CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The issue and concept of a leader and leadership has formed the buck of major discourses today, whether the discourse is centred on politics or business, people talk of either a good leader or a bad leader but usually the followership and other circumstantial factors such as the environment are down played.

        Our lives are in fact affected by the sort of leader we have, at every given point in time irrespective of the level. Leadership is of vital importance, as long as a group exists’. Its existence dates back to when the family system began to exist. The family system from research is the oldest social system that has a form of leadership. Informally therefore, leadership starts from the family and formally extends to the organization, private and public alike whether formal or informal, leadership has a vital role to play; success or failure in the achievement of the aims and objectives of any organization. The term leader connotes different things for different persons, but basically, however, it mainly portrays an image of power and action, reflecting one person directing or influencing others. When a leader possess the good qualities expected of him, adopts the leadership styles that will lead to the accomplishment of the aims and objectives of his organization, the issue of effectiveness of such a leader and the organization then comes in. However, it has been argued that the effectiveness of a leadership has to do with the authoritative allocation of power within a system i.e. who gets what, when and how. Leadership at any level, is set to answer some questions of distribution of knowledge, information amongst it’s followers in different department.

        The demands for leaders is to provide enabling environment, basic needs and essential services to the students, staff, community and the world at large. Leadership style in the achievement of a given goal, depends largely on a good managerial leadership, which in turn reflect on the workers job performance.

        This work, therefore, intends to critically look at how much impact effective leadership style has on job performance in an organization, this time been College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin (COLBEN) as a case study.                                                

1. BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Leadership style, it must be acknowledged, plays an effective development role in any establishment and in the society at large. For playing true to type its aims and objectives via good performance and success, recognition and projected role of educating, training and informing the people on it’s area of influence. No meaningful progress or development can be realized in any society without leadership “good leadership style”.

It was in recognition of that I choose to write on this project topic “effects of leadership style on job performance of workers in an organization: A case study of College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin.

        Ovia North East Local Government Area, was created out of the defunct Ovia Local Government Area in 1991 following the creation of additional Local Government Area through the country.

        Since the creation of the Local Government Area, successive administration has continued to exercise vested autonomy through the administrative and governmental function. This has been in the area of provision of welfare and infrastructural development for the people of Ovia North East Local Government Area. the Local Government has contributed immensely to the development of the various wards in Ovia North East Local government Area, through the provision of basic amenities with little of financial involvement of the various wards/communities. Ovia North East Local Government Area is politically divided into 13 wards for the even distribution and geographical spread of amenities among the people. The wards and their headquarters are as follows.

       Wards in Ovia North East Local Government Area.    

Wards                           Headquarters

1. Okada West                Okada
2. Okada East                         Iguoboh
3. Adolor                       Ekiadolor
4. Oluku                        Oluku
5. Ofumwengbe              Iwu
6. Isiuwa                       Nifor
7. Okokhuo                    Okhokhuo
8. Uhiere                       Odighi
9. Uhen                                 Uhen
10. Utaka                        Utaka
11. Ighede                       Ogbed
12. Iguoshodin                         Iguoshodin
13. Oduna                       Oduna

Okada is the administrative headquarters of Ovia North East Local Government Area, where the Local Government secretariat is located. The major towns of Ovia North East Local Government Area are Okada, Ekiadolor, Oluku, Nifor and Odighi just to mention a few.

Ovia North East Local Government Area is bounded in East by Oredo and Uhumwonde Local Government Area, in the West by Ovia South West Local Government Area, in the South by Delta State and in the North by Owan West Local Government Area and Ondo State as well.    

        The name Ekiadolor came into usage during the reign of Oba Obanosa in 1804 AD. The village was formerly called Iguiko. The customary court in Ekiadolor was founded in 1925. The market was founded 1850 AD by Oba Adolo. Ekiadolor primary school was established 1929; that same year the health centre was founded too. In 1958, the village Police Station was founded. Rural Electricity Board, now PHCN was founded 1974. Ekiadolor first bore hole was in 1972 which was given by the then Head of State, Mr. S.O Ogbemudia.

        College of Education, Ekiadolor is the headquarters of Adolor ward in Ovia North East Local Government Area, Edo State.

The College was established in 1979 as an advanced Teaching College for the training of teachers and was located at Iyaro Benin-City. The College was finally opened on 5th May 1980 and renamed College of Education-Benin.

The enabling law known as “the College of Education, Benin City law 1981 was enacted with effect from 2nd October 1979. The law was revised in 1988.

The College moved to its permanent site at Ekiadolor, Benin in April 1986. The Governing Council, appointed by government oversees’ its affairs. The provost is responsible for the day to day running of the college. He is assisted by other principal officers, the Deans of schools, the Dean of students’, Directors, Deputy Registrars etc.

The  College runs twenty-three (23) academic programmes approved by NCCE as follows:

1. Education
2. Economics
3. Geography
4. Music
5. Social studies
6. English
7. French
8. Nigeria Languages
9. Biology
10. Computer Science Education
11. Integrated science
12. Mathematics
13. Business Education
14. Agricultural Education
15. Home Economics
16. Physical and Health education (located at Afuze)
17. Primary Education Studies (Located at Abudu)
18. Physics
19. Chemistry
20. Christian Religious Studies
21. Fine and Applied Arts
22. Political Science
23. Theatre Arts

These programmes are run from five (5) schools viz 

1. Arts and Social Science (SASS)
2. Education
3. Languages
4. Sciences
5. Vocational and Technical Education (SVTE)

These schools are headed by Deans, programmes by Heads of Department, while the Deputy Registrar and other senior non-teaching staff, takes care of Admin and every other units.

The main campus is well laid out with many buildings housing-classrooms, staff offices, lecture halls and one 500 seater lecture theatre.

The administrative block and its Annex house the Provosts Office, Deputy Provosts Office, the Registry, the Bursary, the Academic Office and the Governing Council Chamber.

There is a Library Complex, which also houses’ the Language Laboratory and the Academic Board Room. There are hostels that accommodate male and female students of the College and Youths Corps members. The College also have staff quarters.

1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM     

The issue that bothers most, if not all organizations, whether private or public, is leadership and more so, leadership style that is effective and result oriented and capable of leading to the achievement of set goals and objectives. This is so because it is believed that the leadership style adopted by an organization will bring about other factors necessary for the actualization of the set goals and objectives.

These other factors which are highly vital and complimentary include good followership or what could be referred to as the willingness of the workers to work/attitude to work, the socio-economic and political situation prevalent under which the organization functions among other things. However, it is the issue of leadership that is seen as most important. In fact, leadership is seen as the propelling force behind the others. Leadership can positively or negatively influence productivity in an organization/establishment, be it private or public.

Therefore, the effects of effective leadership style on job performance in an establishment, this time on College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin is the problem addressed by the study. It seeks to ask and answer the following questions.

1. What leadership style is being adopted in College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin?
2. What has been the result of such leadership style on the job performance of the workers?
3. What are the qualities of effective leadership?

The reason for these questions are hinged on the belief that a change in leadership of an establishment usually either brings about negative or positive influence on the job performance of the workers, depending on the kind of leadership style adopted by either the former or the present leadership. Besides, College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin had a change in the leadership some few years back. And it’s against the background that the researcher hopes or seeks to establish the extent to which the present leadership style in operation has affected the achievements of the establishment goals and objectives, positively or negatively.  

1. OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

Due to the fact that the leadership styles adopted by a particular leader in a particular establishment goes a long way in determining the extent to which its goals and objectives are to be realized, it becomes absolutely necessary to study and confirm how much role this vital factor plays in boosting workers performance and also establish whether its effectiveness or otherwise is of significance in view of productivity.

This study, therefore, intends to realize the following major objectives;

1. to identify what leadership styles is operational in College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin.
2. to find out the implication of these leadership styles on the individual staff, students in particular, and the establishment in general.
3. to identify the leadership style that will be effective, motivate, and improve the performance of the staff, in the college.   

1. HYPOTHESES

Three prepositions or assumptions were formulated and tested in this study. These are:

1. That worker’s of College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin have preference for the democratic leadership style as being more effective than the autocratic style.
2. That the leadership style of the leaders of College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin affects the workers performance.
3. Allowing workers participate in decision making especially on issues that affect them, acts as motivation and consequently brings about higher performance.      
   1. SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF STUDY

This study, which deals with mainly the role of effective leadership style on job performance as applicable to College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin (Colben), is concerned with between the periods of change in leadership till now. Also inclusive is the historical background of the establishment.   

Based on the nature of the study and the fact that the researcher has received maximum cooperation so far from the Personnel and General Administration. One does not anticipate any major obstacle, in the administration and collection of the questionnaires. However, withstanding this optimism, the researcher expects to encounter various problems at the point of administering the questionnaires.

The research assistant will be tutored repeatedly on how to administer a questionnaire some staff may bluntly refuse to accept questionnaires, irrespective of persuasion on the ground of principle or due to ignorance. Some others may collect and refuse to complete them while some could misplace theirs. Some, especially the junior members of the staff could have problem of understanding of some of the terms used in some of five questions because of their level of literacy. This may require the researchers to spend much of his time in explaining to them in simple language that they could easily understand.

Some may not attach any importance of filling the questionnaires on the ground that there will be no financial gain accruing to them thereof or otherwise. This will require the researcher to visit potential respondent two or three time to solicit for their cooperation. It is unlikely that some may discontinue the intention behind the whole exercise for fear that whatever information they volunteer could be used against them.

It is expected that the highest cooperation and support will be obtained from the senior members of staff especially those with higher qualifications. This will not surprising in view of the fact that they are likely to know the objective, importance and logic behind a questionnaire.

With the above stated problems in mind, it is not unlike that the exercise will be strenuous, laborious and exciting.       

1. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

In view of the importance of leadership in every establishment, it is therefore both highly relevant and significant for both scholars and non-scholars alike. The truth of the matter is that different leadership styles abound but it is not all that are effective, coupled with the fact that all the styles cannot apply in all situations.

The study in this sense therefore, gets its significance from attempting to objectively assess the role of effective leadership styles in an establishment with reference to College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin, Edo State.

It would also serve as a future reference point for research on the role of leadership and leadership styles on job performance of workers.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Leaders: Anyone in a position to guide the actions and works of others towards the achievement of a given objective/goals.

A leader can also be called an accounting officer. It mainly portrays an image of power and action.

Leadership: This is the process of influencing people so that they strive towards the realization of a given objective or goal whether positively or negatively. 

Leadership Style: This simply put, is a peculiar behavioural pattern employed by a leader in an attempt to influence the activities of others.

Effective: A state of having the desired result.

Objective: Desired result or proposed result or what is aimed at.   

Productivity: Efficiency in an establishment, measured by comparing what has been produced with the resources needed.

Colben: College of Education, Ekiadolor-Benin.