Leadership Styles and Organizational Commitment of Academic Staff in Kyambogo University and Uganda Christian University

Abstract

The study established the extent to which leadership styles influence the organisational commitment of academic staff at Uganda Christian University (UCU) and Kyambogo University (KYU). It was guided by three specific objectives; to establish the influence of democratic, autocratic, and laissez faire leadership styles on the commitment of academic staff in both universities. It was a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The population consisted of academic and administrative staff. A simple and purposive random sampling was done. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and an interview guide. It was analysed at Univariate level using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. The study hypotheses were analysed using Pearson’s and Multiple Linear Regression. Findings revealed an insignificant relationship between democratic leadership style and organisational commitment of academic staff but a positive significant relationship between autocratic and laissez faire leadership styles on commitment of academic staff in UCU and KYU. The study therefore concluded that, democratic leadership style had an insignificant influence on the commitment of academic staff. With precautions, university leadership should make use of autocratic and laissez fare leadership styles. It's important to note that academic staff at universities are intellectuals who possess the ability to think independently and make their own decisions. Therefore, we should leave self-directed academic staff to fulfill their responsibilities without using excessive force.