Assessing the Influence of Leadership Behavior on Employees’ Performance:

Abstract

The study aimed at assessing the influence of leadership behavior on employees’ performance using East and Southern Management Institute (ESAMI) in Arusha, Tanzania as a case of reference. Literatures revealed the importance of leadership behavior on organizational performance in different sectors. The issues of leadership behavior on stimulating employees’ performance was one of the quest that needed to be addressed critically. The study utilized the workers at ESAMI to provide insightful opinion leaders’ behaviors that could influence in either way on employees’ performance taking ESAMI as a sample organization while covering all areas of operation. Among other factors leadership can integrate employees’ potential and professions effectively toward organizational performance. This study stands to be beneficial to various stakeholders including government, management, policy makers as well as scholars by revealing specific answers to reasons enhancing employees’ performance in organizations. Thus it can be useful as a guiding tool for identifying and selection of effective management and leadership behaviors. While the concepts of leadership, leadership behavior and organizational performance were explicitly explored, the study used various theories that seemed to complement from one another. These were the Contingency Theory of Leadership; the Institutional Theory; the Social Cognitive Theory; the Behavioral Leadership Theory and the Organizational Performance Theory Goal Path Theory. From the revision of these theories, it was proved that there is a relationship between social environment, institution setting, behavior and organization structure with the performance of an individual in a particular organization. Empirical literature reviews showed that there were some important leadership behavior that complement employee’s performance and appropriate leadership behaviors on employees’ performance. Most empirical literature has shown a concern on leadership styles as the influence toward employees’ performance, but leadership behavior seem to be neglected specifically on the impact on organizational performance. A descriptive research design focuses on systematically obtaining information that described a situation, phenomena or population was used and applied mixed research approach. The population was all the workers of ESAMI and a sample of 73 chosen by Yomane formula. The study used simple random sampling that involved single random selection and required little knowledge of the population and questionnaires and in-depth interviews were employed. Both thematic and SPSS system were used for data analysis. Cronbach Alpha formula was used to test reliability of the study where the reliability was .97 which means there is consistent in results and that they are less influenced by external factors. The appropriate behaviors were the influence of communication on employee’s performance, the influence of participation in decision making on employee performance and last the influence of delegation and succession plan on employee performance. Thus, the study was able to identify important leadership behaviors that influence employee’s performance. The research suggested that the government must be close in maintaining organization leadership so as promote individual development and productivity.