CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

1.1       Background to the Study

Employee performance is crucial for organizational success. In the public sector, "employee performance" relates to the efficiency and effectiveness with which public employees accomplish their roles and tasks, as well as their productivity in providing services based on organizational goals and public expectations (Bolarinwa, Ajayi, Adenuga, & Obayelu 2023). This entails several aspects, including completing the required outputs (productivity), promptness, compliance with regulations, responsiveness, quality maintenance, and even innovation or exceeding the minimum standards. Performance is determined not just by actions but also by how they are carried out, such as professionalism, attitude towards work, dedication, motivation, and ability.

The assessment of performance in the ool public sector is more challenging primarily because output is often intangible, resource constraints are common, surveillance is inefficient, lines of accountability are blurred, and also political and bureaucratic interference occur (Adegboyega & Awolusi 2021). In this case, the role of leadership as it assists in creating a conducive environment for performance becomes even more important. More importantly, in the public sector, employee performance determines how effective service delivery is in terms of effectiveness, organizational credibility, and how the government runs. The performance of employees in the Imo State Nigeria public organizations acts not only as an indication of performance but also as a reflection of their competence in the performance of their duties as public servants. Although there have been numerous reforms and policy changes geared towards rejuvenating public institutions, inefficiencies, low performance levels, lack of motivation, absenteeism, and resistance to change are still among the most significant obstacles..

The way leaders act and handle their followers, or in other words, leadership style, has been empirically found in numerous studies to have a strong link with employee performance. Leadership styles may influence motivation, set expectations, give feedback, offer required resources and support, bridge organizational limitations and employee efforts, and create a performance-oriented work environment (Yusuf 2024).

Transformational leadership which involves, among other things, creating a vivid vision, inspiring followers, boosting their mental potency, concentrating on self advancement, and being a role model is what a lot of the time has led to positive impact on employee results. In Imo State, there is a growing recognition (both in theory and in practice within the government) that transformational leadership is the way to bring about higher levels of competency in the public officers (Adegboyega & Awolusi 2021).

According to Adegboyega & Awolusi (2021), when leaders of public sector organizations of Imo State adopt transformational leadership and become advocates focusing on learning, innovation, and empowerment, this can enhance the competence of the employees (meaning their ability to know, skill, and perform their tasks effectively and efficiently). It should be noted that competence of the governmental organization consists not only of practical skills but also involves such aspects as adaptability, ethics, planning, learning from failures, and cooperation. Nevertheless, despite the existence of numerous researches about the leadership styles in Imo State, which focus mostly on schools and academic libraries, the amount of research that connects transformational leadership with the competence of employees in a public sector setting is significantly smaller. Therefore, it is possible to conduct an extensive study in order not only to determine whether transformational leadership is effective in Imo State but also to investigate its functioning in the unique circumstances of public organizations.

A democratic leadership style, broadly defined, refers to the style of leadership that encourages and allows participation consultation team decision making openness enabling of subordinates, among other elements, which have also been examined in Nigeria and more specifically in Imo State. To be more specific, a few researches done in the libraries of universities in Port Harcourt have shown that the use of democratic leadership style has a positive effect on the job performance of the subordinate staff members (Yusuf 2024). Thus, one may be lead to the conclusion that making employees' input a priority, involving them in decision-making, using inclusive leadership style are some of the ways that lead to increase in employee satisfaction. It is well-documented that the job satisfaction of the public sector workers is a combination of different aspects like, receiving appreciation, having autonomy, getting feedback, having clear goals, professional growth opportunities etc. (Bolarinwa, et al.2023). When you look at the situation in Imo State and consider issues like low spirit, weak motivation, corruption or a questionable decision-making process, it is a natural assumption that democratic leadership practices development could directly handle problems like dissatisfaction. This in turn will lead to building loyalty among staff, reducing absenteeism, improving staff retention through reduction of complaints and ultimately, better performance (Yusuf 2024).

On the other hand, laissez-faire leadership is the style of leadership where one could perceive a leadership vacuum, lack of guidance or feedback, no decision-making and avoiding responsibility for certain actions. Kunze, Boehm and Bruch (2020) have shown that if this style is overused, it leads to negative consequences like the absence of employee motivation, disorientation due to unclear expectations, lack of accountability or even anxiety coming from uncertainties.

1.2 Statement of the problem

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY       

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.5 HYPOTHESES

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

1.7   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

1.8 LIMITATION OF STUDY

1.9 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

                                                           CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

2.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK