations have faced the bureaucratic leadership. Consequently many leadership ideas have affected the general effectiveness of organization’s performance. Leadership has characteristics that distinguish it as a dynamic symbolic movement where every employee look up to for adjustment when necessary. These characteristics explain the vital sensitive and proper positioning of leaders in organization.

The absence of effective leadership is a serious problem endemic in the Cameroon General Certificate of Education Board. It is obvious that the resultant outcome is poor staff performance, absence of motivation, poor growth and development of the institution. Hence, this would sort to investigate management leadership style and organizational performance at the GCE Board.

1.3 Research Questions

The study is guided by a general research question and three specific research questions as follows:

1.3.1 General Research Question

What is the impact of leadership style on organizational performance in Cameroon in the context of the Cameroon Certification of Education (GCE) Board?

1.3.2 Specific research questions

1. To what extent does the autocratic leadership style affect the organizational performance of the GCE Board?
2. How does the transactional leadership style affect the organizational performance of the GCE Board?
3. What is the effect of the democratic leadership style on the organizational performance of the GCE Board?

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