THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP STYLE ON WORKERS PERFORMANCE A CASE STUDY OF GUARANTEE TRUST BANK PLC SOKOTO BRANCH
ABSTRACT
This research examined the relationship between leadership styles of managers and the effect of the leadership style on workers performance in GTBank Plc, Sokoto Branch. For this purpose data was collected from three (3) branches of GTBank plc, in Sokoto. Quantitative method of social research was used in conducting the research as such questionnaire was administered in collecting information from the respondents. The result that emerge from the research indicate that the X2 = 89.2 for hypothesis one and X2 =90.2 for hypothesis two. Therefore, the researcher recommends a more cooperation to foster among stakeholders and employees and also, they should set up a quarterly meeting to get leadership feedback. Finally, the researcher recommends that managers should adopt a good transactional leadership style to boost the morale of workers which will in turn improve their productivity and performance.
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
There is hardly any conversation today in Nigeria that doesn’t begin with the word “leadership”. Leadership in government, organization, mosque/churches and even in schools and family. There are also leadership issues being discuss in several parts of world today. Government has fallen and an organization has fail due to bad leadership and issue of failed banks in Nigeria. There cannot be leadership without followership.
Leadership styles can either motivate or discourage employees (workers), which in return can cause employee’s increase or decrease in their level of performance. That is, a particular style of leadership has a direct influence or effect on the productivity of an employee or employees. According to Schyns & Sanders (2007), the sources of employee job dissatisfaction include inadequate salary, conflicting job demands (from the leadership) and absence of promotion prospects.
For efficiency purposes, an effective leadership style, one that positively affects employees’ satisfaction and results in better performances, effectiveness and productivity is clearly desirable (Turner & Muller, 2005).
For every organization who wants to remain and wax stronger in a global market competitive environment must engage the service of good leaders. The effective leadership style certainly improves workers and organizational productivity. Ojokuku, Odetayo and Sajuiygbe (2012) confirmed that leadership style is the major determinant of any organization success especially in Nigerian banks. Williams (2009) pointed out that leadership creates understanding and recognition of a group’s undertaking, purpose and make the workers to know beyond their own wants and needs for the good of the cluster.
According to Jago (1982) “Leadership is expressed or displayed through interaction between people and necessarily implies its complement, followership. For one to influence, another must permit himself to be influenced” He pointed out that different leaders have their own distinctive leadership styles that have proved to be closely associated with their organizational performances and outputs.
Hartog, Muijen and Koopman, (1997) noted that transactional leadership and transformational leadership have gained currency and attention over a period of last few decades. They argued that transformational Leadership and Transactional Leadership both are directly related with numerous workplace outcomes such as job satisfaction, group performance, employee’s performance, and organizational commitment. Abdul, Ausnain and Munawar (2012) also agreed that both transformational and transactional leadership have positive significant effect on organizational commitment.
Researches (Luchak and Gellatly, 2007; and Paré and Tremblay, 2007) revealed that organizational commitment is positively associated with work efforts, organizational performance and negatively related to absenteeism and employees turnover. Bass (1985) described transformational leadership style as a systematic way by which subordinates or fellows praise and appreciate their leaders. Resultantly, this style enhances their motivational level, which leads to organizational productivity. While Ivey and Kline (2010) stated that, “Transactional leadership is characterized by leader-follower exchanges, whereby leaders exchange things of value with followers to advance both the leaders’ own and followers’ agendas”.
Banking sector is an engine of economic growth and development globally, Nigeria inclusive. Ebong (2006) observed that the banking sector promotes economic growth through its role of mediating between the economic units that have surplus funds and those that require such funds to support their investment. He pointed out that “By pooling together such savings, banks are able to achieve economies of scale with beneficial effects for their borrowing customers”. However, for the Nigerian banking sector to play its vital roles of development in the economy, the need for effective leadership that subscribes to proper business ethics is fundamental.
Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTBank) is a foremost Nigeria’s financial institution incorporated as a limited liability company licensed to provide commercial and other banking services to the Nigerian public in September 1990. The bank commenced operations in February 1991, and became a publicly quoted company in 1996 (GTB, 2013). Presently, the bank has employs over 5,000 people in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom (GTB, 2013). Despite the high numbers of workers they have in GTBank plc, it’s not certain on how leadership style affect their worker’s performance.
It is therefore, indispensable to study transactional and transformational leadership styles and their impact on Nigerian banks worker’s performance.
THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP STYLE ON WORKERS PERFORMANCE A CASE STUDY OF GUARANTEE TRUST BANK PLC SOKOTO BRANCH