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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN ACHIEVING ORGANISATIONAL GOALS

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the significance of effective leadership in achieving organizational goals using three (3) selected organizations in Eti-Osa LGA of Lagos State as case study. A total of 82 respondents were validated and used for this study. The study shows that Organization has complex system and consists of many divisions as well need a role of a leader that can handle all complexities within organization. Organization and leadership have become interrelated thing each other. Organization needs a role of a leader to direct organizational members within organization in order the achievement of organizational goals can be easy and effective, while leadership needs an organization as space for expression of self-actualization. Nevertheless, there are some interesting ways how leadership can help organization to achieve its goal. First, implementing leadership style that suits the organizational culture to make employees feel comfortable within organization. Second, organizing organizational members by coordinating all parties within organization also becomes one of ways for a leader to achieve organizational goals effectively. The last, motivating organizational members by finding factors that can demotivate members and keeping their mind to be always positive can have implication to members’ performance.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1           Background of the Study

The significance of leaders in achieving excellent organisational goal cannot be over emphasized. Adequate motivation, suitable work environment, compensation, efficient communication between managers and subordinates play an important role in promoting this goal. Planning and organisation of work is also very crucial in organisational attainment. Some researchers have argued that the most common problems affecting achieving organisational goals in Nigeria business and other institutions are poor attitude to work among workforce, inefficiency as well as ineffectiveness of leaders in most places, though others share a contrary view. This second school of thought believes  that organisations in Nigeria  are managed through leadership styles that are strange to typical Nigerian  are managed through leadership styles that are strange to typical Nigerian culture. In the wake-up call to address this issue, management practitioners in Nigeria have embarked on series of studies in an attempt to establish the relationship between effective leadership and achieving organisational goal. Some found out that effective leadership styles are positively related to achieving organisational goal while others have a different view. Still there is no empirical evidence to show how effective leadership styles impacts on achieving organisational goal. Again given our cultural background, educational qualifications, environmental factors it is still not too clear how effective a leader can be if he must combine the three types of leadership styles to achieve high goal in Organisations (Usoro 2000). Given this scenario, this study will be important in that it tries to fill this gap.  The extent (degree) to which all members of an organisation use their  abilities and influences in the effective  utilization of resources depends upon how well the  leaders of the organisation understand and perform their jobs. Maddock and fullton 1998 in Iyang (2006) explain that  leadership styles and other processes of the organisation must be such that can ensure maximum probability within all interactions and relationships with the Organisations, each member will in the light of his background, values and expectation view the expenses as supportive and one which can build and maintains his sense of personal worth and importance. 

Despite the above, we should note that individuals  have their needs to satisfy and that is why they offered their labours to become organisational members and the extent to which they are committed to the organisation depends on the degree of their conviction that their membership of the organisation will enable them  realize their  predetermined  objectives. In this case, the support  an organisation gets from the individuals will be based on the realization  that by doing that, his personal objectives and goals will be met, otherwise his interest in the organisation will wane. Based on that, leadership effectiveness should be given adequate attention it the organisaiton intends to achieve it objectives. That is why it is a common agreement among management scholars that the success or failure of an organisation is largely a function of leadership and  its styles. 

Iyang  on his part sees effective leadership as a unique ways and integrating employees with the organisation to achieve its  vision or objectives and that to a large extent  the effectiveness of a leader is  largely dependent to the styles  adopted by mangers which he says is central in the management of Organisations. Speaking in the same vein Edem, observes that failure or success of an organisation, which affect  the subordinates, the customers and agencies within  and outside the organisation. Although there is no standard method through which a leader can be effective in  achieving  high goals  in an organisation but that what is required is the modification and the combination of the variables  that make a leader  effective if the goals and objectives of the organisation have to be realized (Edem 2002). 

1.2           Statement of the Problem 

Managing people in Organisations is parts and parcel of management Process. Therefore, managers should realize, that people are the critical elements in organisations and that they should be recognized as being synonymous with the organisation. But the problem is, to what extent do managers recognize this fact that employees are synonymous with Organisations and that they should be adequately motivated so that they can give their best to ensure the achievement of the organization’s goals. Again the leadership behaviour/style in most organisations which believe that workers could be treated anyhow as a result of unemployment situation in the country which makes job switch difficult has resulted in the hardship workers face in their places of work in Nigeria. This  behaviour/style of leadership has an impact on reforming and/or creating organisational culture which in turn affects organisational performance and commitment. So given this situation, how effective can a leader be to elicit the best response from subordinates and make for the highest or best performance (Usoro, 2000). Furthermore, some researchers are of the opinion that the most common problems affecting organisational performance  in Nigeria businesses  and other institutions are poor attitude  to work among the workforce, inefficiency and ineffectiveness of leaders in most places, others  still belief that organisations in Nigeria are managed through leadership styles and behaviours that are strange to typical Nigerian culture. 

In view of the above contending issues, it was necessary to look at the significance of effective leadership in achieving organizational goals in Nigeria using Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Lagos State as a case study.

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