Nyarko, 2019

© University of Cape Coast https://ir.ucc.edu.
gh/xmlui
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST
LEADERSHIP STYLE AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT
BEREKUM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
NANA KWAMENA ADDAE NYARKO
2019
Digitized by Sam Jonah Library

© University of Cape Coast https://ir.ucc.edu.gh/xmlui
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST
LEADERSHIP STYLE AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT
BEREKUM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
BY
NANA KWAMENA ADDAE NYARKO
Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management of the School of
Business, College of Humanities and Legal Studies, University of Cape Coast
in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Business
Administration degree in General Management.
SEPTEMBER 2019

DECLARATION
Candidate’s Declaration
I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own original
work and that no part of it has been presented for another degree in this
university or elsewhere.
Candidate’s Signature………….................................. Date……………………
Name: Nana Kwamena Addae Nyarko
Supervisor’s Declaration
I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of the dissertation
were supervised in accordance with the guidelines on supervision laid down by
the University of Cape Coast.
Supervisor’s Signature…………................................. Date……………………
Name: Dr. Alex Adom
ii

ABSTRACT
Leadership styles have been recognised to have immense impact on the
performance and growth of employees and invariably organisational
performances. However, in Ghana, students’ academic performances have been
declining and poor staff performances resulting from unclear leadership styles
have been found to be a major contributor. It is therefore relevant to examine
the influence of leadership styles on staff performance in Ghana focusing on
Berekum Senior High School. The study employed the quantitative approach
and causal research design due to its research objectives. The simple random
sampling technique was employed to solicit for information from 90 academic
staff of the school. However, data obtained from 89 respondents with a 98.89%
response rate were reliable and thus used for the study. Both descriptive and
inferential statistical tools such as frequencies, percentages, means, standard
deviations and linear regression were employed to analyse data obtained from
structured questionnaires. The study found that, democratic leadership style was
the most preferred leadership style of management. Also, the study found that
both transactional and transformational leadership styles had positive
significant influence on staff performance at the school. The study therefore
recommended that, management should continue to improve upon the
democratic leadership style by constantly ensuring representativeness or
organisational cohesion. It was also recommended that, policy makers in the
educational sector including management of Berekum Senior High School
should improve current policies geared towards employee development
iii

KEY WORDS
Leadership style
Employee performance
Transformational leadership style
Transactional leadership style
iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Alex Adom, for his support and
guidance. It’s his immense scrutiny and criticism that has pushed me to refine
this work to its current state.
I will like to also thank all my lectures and colleagues, whose mentorship
has been of immense help to me. My immense gratitude goes to all the
management and staff of Berekum Senior High School, Brong Ahafo Region of
Ghana, for their assistance in obtaining the needed information for the study.
My final gratitude goes to all my family members and friends for their support
and care throughout my programme.

DEDICATION
To my family
vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
DECLARATION ii
ABSTRACT iii
KEY WORDS iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT v
DEDICATION vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS vii
LIST OF TABLES x
LIST OF FIGURES xi
CHAPTER ONE 1
INTRODUCTION 1
Background to the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 4
Purpose of the Study 6
Research Questions 6
Significance of the Study 6
Delimitations 7
Limitation 8
Organisation of the Study 8
Chapter summary 8
CHAPTER TWO 9
LITERATURE REVIEW 9
Fiedler’s Contingency Theory 9
Concept of Leadership 11
vii

Leadership Style 12
Authoritative leadership style 13
Laissez faire leadership style 14
Democratic leadership style 14
Transactional leadership style 15
Transformational leadership style 16
Concept of Employee Performance 17
Empirical Review 18
Transactional leadership style and Performance 19
Transformational leadership style and Performance 22
Conceptual Framework 26
Chapter Summary 27
CHAPTER THREE 28
RESEARCH METHODS 28
Introduction 28
Research Design 28
Research Approach 28
Study Organisation 29
Population 30
Sampling Procedure 30
Data Collection Instrument 31
Validity and Reliability 32
Data Collection Procedures 32
Ethical Consideration 33
Data Processing and Analysis 34
viii

Chapter Summary 34
CHAPTER FOUR 35
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 35
Introduction 35
Socio-demographic characteristics 35
Reliability 37
Perceived leadership styles in Berekum Senior High School 38
Influence of transactional leadership style on staff performance 39
Influence of transformational leadership style on staff performance 44
Chapter Summary 49
CHAPTER FIVE 50
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 50
Introduction 50
Summary of the Work 50
Key findings 51
Conclusions 52
Recommendations 54
Suggestions for Further Research 55
REFERENCES 56
APPENDIX 61
ix

LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1 Socio-demographics of respondents 36
2 Reliability 38
3 Descriptive Statistics 38
4 Model Summary 42
5 ANOVAa 42
6 Coefficientsa 43
7 Model Summary 46
8 ANOVAa 47
9 Coefficientsa 48

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1 Conceptual framework of the study 26
2 Relationship between transactional leadership style and staff performance 40
3 Relationship between transformational leadership style and staff performance
45
xi

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Leadership styles have been recognised to have immense impact on the
performance and growth of employees and invariably organisational
performances. These styles have emerged as significant functions for managing
employees in any organisation. Thus, the success and failure of human resource
and any organisation in general is dependent on the effectiveness of leadership
styles. In educational settings, staff are expected to produce required
performances in bid to help produce quality workforce and this can be achieved
with the help of effective school authorities. However, in Ghana, students’
academic performances have been declining and poor staff performances
resulting from unclear leadership styles have been found to be a major
contributor. It is therefore relevant to examine the influence of leadership styles
on staff performance in Ghana focusing on Berekum Senior High School.
Background to the Study
Leadership has emerged as a significant function for managing
employees and organisations in contemporary times (Iqwal, Anwar & Haider,
2015). In an organisational setting, it is seen as an ability to influence beliefs,
attitudes and abilities of employees to attain organisational goals (Kinsambwe,
2016). It therefore plays vital roles for organisations since it helps improve both
employees’ and organisational performances. No organisation can operate
without human resource whereas the human resource cannot also perform
efficiently without a leader (Kinsambwe, 2016). Thus, the success and failure
of human resource and any organisation in general is primarily dependent on
the effectiveness of leadership. An effective leader provides proper direction,

takes crucial measures and also establish human relationships in order to
efficiently use human resources in their organisations toward the achievement
of expected goals (Mohiuddin, 2017).
Scholars have revealed that, the effectiveness of a leader in an
organisation is also dependent on the style of leadership stakeholders especially
employees know him/her by it (Odumeru & Ogbonna, 2013; Shirzad-Kebria &
Shabani-Zanganeh, 2011). Leadership style is precisely a set of behavioural
patterns that is frequently exhibited by a superior (Shirzad et al., 2011). The
style of leadership has significant impact on staff morale and invariably their
performances thus various leaders have adopted different styles when they lead
others in an organisation (Alkahtani, 2015; Clark, Hartline & Jones, 2009; Iqwal
et al., 2015). In view of this, these scholars have identified leadership styles to
include democratic, autocratic, transformational, transactional and laissez-faire
respectively. Van Wart (2013) added that, the type of organisation or sector
determines the suitability of leadership styles to be used.
In respect of the increasing diversity in the workforce, the differing
perceptions and preferences of employees and the need for survival amidst
competition and economic fluctuations, there are genuine grounds for
leadership styles that can devote appropriate managerial attention (Northouse,
2015). Human resources are very crucial but expensive since their performances
directly affect organisational performances. As such, poor management
resulting from poor leadership styles could lead to poor employee performances
thus an appropriate style of leadership and employee performance have been
two key factors that are instrumental to organisational success (Lu, Wang, Lu,
Du & Bakker, 2014; Ojokuku, Odetayo & Sajuyigbe, 2012).

In academic institutions including high schools or colleges, academic
performances of students have primarily been dependent on the performances
of staff (Puni, Offei & Okoe, 2014). Thus, as governments all over the world
are striving to improve existing educational systems in their respective
countries, there is a high need to improve staff performances. It has therefore
been found that, various factors account for staff performances but, however,
leadership styles adopted by school authorities are the most dominant
(Anyango, 2015). This is because, the style of leadership directly influences
attitudes and behaviours of staff which eventually affect their performances. As
such, there is growing evidence that suggests that academic organisations
including academic institutions are now recognising the influence that
leadership styles have on students, staff and organisational outcomes (Avolio,
Walumbara & Weber, 2009; Muchiri & Cooksey, 2011; Anyango, 2015).
In Ghana, for instance, government in bid to attain the 2 nd Millennium
Development Goal in relation to ‘achieving universal education’ by 2020, huge
investments have been made in the educational systems in bid to achieve it. It
is to note that, this goal can never be achieved in the presence of poor leadership
styles of school authorities which invariably affect both staff and student
performances. Therefore, recognising the significance of leadership, its styles
and the problem of poor staff and students’ performances in academic
institutions, some scholars have emphasised the need for more empirical studies
on leadership styles and staff performance in educational settings (Hooge,
Burns & Wilkoszewski, 2012; Hamidifar, 2010; Kinsambwe, 2016). It is on this
note that this study sought to examine leadership styles and their influence on
staff performance at Berekum Senior High School (SHS), Ghana.

Statement of the Problem
Staff performances in educational setting include accomplishing defined
curriculum, meeting deadlines, exhibiting quality teaching skills and
effectiveness and efficiency in fulfilling other academic duties (Moral, Martin-
Romera, Martinez-Valdiva & Olmo-Extremera, 2017). As such, academic
institutions require strong leadership styles in bid to stimulate staff
performance. However, educational institutions across the globe, especially
developing countries, face major problems such as continuous decline in
students’ performances, poor innovativeness, poor students’ attitudes, low
productivity and staff inability to meet performance targets (Day, Gu &
Sammons, 2016). These problems occur basically due to lack of strategic
interventions of specific leaders (head teachers and their deputies) and their way
of leadership which tend not to solve particular situations that are left to
continuously affect staff performances.
Additionally, academic institutions in developing countries including
Ghana have been recognised as one of the most stressful workplaces (Puni et
al., 2014). This is because of high demands from government and the general
public on these staff to ensure enhanced students’ performances, constant
production of knowledgeable and innovative workforce coupled with achieving
their own personal objectives. These stresses are further exacerbated when
school authorities become the sources of the stress instead of controllers. There
is therefore the need for the leadership styles to support staff rather than being
a reason for staff stresses which eventually affect their performances (Hitt &
Tucker, 2016; Githuka, 2017).

Similarly, in Ghana, school authorities are expected to exhibit right
behaviours toward staff and this can only be achieved through appropriate
leadership styles (Yahaya, Osman, Mohammed, Gibrilla & Issah, 2014). Yet, it
has been realised that leadership styles in high schools, for instance, are task-
focused and routine with no flexibility thus decisions are imposed on the staff.
In this regard, staff also pretend to perform well due to the standards and
measures assigned to them which eventually affect students’ academic
performances as evidenced in WASSCE results. Since time immemorial, poor
staff performances have been very costly to key stakeholders notably
government and donor agencies due to the poor returns (poor student
performances) from costly investments made by them (Puni et al., 2014). There
is therefore the need to assess leadership styles in SHSs in Ghana and their
influence on staff performance focusing on Berekum SHS, Brong Ahafo.
Despite the presence of extensive literatures on leadership styles and
staff/employee performance (Anyango, 2017; Iqbal et al., 2015; Githuka, 2017;
Lumbasi, K’Aol & Ouma, 2016; Mohiuddin, 2017), few of them are related to
educational settings in Ghana (Yahaya et al., 2014; Puni et al., 2014). Also, no
study has been carried out in Berekum SHS to examine the influence of
leadership styles on staff performance despite the general constant decline of
educational standards among SHSs in Ghana. Additionally, none of the
literatures relating to Ghana employed a theory to underpin their studies
likewise none of them focused on transformational and transactional leadership
styles and staff performance. In view of this, the study identified gaps in existing
literature which it sought to fill.

Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of specific
leadership styles on performance of staff at Berekum Senior High School,
Brong Ahafo of Ghana.
Research Objectives
Specifically, the following objectives were developed to:
1. assess the leadership styles that exist in Berekum Senior High School.
2. examine the influence of transactional leadership style on staff
performance.
3. examine the influence of transformational leadership style on staff
performance. incongruent
Research Questions
The following research questions were developed to guide the study:
1. What are the leadership styles that exist in Berekum Senior High
School?
2. What is the influence of transactional leadership style on staff
performance?
3. What is the influence of transformational leadership style on staff
performance?
Significance of the Study
The study examines the influence of leadership styles on staff
performance in Berekum SHS, Brong Afaho region of Ghana. The results from
the study is expected to assist staff in overcoming their frustrations by having
in-depth understanding of how leadership styles affect their performances. This
is because, the results will help bring change towards staff behaviours, attitudes

and eventually their work performances since they will now be abreast with how
leadership styles affect them.
The results are also expected to assist school authorities improve upon
existing leadership styles in bid to improve staff performances and invariably
students’ academic performances. This is because, the results will show how
existing leadership styles influence staff performance in the school and this
could help authorities develop appropriate measures to either maintain or
improve existing leadership style. Moreover, the study’s results are expected to
assist policy makers in the educational sector in Ghana with respect to
establishing policies that will ensure the adoption of suitable leadership styles
in high schools.
Finally, the outcome of the study will augment existing literature in
relation to leadership styles and staff performance in senior high schools in
Ghana. The results will therefore serve as a guide to other researchers,
especially those in Ghana, in supporting or disproving their findings.
Delimitations
This study is a single case involving only Berekum Senior High School
in the Brong Ahafo region and respondents comprise staff in the school. As
such, the study ignored other senior high schools within Brong Ahafo and
Ghana as a whole. Also, the study was centred on selected leadership styles
consisting of transactional and transformational styles. The study primarily
focused on these variables and in addition to staff performance. Therefore, the
various leadership styles other than transactional and transformational ignored
in the study.

Limitation
The study has some limitations and this is basically because the study
places emphasis on leadership style and staff performance at Berekum Senior
High School (SHS) in the Brong Ahafo region. Thus, the study’s results are
limited to the views of staff of Berekum SHS. Further, the study was limited to
the types of variables and methods employed. For instance, this study employed
the quantitative method and as such it was limited to assumptions of this method
other than the qualitative or mixed methods.
Organisation of the Study
The study consists of five chapters where chapter one discusses the
background to the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study,
objectives, research questions, significance, delimitations, limitations as well as
organisation of the study. Chapter two deals with the literature review in relation
to theoretical review, empirical review and conceptual framework. Chapter
three presents the research method that was used to undertake the study and it
comprises research design, population, sampling procedure, data collection
instrument, ethical consideration, data collection procedures, data processing
and analysis. Chapter four deals with the results and discussions of the findings
of the study. Chapter five summarises the findings of the study, draw
conclusions and also makes recommendations that would contribute to solving
the problem raised, as well as a suggestion for further study.
Chapter summary
This chapter looked the introductory aspect of the research. The aim of
the study was to assess specific leadership styles on staff performance in
Berekum Senior High School.

CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter presented literature review leadership styles and employee
performance. Specifically, the chapter presented the theoretical and empirical
reviews that summarised information from existing literature related to the
study. It also discussed the key concepts (leadership styles and performance) of
the study. The study was underpinned by Fiedler’s contingency theory due its
relatedness to the research objectives.
Theory underpinning the study
Among the theories that explain the leadership style, is the Fiedler’s
Contingency theory by Fred Fiedler in 1958. This theory was chosen because it
is appropriate for discussing the relationship between factors influencing staff
performance and the leadership styles. Finally, a summary of the theories’
general arguments, assumptions and how they relate to staff performance were
presented.
Fiedler’s Contingency Theory
This theory was the first contingency leadership theory and it was
developed by Fred Fiedler in 1958 in his work on leader attitudes and group
effectiveness. The theory was based on the assumption that, the effectiveness of
a group is dependent on a proper match between a leader’s personality or style
and situational demands. The theory added that, employee-oriented and task-
oriented were the two (2) most preferred leadership styles. To identify the
leadership style adopted by a leader, Fiedler developed an instrument known as
the Least-Preferred Co-worker (LPC) Questionnaire (Fiedler, 1967) and asked
some leaders to think of subordinates who have underperformed. This was done

using a series of bipolar adjectives which were rated on an 8-point scale
(pleasant-unpleasant, friendly-unfriendly).
The theory assumed that, an employee-oriented (people-motivated)
leader was someone who describes his/her least preferred worker in relatively
positive concepts this regarded as a high LPC leader, while a task-oriented (task-
motivated) leader was someone who describes his least preferred worker in
relatively negative concepts (Siegel & Lane, 1982). The theory further posited
that, task-oriented leaders are effective in both favourable and unfavourable
situations, whereas employee-oriented leaders are effective in moderately
favourable situations. According to Fiedler (1967), favourableness is the degree
to which a situation enables a leader to exert his/her influence over his/her
group. He added that, favourableness comprise three (3) key elements: affective
leader-member relations, task structure and leader position power.
In view of this, Bryman (1996) suggested that, the elements
underpinning the theory were changeable but only a person’s personality would
remain unchangeable. Therefore, the theory stated that, the work situation
should be changed to suite a leader’s style rather than the opposite. The
relatedness of the theory to the objectives is that, one’s leadership style is
influenced by his/her relationship with group members or subordinates (Fiedler,
1967). It is also dependent on the extent to which a leader’s responsibilities are
spelt out and the authority given to him/her to punish or reward followers.
Simply put, according to the theory, three (3) key elements like job situation
influence staff of Berekum Senior High School to either choose a transactional,
transformational, laissez-faire, autocratic or democratic leadership style.
10

Concept of Leadership
The concept of leadership is crucial to employees’ work attitudes since
it significantly influences their satisfaction and behavioural outcomes (Kozak
& Ukah, 2008). Leadership deals with the active use of one’s ability and talent
to influence others in bid to achieve a common goal (Hamidifar, 2010;
Alkahtani, 2015). It is therefore an important tool for management because if
properly used, it enhances strong relationships among employees, positively
influence organisational climate, increase employee performance and help in
modifying behavioural outcomes and retention of employees (Bass et al., 2012;
Iqbal et al., 2015; Khan & Nawas, 2016). Chandra and Priyono (2016) added
that, lack of leadership could lead to poor communication and managerial
support which could increase work stress and invariably poor performances.
Chandra and Privono (2016) further stressed that, leadership requires
employees’ participation with all their dedication and sense of ownership
through mobilisation of power, motivation and communication in the
organisation. In regards to the significance of leadership, this concept has been
defined by several scholars (Harney & Jordan, 2008; Muchiri & Cooksey, 2011)
and as such, there is no generally accepted definition for it. According to Harney
and Jordan (2008), for instance, leadership is defined as the ability to see a need
for change and making it happen. It is also defined as one’s ability to influence
individuals or groups towards the achieving organisational goals (Muchiri &
Cooksey, 2011). Bodla and Nawaz (2010) defined leadership is the process of
influencing activities of an organised group in order to attain expected goals.
Tahir, Abdullah, Ali and Daud (2014) also defined organisational
leadership as the process of defining current situations and projecting future
11

goals, making appropriate decisions to resolve situations or attain goals and
obtaining commitment from those who have to implement these decisions.
According to Shah and Kamal (2015), leadership is described as a process of
persuading, motivating or inducing a group of people to pursue the objectives
of a leader and the organisation. From the above definitions, it could be deduced
that, leadership is a very important concept that organisational managers or
authorities can never ignore. Clearly, leadership shapes the goals of employees,
motivate behaviour towards achieving organisational goals and help in defining
group or organisational culture (Rizwan, Nazar, Nadeem & Abbas, 2016).
It is to note that, leadership is manifested through the leadership style
employed by a leader or manager. Rizwan et al. (2016) suggested that, on one
hand, leadership style persuades motivation, commitment, emotional strengths
and working relationships, while on the other hand, employees are able to
perform with their utmost diligence and ability. As such, the choice of a
leadership style should suit the tasks, situations, organisational goals and
structure. Chandra and Priyono (2016) revealed that, leaders, aside their actions
and personal influence are mandated to empower employees to make certain
decisions and also keep operations running in a smooth and effective manner as
such, their choice of a leadership style is as important motivating their
workforce. The next section described various leadership styles as revealed by
literature.
Leadership Style
Literature has revealed several leadership styles that managers can adopt
to influence employees in bid to achieve expected objectives. Brown (2007), for
instance, identified three (3) primary leadership styles and added that, many of
12

these styles have been found in most organisations across the globe. He revealed
that, these styles include authoritative or autocratic, consultative or laissez faire
and participative leadership styles. Other leadership which have been identified
by other scholars include bureaucratic, charismatic, servant, transformational
and transactional leadership styles (Yahaya et al., 2014; Avolio et al., 2009;
Chandra & Priyono, 2016; Iqbal et al., 2015; Khan & Nawaz, 2017). This
section discusses the major leadership styles as revealed by literature.
Authoritative leadership style
The authoritative leadership is also known as the autocratic style and it
is seen as an extreme form of transactional leadership (Yahaya et al., 2014).
With this style, the leader has absolute power over his/her employees and thus,
the latter have little or no chance to make suggestions, regardless of their
benefits to the organisation. it is therefore characterised by high individual
control over all organisational decisions with little or no input or contributions
from group members or employees (Iqbal et al., 2015; Hitt & Tucker, 2016). As
such, an autocratic leader typically makes choices in relation to his/her ideas,
judgments and rarely accepts followers’ advices.
Although it is mostly preferred by some leaders, it usually leads to high
levels of adverse effects such as high absenteeism and employee turnover. This
is because, employees or group members may feel unimportant to the
organisation and thus may work below their strengths. It is however suitable for
some routine and unskilled jobs which require high levels of supervision and
control (Odumeru & Ogbonna, 2013; Chandra & Priyono, 2016). These
situations require the leader to make all major decisions on his/her own and
invariably have absolute control over the work.
13

Laissez faire leadership style
This type of leadership style is also known as consultative leadership
style and it describes leaders who leave their employees to carry out activities
with minimal supervision and control (Shafie, Baghersalimi & Barghi, 2013). It
is usually effective if leaders are able to monitor what their employees are doing
and regularly communicate to them. It is also more effective when group
members or individual employees are experienced and skilled enough to carry
out expected duties (Hooge et al., 2012; Chowdhury, 2014). It is usually
adopted in situations where the leader does not know the whole situation and
thus requires the opinions and contributions of his/her employees or group
members. Abdilahi (2016) added that, a laissez faire leader gives total freedom
to employees to carry out duties on their own.
Democratic leadership style
This style of leadership is one of the most widely used leadership style
(Lok & Crawford, 2009; Yuki, 2010). It is also known as a participative
leadership and it allows group members to take a more participative role in
decision making processes. It is seen as a most effective style which usually
leads to higher productivity, better contributions from employees and also
enhance group morale (Udoh & Agu, 2012). Democratic leaders generally
increase group members’ job satisfaction through involvement. They also
enable employees to feel in control of their own destiny and thus motivate them
to work harder. It is therefore suitable when quality is more important and also
when employees are required to work as a team (Yahaya et al., 2014).
14

Transactional leadership style
This type of leadership style starts with the notion that employees agree
to obey their leaders totally when they agree to work for them (Bodla & Nawaz,
2010). It focuses more about ‘trade’ between the superior and subordinate by
which the former compensates the latter for attaining specific objectives or
performance criteria (Trottier, Van Watt & Wang, 2008). With this, the leader
has the right to ‘punish’ employees if their work does not meet the expected
standard. It is therefore seen as an exchange of targets and rewards between
management and employees. Bass and Avolio (2008) suggested that,
transactional leaders induces their employees through the use of contingent
rewards, rule enforcement and corrective actions. As such, employees usually
do little to enhance their job satisfaction since the organisation usually pay them
in return of their efforts and compliance.
According to Chandra and Priyono (2016), a leader should give team
members some level of control of their reward/income by using incentives to
encourage higher standards or greater productivity. Also, the transactional
leader implements rules and regulations, proposes writ of authority, establishes
and focuses on certain goals, and also direct employees to attain pre-determined
objectives (Yahaya et al., 2014). Udoh and Agu (2012) added that, the
transactional leader focuses on short term tasks and as such, practicing
“management by exception” is preferable to rewarding better work. The leader
could also take corrective actions if expected standards are unmet by employees
or group members. This is because, transactional leadership style does not make
room for knowledge-based or creative work (Yahaya et al., 2014).
15

Transformational leadership style
A transformational leadership style focuses on the development of
employees in addition to their needs. Managers with these leadership style
concentrate on their employees’ growth and development of value systems,
their moralities and inspirational levels (Ismail et al., 2009). According to
Jeremy, Melinde and Ciller (2012), this style is aimed at transforming
employees or group members by altering them in the heart and mind. This in
turn gives employees more insight and understanding and brings about
permanent changes, momentum building and self-perpetuating. Puni, Ofei and
Okoe (2014) added that, a transformational leadership style occurs when a
leader in tends to uphold the interest of his/her employees, once they accept the
purpose and assignment given to them.
Moreover, transformational leaders induce employees to view problems
from new perspectives, provide support and encourage communication of vision
and arouses emotion (Shirzad-Kebriya & Shabani-Zanganeh, 2011). In view of
this, transformational leaders are able to define a vision for their organisations
and influence individual-level elements such as improving motivation and
organisational-level variables such as controlling conflict among teams or
employees (Shafie, Baghersalimi & Barghi, 2013). It has also been revealed
that, this leadership style has active influence on both individual and
organisational results including motivation, satisfaction and performance (Shah
& Kamal, 2015). As such, high levels of group potency are associated with high
levels of transformational leadership.
Additionally, none of the literatures relating to Ghana focused on
transformational and transactional leadership styles and staff performance. In
16

view of this, the study identified gaps in existing literature which it sought to
fill.
Concept of Employee Performance
In an organisational setting, performance of employees has been a major
concern to management across the globe. This is because, it is seen as ability of
an employee to use his/her skills and knowledge to efficiently and effectively
achieve organisational goals (Bodla & Nawaz, 2010). Organisational
performance has been found to be highly dependent on performance of its
employees (Hakala, 2008). As such, literature has supported the concept of
performance and Aguinis (2009), for instance, viewed employee performance
as behaviour or things employees do and not what they produce or the work
outcomes. Similarly, Blanchard and Witts (2009) revealed that, employee
performance is a behaviour exhibited or something done by the employee for to
enhance organisational performance and is evaluated based on the results of
operations, turnover and efficiency as well as the effectiveness of services.
Agarwal, Datta, Blake-Beard & Bhargava (2012) stressed that,
employees are generally able to improve their performances when they actively
partake in decision making and thus are allowed to contribute in the
implementation of change that affect them. They explained that, employees are
able to quickly implement changes that they actively participate in. As such,
employee performance is matter not only of what employees do, neither is it
only about what they attain but how they achieve it as well (Armstrong, 2010).
Armstrong and Taylor (2014) explained that, performance is an
accomplishment, execution or working out of anything and is highly influenced
by several factors including leadership style.
17

In view of this, employee performance is seen as an on-going process
and thus, has been measured in several ways with different indicators (Hakala,
2008; Armstrong, 2010; Shabab & Nisa, 2014). In a study by Hakala (2008),
for instance, staff performance was measured using indicators such as quality,
quantity, cost-effectiveness and timeliness. Also, Gomes and Gomes (2011) in
their study on ‘Performance Measurement and Stakeholder Perceptions:
Assessing Performance through the Dimensions of Stakeholder Expectations’
developed indicators for measuring staff performance and they included work
output, punctuality to work, quality of work, loyalty, responsiveness and work
efficiency. These indicators have been adapted in other studies with great
success (Kinsambwe, 2016; Irimu et al., 2014).
In an academic setting, the performance of staff (teaching and
administrative) is vital for successful development of students. Poor staff
performances usually result to poor student academic performances although
the latter could be attributed to other factors such as lack of motivation, poor
parental care, among others (Omar, 2015). As such, measuring staff
performance in academic institutions is as important as improving academic
performances of students. In view of this, the study adapted the performance
measurement indicators developed by (Gomes & Gomes, 2011; Hakala, 2008).
It also adapted performance measurement indicators used studies by (Jackson,
2015; Maduekwe & Kamala, 2016; Mells, 2011). The indicators adapted
include speed (respond time), flexibility, response and dependability.
Empirical Review
This section presented the empirical reviews of literature in relation to
the research objectives of the study. Specifically, this section discussed
18

presented review of literature in relation to the effect of transactional and
transformational leadership styles and performance.
Transactional leadership style and Performance
Studies have been conducted on transactional leadership style and
performance across diverse fields in several countries and have produced
diverse results. For instance, Voon, Lo, Ngui & Ayob (2011) conducted a
quantitative study on the influence of leadership styles on employee’s job
satisfaction in Malaysia’s public sector organisations. The study used the
descriptive survey design and relied on questionnaires for data collection. The
data obtained was then analysed using correlation and regression statistical
tools. The study found that, transactional leadership style has a weak but
positive effect on job satisfaction of employees. This implies that, transactional
leadership is a weak predictor of job satisfaction and invariably employee
performance.
Kehinde and Banjo (2014) conducted a study to test the impact of
leadership styles on employee performance. as part of the objectives, the study
examined the effect of transactional leadership style on employee performance
in the Nigerian Public sector focusing on Department of Petroleum Resources.
The study focused on the quantitative approach and survey design, but, however
it was not underpinned by a theory. The study used a primary instrument
(questionnaire) to obtain data from a stratified randomly selected sample of 100.
Data was then analysed using multiple regression and results revealed that,
transactional leadership has a negative correlation with employee performance
with constructs of organisational commitment, job satisfaction and job
involvement.
19

Sithole and Sudha (2014) conducted a study to examine the relationship
between transactional leadership style and employee turnover intentions. The
factors considered by employees as reasons for turnover intentions were also to
be determined. The study employed the quantitative method and descriptive
survey design, but, however, no theory underpinned it. From the population of
software engineers working in Information Technology organisations, a sample
of 180 software engineers was taken for the study although the population size
was not given. A well-structured questionnaire was distributed and responses
obtained were analysed using correlation. The study found a positive
relationship between transactional leadership style and employee turnover
intentions. This implies that, this style does not favour employees and as such,
affect their job performances which induces them to intend quitting.
In Algeria, Brahim, Ridic and Jukic (2015) carried out a research on the
effect of transactional leadership on performance of employees in five (5)
banking institutions in the country. The study adopted a quantitative survey
instrument and the trait theory. The convenience sampling technique was used
to select respondents of 132 individuals. This sample size was obtained from a
population of 174 managers. The structured questionnaire with a 5-point likert
scale items was used to collect data and analysis was done with descriptive
statistics. Also, an inferential statistical tool precisely ANOVA was employed
and the study found that, transactional leadership style had no significant
relationship with employee performance in the banking institutions.
In Ethiopia, Abdilahi (2016) conducted a study on the effects of
leadership style on employee performance in Dashen Bank, Addis Ababa. The
study employed the quantitative method and descriptive design. The study had
20

a population of 159 employees who were all used in the study using the census
technique. questionnaires were used to obtain data and analysed using
correlation and regression statistical tools. The study revealed that, transactional
leadership style has a weak positive relationship with employee performance
since it had a weak significance value of (0.165) at 5 percent significant level.
They concluded that, transactional leadership are not very vital for employee
performance.
Veliu, Manxhari, Demiri and Jahaj (2017) conducted a study on the
influence of leadership styles on employee’s performance. The aim of the study
was to understand the effect of different leadership styles such as autocratic,
bureaucratic, charismatic, democratic, laissez-faire, transformational and
transactional on employee performance in Kosovo. The study employed the
quantitative approach but failed to indicate the research design and theory
employed. The study sampled 150 private enterprise managers in Kosovo using
convenient sampling technique. Out of this, accurate data was obtained from
110 respondents using the structured questionnaire.
Moreover, Veliu et al.’s (2017) employed correlation and multiple
regression techniques to analyse the study’s data in bid to answer the research
questions. The coefficient result indicated that, transactional leadership style
with a beta of (0.638) has no significant relationship (p>0.05) with employee
performance. It was therefore concluded that, transactional leadership style does
not influence the performance of private enterprise managers in Kosovo.
It could be deduced from the reviews that, transactional leadership style
has a relationship with employee performance but, however, this relationship is
usually weak or negative (Abdilahi, 2016; Brahim et al., 2015; Sithole & Sudha,
21

2014). Also, most of the studies reviewed cut across several fields but few of
them are directly related to educational fields (academic institutions). It was
therefore relevant to conduct a study focusing on academic staff in order to
compare the results obtained in the other fields. Also, none of the literature
reviewed were related to academic institutions in Ghana despite the adoption of
various leadership styles among authorities. It was therefore appropriate to carry
out a study in Ghana in order to examine whether transactional leadership has
an effect on staff performance.
Transformational leadership style and Performance
Literature exists on transformational leadership and performance of staff
and most of them confirmed that there is a significant relationship between
them. In times past, Keller (1992) conducted a study on transformational
leadership and concluded that it is clearly related with worker’s performance
such as accomplishment of targets, creativity and reduction in turnover rates.
This finding has been supported by other contemporary studies by (Eisenbeiß
& Boerner, 2013; Fu-Jin, Shieh & Tang, 2011; Garcia, Llorens & Verdu, 2008;
Long & Mao, 2008).
Similarly, Voon et al. (2011) conducted a quantitative study on the
influence of leadership styles on employee’s job satisfaction in Malaysia’s
public sector organisations. The study used the descriptive survey design and
relied on questionnaires for data collection. The data obtained was then analysed
using correlation and regression statistical tools. The study found that,
transformational leadership style has a strong positive effect on job satisfaction
of employees. The implication is that; this style is regarded as suitable for
22

managing public organisations. This finding was line with studies by (Ojokuko,
Odetayo & Sajuyigbe, 2012; Sadeghi & Pihie, 2012).
In Ojokuko et al.’s (2012) study on the impact of leadership styles on
performance of banks in Nigeria, for instance, it found a strong positive
relationship between transformational leadership and performance. Omar
(2013) also conducted a study on transformational leadership style and job
satisfaction relationship using the structural equation modelling (SEM). The
study employed the quantitative method and causal design. Questionnaires were
used to solicit for information from the respondents and analysis was done using
both descriptive (means and standard deviation) and inferential (SEM)
statistical tools. Results revealed that, transformational leadership has a strong
positive effect on job satisfaction which invariably leads to improved
performances.
Also, Shafie et al. (2013) did a quantitative study on the relationship
between leadership style and employee performance in Real Estate registration
organisation in Tehran Province. The study aimed at examining the relationship
between transformational leadership style and employee performance and as
such relied on the descriptive correlation method. The target population
consisted 1000 staff in the Tehran Estate Registration. Cochran sampling
method was used to sample 277 employees who were then randomly selected.
Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents and
analysed using correlation. The study found that, a strong and positive
significant relationship exists between transformational leadership and
employee performance and specifically, pragmatic-oriented and development-
oriented transformational leadership had positive impacts on performance.
23

A study by Kehinde and Banjo (2014) on the impact of leadership styles
on performance of employees in the Nigerian public sector focusing on
Department of Petroleum Resources. The study found a higher positive
correlation between transformational leadership with employee performance
with constructs: organisational commitment, job satisfaction, organisational
citizenship behaviour and job satisfaction. They concluded that,
transformational leadership is a strong predictor of employee performance as
such, managers should use more of it.
In Ghana, Amankwaa and Anku-Tsede (2015) examined the influence
of transformational leadership behaviours on employee intention to quit with
the moderating effect of alternative job opportunity. The study employed the
quantitative method and a cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational survey
design were adopted for the paper. A multi-stage sampling approach was used
in selecting three hundred and five (305) employees from banks in Ghana.
Moreover, the study was underpinned the regulatory fit theory. Also,
correlational and hierarchical regression analytical procedures were used to test
the hypotheses and the results revealed that, transformational leadership
behaviours is negatively related to employees’ voluntary organisational
intention to quit. This implies that, this style does not induce employees to
intend quitting their jobs and this enables them to perform beyond expectations.
In a quantitative study by Abdilahi (2016) on the effects of leadership
style on employee performance in Dashen Bank, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, it
was found that, transformational leadership has a weak significant effect on
employee performance at Deshen bank (p=.038>0.05). This implies that,
24

portions of transformational leadership are not key for employee’s performance
and as such, need to be monitored and eliminated or improved.
Ariyabuddhiphongs and Kahn (2017) also conducted a quantitative
study on transformational leadership and turnover intention using trust and job
performance as moderating variables. The study randomly sampled 187
employees of cafés in Bangkok, Thailand. The underlying hypothesis of the
study was that transformational leadership would negatively predict turnover
intention and that trust and job performance would mediate the relationship
between transformational leadership and turnover intention. The study was
underpinned by the descriptive survey design and Path Goal theory of
leadership. Data obtained from structured questionnaires was analysed using
correlation and regression statistical tools. The study found that
transformational leadership had a negative relationship with turnover intention
and job performance moderates this relationship. This implies that, as managers
adopt this style, employees retain with the organisation and perform well.
In Veliu et al.’s (2017) study on the influence of leadership styles on
employee’s performance in Business organisations in Kosovo, the study found
that, transformational leadership style with a beta of (.359) is a statistically
significant and strong predictor of employee performance. This is because it has
a significant value of (.002, p<0.05) at 5 percent significant level. The study
therefore concluded that, transformational leadership style strongly influences
employee performance and recommended that managers should adopt it if they
want to increase employee’s performance. This finding contradicted a study by
Abdilahi (2016) who found a weak relationship between the variables.
25

From the empirical review, it was found that, transformational
leadership has a strong positive effect on employee performance across several
fields (Amankwaa & Anku-Tsede, 2015; Ariyabuddhiphongs & Kahn, 2017;
Kehinde & Banjo, 2014; Shafie et al., 2013). Despite these findings, Abdilahi
(2016), on the other hand, found a weak relationship between the variables. It
was also however found that, majority of the studies including those in Ghana
are not focused on academic staff. As such, it would be unfair to conclude that
transformational leadership strongly predicts staff performance across all fields.
This study therefore was carried out to examine the effect of transformational
leadership style on staff performance in Ghana with focus on Berekum Senior
High School.
Conceptual Framework
The study constructed a framework in bid to provide a pictorial view of
the purpose of the study. As such, the framework was developed in relation to
the key variables such as transformational leadership style, transactional
leadership style and staff performance used in the study. The leadership styles
represented the independent variable while staff performance represented the
dependent variable. The framework was displayed in Figure 1.
TRANSACTIONAL
LEADERSHIP STYLE
STAFF
PERFORMANCE
TRANSFORMATIONAL
LEADERSHIP STYLE
Figure 1: Conceptual framework of the study

Source: Author’s Own Construct (2019)
26

It could be seen from Figure 1 that; staff performance is influenced by
transactional and transformational leadership styles. This is because, studies
have revealed that, staff performances are dependent on other variables in order
to increase or decrease of which leadership styles is of no exemption. From
Figure 1, a change (positive or negative) in transactional leadership style or
transformational leadership style directly impacts on or affects staff
performance. As such, the choice of a leadership style directly influences the
performance of staff in organisations including academic institutions like
Berekum Senior High School.
Chapter Summary
This chapter presented reviews of literature in relation to the study’s
objectives. The chapter discussed the theory underpinning the study and
revealed that, Fiedler’s Contingency Theory was more appropriate. Also, the
chapter discussed the major leadership styles as revealed by literature and
presented empirical reviews on transactional, transformational leadership styles
and employee performance. The chapter concluded with a conceptual
framework for the study which was prompted by the study’s key variables.
27

CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODS
Introduction
The study sought to examine leadership styles and their influence on
staff performance at Berekum Senior High School (SHS), Ghana. This chapter
presented the methods employed in the study and it was organised as follows:
research design, study area, population, sampling procedure, data collection
instrument, data collection procedures and data processing and analysis.
Research Design
. A causal research design is a design which is used to establish causal
relationships between variables in bid to reveal how one variable impact or
influences the other (Creswell, 2014). It allows the use of inferential statistical
tools such as correlation and regression in analysing data (Creswell & Creswell,
2017). Cooper and Schindler (2014) added that, a casual design goes beyond
descriptive study and thus enables generalisation of the study’s findings.
Research Approach
The qualitative analysis includes data collection techniques such as
observation, case studies, interview guides and reviews of literature (Yates
2014). Qualitative analysis comprises of the researcher gathering data based on
results from the quantitative survey, through personal interviews with project
management committee personnel. Subsequently this data collection method is
time consuming, hence, data is collected from a smaller number. The mixed
methods is an approach for gathering, analysing, and incorporating both
quantitative and qualitative data at a particular stage of the research process
within a single study in order to obtain clarity on the research problem
28

(Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2003; Creswell, 2005). According to Creswell,
Ivankova and Stick (2006), since neither qualitative nor quantitative methods
are insufficient on their own, mixing both kinds of data within a study captures
the trends and details of a circumstance.
The study employed the quantitative approach due to its relevance to the
purpose of the study. A quantitative approach was relevant because the
examination of cause and effect relationships between variables (Saunder,
Lewis & Thornhill, 2009) as in the case of the study. In this regard, the causal
research design was employed in order to examine the effect of leadership styles
on performance of employees
Study Organisation
The study was conducted within the scope of Berekum Senior High
School (SHS), Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. Berekum SHS was established by
the joint efforts Berekum Youth Association (BYA) and Berekum Traditional
Council (BTC) in 1970. The school is located within Berekum, a capital of
Berekum municipal. It currently offers various courses in relation to General
Science, Agricultural Science, Business, General Arts, Home Economics and
Visual Arts. This school has served the various universities and colleges in the
country with numerous quality students due to the commitment of skilled and
experienced staff (teaching and non-teaching).
The school strives on becoming one of the best SHSs in Ghana and
beyond and this goal can never be achieved without the selfless contributions
of staff. It is to note that, these staff can also never perform effectively in the
presence of poor leadership styles of management. As such, it was relevant to
focus on this school in order to examine whether the current leadership styles
29

of management are influencing the performances of staff in the school or not.
The results would therefore assist the school’s management in strengthening
existing structures in order to achieve the school’s targets.
Population
The population consisted of all staff both teaching and administrative
staff of Berekum SHS, Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. The population consisted
of 152 staff in the school comprising members with various demographic
features in relation to sex, age, and level of experience. It is to note that, the
study’s population are lawfully considered as adults (above 18 years), thus,
expected to have in-depth knowledge in other to ensure reliable data.
Sampling Procedure
It was impractical to collect data on the whole population due to the size,
as well as the time available for the study, it was therefore necessary to select a
sample that would represent the whole population. Out of the population of 152
members, 108 members were sampled using Krejcie and Morgan (1970)
sampling size determination table. This table was used in order to provide the
scientific justification of the choice of a sample size. Moreover, the simple
random sampling procedure was adopted to select the respondents in bid to give
every member in the population an equal chance of being selected (Patten &
Newhart, 2017). This sampling procedure was chosen because it is easy to use,
considered a fair way of selecting members and it is also a straightforward
probability sampling procedure.
30

Data Collection Instrument
The instrument used to collect data was a structured questionnaire. A
questionnaire is defined as a type of survey method that makes use of a uniform
set of questions that are given to respondents (Polit & Beck, 2008). According
to Plano Clark (2010), some major advantages associated with the use of a
questionnaire include: it is useful in reaching a large number of respondents,
lower costs than interviewing, reduces biases by interviewers, quick and easy
to. However, this instrument also comes with some drawbacks such as; clarity
issues, low response rates and possible literacy issues (Kaplan & Saccuzzo,
2017). In spite of these, the questionnaire was still adopted because it generally
accepted as a good data collection instrument for a quantitative study.
The questionnaire’s content was prompted by the research objectives
and questions of the study and thus, it was composed in a brief and appropriate
language to avoid ambiguity and attract respondents’ interest. The questionnaire
consisted of items which were put under five (5) sections (A-E). Specifically,
demographic information of the respondents was gathered in section one, while
Section B solicited for respondents’ perception about the leadership style(s) in
the school. This was done in bid to achieve research objective one. Also, Section
C and D contained items in relation to transactional and transformational
leadership styles respectively.
Finally, Section E contains items in relation to measurement of staff
performance in the school. Items under Sections C-E were geared towards
achieving objective 2 and 3 of the study. It is to note that, items in Sections B-
E on a 5-point rating scale with 1 representing least agreement and 5
representing highest agreement. This scale was chosen because of its relevance
31

in achieving the study’s research objectives. This is because, it is preferable for
conducting both descriptive (means and standard deviations) and inferential
(correlation, regression) statistics (Creswell & Creswell, 2017).
Validity and Reliability
The study ensured reliability and validity of the research instrument by
undertaking various strategies to validate and refine the instrument
(questionnaire). Face validity, for instance, was addressed by allowing peers
with good research backgrounds to painstakingly read the questionnaires in
order to identify and rectify errors. In bid to achieve content validity, the
instrument was further thoroughly scrutinised by an expert (supervisor) for final
corrections, if any, before using it.
On the other hand, reliability is seen as the level of internal consistency
of the measuring instrument over time (Saunders, 2011). This means that, an
instrument will be reliable if it yields the same results whenever it is repeatedly
used to measure concepts from the same or similar respondents even by
different researchers. Reliability is also seen as the extent to which a data
collection instrument or technique yields consistent findings (Creswell, 2014).
To achieve the reliability of the stud’s research instrument, a reliability test was
carried out and its Cronbach alpha was displayed in the introductory part of next
chapter. It is to note that, an instrument is considered as reliable if its Cronbach
alpha is 0.7 or more.
Data Collection Procedures
Preceding to collection of data, a permission letter signed by the head of
department was attached to the questionnaire. This was done in order to prevent
respondents from having doubts about the credibility of the whole data
32

collection exercise. After obtaining permissions from appropriate authorities,
the questionnaires were then randomly distributed to the respondents. The
questionnaire was administered to staff of the school for them to answer. To
ensure maximum and timely response rate, a period of eight (8) working days
was allocated for the data collection exercise. After the set period, the
questionnaires were taken back. The major difficulty encountered during the
exercise was the unwillingness of some staff to partake in the data collection
exercise due to various reasons such as inflexible schedules, confidentiality
issues. However, this difficulty was minimised by addressing respondents’
grievances and for instance, the staff were made to answer the questionnaires
during break times due to their tight schedules.
Ethical Consideration
In a study by Bless and Higson-Smith (2000), they suggested some
major rules of data collection which included: voluntary participation, right to
privacy, freedom, anonymity and confidentiality. Practically, one of the ethical
issues the study met was that, some of the respondents’ felt their opinions would
be leaked out so opted not to participate. However, this ethical issue was solved
when anonymity and confidentiality were assured to all participants. Also,
respondents were given outmost freedom to choose whether to fill the
questionnaire or not in other to prevent breach of freedom. Respondents who
also clearly understood the questionnaire and thus didn’t want any interferences
were allowed to fill the questionnaires on their own so as to ensure right to
privacy. In view of these, the study and its associated methods adhered to all of
the above ethical considerations in other to get accurate data from respondents.
33

Data Processing and Analysis
At the end of the whole data collection exercise, credible checks were
carried out to edit and warrant error-free data. Thus, prior to coding and data
processing, all incomplete and inconsistent questionnaires were taken out
appropriately. The error-free data was then processed done using Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Moreover, the processed data
was then analysed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistical
tools such as percentage, frequencies, means, standard deviations, correlation
and regression. The results obtained were presented in tables and discussed as
well in chapter four.
Chapter Summary
This chapter presented the methods employed in the study and it
specifically discussed the research design, study organisation, population,
sampling procedure, data collection instrument, data collection procedure and
data processing and analysis. Specifically, the chapter revealed that, the study
employed the causal design because of the purpose of the study. it was also
revealed that, both descriptive and inferential statistical tools were employed to
analyse data obtained in bid to achieve the study’s objectives. The next chapter
presented the results and discussion of the study.
34

CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Introduction
This chapter entails the socio-demographic characteristics of
respondents, assesses the perceived leadership styles that exist in Berekum
Senior High School, examines the influence of transactional leadership style on
staff performance and examines the influence of transformational leadership
style on staff performance. A total of 108 questionnaires were issued, but 89
were fully responded to and thus were used for the analysis in this chapter.
Therefore, the response is 82.41%.
Socio-demographic characteristics
The study sampled 89 staff members of Berekum Senior High School in
the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. Table 1 gave a breakdown of the socio-
demographics of the respondents. There were 52 male respondents, representing
58.4% whilst female respondents were 37 representing 41.6%. This implies that,
the staff of Berekum Senior High School comprise more of males than their
female counterparts. From table 1, staff in the age bracket of 25 – 34 years and
18 – 24 years 38 had 40.4% and 36% respectively. This was followed by the 16
respondents which were within the age group of 35 - 45 years which constituted
18% of respondents. This was followed 4 respondents who were within 46 – 55
representing 4.5% and lastly 1 respondent was in the age bracket of 56 – 65
years representing 1.1%. This implies that majority of the staff in Berekum
Senior High School are in the age bracket of 18 - 34 years.
35

Table 1: Socio-demographics of respondents

Background Information Frequency Percentage
Sex:
Male 52 58.4
Female 37 41.6
Age:
18 – 24 32 36.0
25 – 34 36 40.4
35 – 45 16 18.0
46 – 55 4 4.5
56 – 65 1 1.1
Educational level
Certificate 6 6.9
Diploma 15 17.2
Degree 56 64.4
Professional 10 11.5
Teaching Experience:
Below 5 34 39.1
5 – 10 20 23.0
11 – 15 13 14.9
16 – 20 5 5.7
21 – 25 7 8.0
26 – 30 8 9.2
Source: Field Data (2019).
36

Table 1, further shows the educational qualification of the staff of
Berekum Senior High School. It can be seen that most respondents sampled that
is, 56 (64.4%) have a university Degree (Bachelors) followed by 15 (17.2%)
who also had Diploma certificate. Followed by 10 (11.5%) who had
Professional qualification, and finally, 6 respondents forming 6.9% of the
respondents had certificates. Hence majority of the staff of Berekum Senior
High School had gone through formal education and had university degrees.
Moreover, majority of the staff of Berekum Senior High School (39.1%)
had taught for below 5 years. Twenty (23%) of the respondents had taught for
5 - 10 years whilst another 13 (14.9%) had taught for 11 - 15 years. Staffs that
had taught between the years of 26 – 30 and 21 – 25 years were 9.2% and 8%
respectively. Those with teaching experience between 16 – 20 years were in the
minority with a percentage of 5.7%.
Reliability
Reliability of a scale gives an indication of how free it is from random
error (Pallant, 2013) or the extent to which the scale produces consistent results
if repeated measures are taken (Kent, 2007). Cronbach Alpha which measure
internal consistency was used and it measures the degree to which all items on
a scale measure an underlying construct (Pallant, 2013). The individual
consistency reliability should be 0.7 or higher. From the table 2 above, the
Cronbach alpha for the variables; perceived leadership style, Transactional
leadership style, Transformational leadership style and Staff performance
ranged from0.0.576 to 0.869. This implies that all constructs and the scales used
to measure the variables under study were reliable.
37

Table 2: Reliability
Variable Cronbach Alpha
Perceived leadership style 0.576
Transactional leadership style 0.793
Transformational leadership style 0.869
Staff performance 0.800
Perceived leadership styles in Berekum Senior High School
The perceived leadership styles that exist in Berekum Senior High
School was assessed in this objective. This assessment was done using means
to assess the perceived leadership styles in Berekum Senior High School. On a
mean scale of 1 to 5 with 1 to 2.9 indicating low levels and 3 to 5 indicating
high levels (as adopted by Mohammed, 2017; Tweneboah-Koduah, 2017). The
results were presented in Table 3.
Table 3: Descriptive Statistics

Leadership styles Mean Std. Deviation
Democratic style 3.83 1.003
Charismatic style 3.75 1.255
Bureaucratic style 3.66 1.294
People-oriented style 3.45 1.312
Transformational 3.24 1.279
Task-oriented style 3.24 1.268
Laissez-faire style 3.03 1.343
Transactional style 3.01 1.201
Autocratic style 2.33 1.355
38

Table 3 showed the perceived leadership styles in Berekum Senior High
School. Majority of the staff in Berekum Senior High School believed that
leaders in their school demonstrate democratic way of ruling with an average of
3.83 and a standard deviation of 1.003. This is followed by leaders who were
charismatic with a mean of 3.75 and a standard deviation of 1.225. Leaders who
were bureaucratic and leaders who were people-oriented had a mean of 3.66 and
3.45 and standard deviation of 1.294 and 1.312 respectively. Leaders who were
transformational and those who were task-oriented had an average of and 3.24
each standard deviation of 1.279 and 1.268 respectively.
Also, leaders that used the laissez faire leadership style had a mean of
3.03 and a standard deviation of 1.343 and leaders that were transactional had a
mean of 3.01 and a standard deviation of 1.201. All these had high agreement
from the respondents, indicating that democratic, charismatic, bureaucratic,
people-oriented, transformational, task-oriented, laissez faire and
transformational leadership styles existed in the Berekum Senior High School.
Though most responded highly to most of the indicators of perceived leadership
styles in Berekum Senior High School, one of the indicators were lowly
responded to. Leaders that used autocratic leadership style had a mean of 2.33
and a standard deviation of 1.355. Hence as adopted by Mohammed, (2017) and
Tweneboah-Koduah, (2017), staff of Berekum Senior High School believed that
all the leadership styles mentioned exist in the school with the exception of
autocratic leadership style.
Influence of transactional leadership style on staff performance
Objective two was to examine influence of transactional leadership style
on staff performance. This objective looks at the influence of transactional
39

leadership style on staff performance in Berekum Senior High School. A graph
was plotted after the computation of the individual indicators measuring
transactional leadership style and staff performance of Berekum Senior High
School into two variables SP (staff performance) and TLS (transactional
leadership style). This was seen in Figure 2.
Figure 2: relationship between transactional leadership style and staff

performance
Figure 2 showed the graphical presentation of the relationship between
the transactional leadership style and staff performance. The line in the middle
is the regression line which attempts to predict the relationship between the two
variables. The line shows that there is a linear relationship between transactional
leadership style and staff performance with an intercept of 1.21 and a slope of
0.76.
40

There are two straight lines on the sides of the regression line which
depicts the confidence interval used for assessing the significance of this
objective. It can be seen from figure 1 that at a confidence interval of 95%
almost all variables are within the confidence interval range. This implies that
majority of the indicators used to measure the variables were all within the
confidence interval range with two outside the line which are outliers. R2 which
is the coefficient of determination is 0.476.
With transactional leadership style as the independent variable and staff
performance as the dependent variable. Table 4 gives the model summary of the
output. This table displays R, R squared, adjusted R squared, and the standard
error. R is the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient which indicates
the strength and direction of the linear relationship between the dependent
variable (staff performance of Berekum Senior High School) and the
independent variable (Transactional leadership style). Hence from Table 4,
transactional leadership style and staff performance are positively correlated,
and the strength of the relationship is moderately strong at .690.
Regarding this relationship between transactional leadership style and
staff performance, the correlation shows a moderately strong positive and
significant relationship between the two variables. The R Square explains the
amount of variation that exists in the dependent variables caused by the
independent variable. Therefore, the result further indicates that 47.6% variation
in staff performance of Berekum Senior High School (as dependent variables)
is explained by the independent variable (transactional leadership style). The
implication is that an improvement transactional leadership style would result
in an increase in staff performance of Berekum Senior High School.
41

Table 4: Model Summary

Std. Error
Adjusted R of the
Model R R Square Square Estimate
1 .690a .476 .469 .62315
a. Predictors: (Constant), TLS

Table 5 is the ANOVA table which provides the test significance for R
and R2 using the F-statistic. The F statistic is the regression mean square (MSR)
divided by the residual mean square (MSE). If the significance value of the F
statistic is small (smaller than say 0.05) then the independent variables do a
good job explaining the variation in the dependent variable. In this analysis, the
ρ-value is well below .05 (ρ < .001). Therefore, it can be concluded that the R
and R2 between transactional leadership style and staff performance of Berekum
Senior High School is statistically significant, and transactional leadership style
can significantly influence the staff performance of Berekum Senior High
School.
Table 5: ANOVAa
Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
1 Regression 29.594 1 29.594 76.212 .000b
Residual 32.619 84 .388
Total 62.213 85
a. Dependent Variable: SP
b. Predictors: (Constant), TLS
The table in the SPSS output labelled coefficients (Table 6) provides
information that is useful for understanding the regression equation. Under the
column marked unstandardized coefficient and sub-column B, the numerical
42

value for the first row, labelled (constant), is the value for the intercept (a) in
the regression equation. The numerical value on the second row, labelled as TLS
(transactional leadership style) in this case (representing the independent
variables), is the value for the slope (b) for the regression equation. Based on
these results, the researcher can report the following regression equation,
predicting staff performance of Berekum Senior High School based on
transactional leadership style of the school.
Y (staff performance of Berekum Senior High School) = 1.208 +
0.763TLS
Also, from Table 6, the relationship between the variables can be seen
in the column named ‘beta’.
Table 6: Coefficientsa
Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) 1.208 .291 4.156 .000
TLS .763 .087 .690 8.730 .000
Hence taking the values for the slope and the intercept in the resulting
regression equation, the researcher can make the following accessions:
According to the intercept, when there is no use of transactional leadership style
in the school, staff performance of Berekum Senior High School will be at
120.8%, and according to the slope, for any improvement made in transactional
leadership style, will lead to an increase in staff performance of Berekum Senior
High School by 76.3%. Therefore, transactional leadership style of the school
43

has a significant effect on the staff performance of Berekum Senior High
School.
Kehinde and Banjo (2014) noted that transactional leadership has a
negative correlation with employee performance, also according to Sithole and
Sudha (2014), there is a positive relationship between transactional leadership
style and employee turnover intentions. This implies that, this style does not
favour employees and as such, affect their job performances which induces
them to intend quitting. In Algeria, Brahim, Ridic and Jukic (2015) found that,
transactional leadership style had no significant relationship with employee
performance in the banking institutions. It could be deduced from the reviews
that, transactional leadership style has a relationship with employee
performance but, however, this relationship is usually weak or negative, but
most of these studies cut across several fields but few of them are directly
related to educational fields (academic institutions)
Influence of transformational leadership style on staff performance
This objective looks at the influence of transformational leadership style
on staff performance in Berekum Senior High School. A graph was plotted after
the computation of the individual indicators measuring transformational
leadership style and staff performance of Berekum Senior High School into two
variables SP (staff performance) and TLS (transformational leadership style).
This is seen in Figure 3.
44

Figure 3: relationship between transformational leadership style and staff

performance
Figure 3 showed the graphical presentation of the relationship between
the transformational leadership style and staff performance. The line in the
middle is the regression line which attempts to predict the relationship between
the two variables. The line shows that there is a linear relationship between
transformational leadership style and staff performance with an intercept of 1.54
and a slope of 0.62.
There are two straight lines on the sides of the regression line which
depicts the confidence interval used for assessing the significance of this
objective. It can be seen from Figure 3 that at a confidence interval of 95%
almost all variables are within the confidence interval range. This implies that
majority of the indicators used to measure the variables were all within the
confidence interval range with one outside the line which is an outlier. R2 which
is the coefficient of determination is 0.474.
45

With transformational leadership style as the independent variable and
staff performance as the dependent variable. Table 7 gives the model summary
of the output. This table displays R, R squared, adjusted R squared, and the
standard error. R is the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient which
indicates the strength and direction of the linear relationship between the
dependent variable (staff performance of Berekum Senior High School) and the
independent variable (Transformational leadership style). Hence from Table 7,
transformational leadership style and staff performance are positively
correlated, and the strength of the relationship is moderately strong at .688.
Regarding this relationship between transformational leadership style and staff
performance, the correlation shows a moderately strong positive and significant
relationship between the two variables.
The R Square explains the amount of variation that exists in the
dependent variables caused by the independent variable. Therefore, the result
further indicates that 47.4% variation in staff performance of Berekum Senior
High School (as dependent variables) is explained by the independent variable
(transformational leadership style). The implication is that an improvement
transformational leadership style would result in an increase in staff
performance of Berekum Senior High School.
Table 7: Model Summary

Std. Error of
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square the Estimate
1 .688a .474 .468 .62477
a. Predictors: (Constant), TFL

Source: Field Data (2019)
46

Table 8 is the ANOVA table which provides the test significance for R
and R2 using the F-statistic. The F statistic is the regression mean square (MSR)
divided by the residual mean square (MSE). If the significance value of the F
statistic is small (smaller than say 0.05) then the independent variables do a
good job explaining the variation in the dependent variable. In this analysis, the
ρ-value is well below .05 (ρ < .001). Therefore, it can be concluded that the R
and R2 between transformational leadership style and staff performance of
Berekum Senior High School is statistically significant, and transformational
leadership style can significantly influence the staff performance of Berekum
Senior High School.
Table 8: ANOVAa
Sum of Mean
Model Squares df Square F Sig.
1Regression 29.194 1 29.194 74.792 .000b
Residual 32.398 83 .390
Total 61.592 84
b. Predictors: (Constant), TFL
Source: Field Data, 2019
The table in the SPSS output labelled coefficients (Table 9) provides
information that is useful for understanding the regression equation. Under the
column marked unstandardized coefficient and sub-column B, the numerical
value for the first row, labelled (constant), is the value for the intercept (a) in
the regression equation. The numerical value on the second row, labelled as TFL
(transformational leadership style) in this case (representing the independent
variables), is the value for the slope (b) for the regression equation. Based on
these results, the researcher can report the following regression equation,
47

predicting staff performance of Berekum Senior High School based on
transformational leadership style of the school.
Y (staff performance) = 1.535 + 0.623TFL
Also, from Table 10, the relationship between the variables can be seen
in the column named ‘beta’.
Table 9: Coefficientsa
Unstandardized Standardized
Coefficients Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta T Sig.
1 (Constant) 1.535 .259 5.929 .000
TFL .623 .072 .688 8.648 .000
1. Dependent Variable: SP
Hence taking the values for the slope and the intercept in the resulting
regression equation, the researcher can make the following accessions:
According to the intercept, when there is no use of transformational leadership
style in the school, staff performance of Berekum Senior High School will be at
153.5%, and according to the slope, for any improvement made in
transformational leadership style, will lead to an increase in staff performance
of Berekum Senior High School by 62.3%. Therefore, transformational
leadership style of the school has a significant effect on the staff performance
of Berekum Senior High School.
Keller (1992) found out that transformational leadership and concluded
that it is clearly related with worker’s performance. This finding has been
supported by other contemporary studies by (Eisenbeiß & Boerner, 2013; Fu-
Jin, Shieh & Tang, 2011; Garcia, Llorens & Verdu, 2008; Long & Mao, 2008).
48

From the empirical review, it was found that, transformational leadership has a
strong positive effect on employee performance across several fields
(Amankwaa & Anku-Tsede, 2015; Ariyabuddhiphongs & Kahn, 2017; Kehinde
& Banjo, 2014; Shafie et al., 2013).
Chapter Summary
This chapter presented the results and discussion of the study’s research
objectives. The results show that, democratic leadership style was the most
preferred leadership style in the school. Also, both transactional and
transformational leadership styles were found to have positive significant
influence on staff performance at Berekum Senior High School. The next
chapter presented the summary, conclusions and recommendations of the study
based on these results.
49

CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
This chapter presents the summary of the main findings, conclusions
drawn from the findings and recommendations for policy consideration and
suggestions for further research.
Summary of the Work
The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of leadership
styles on performance of staff at Berekum Senior High School, Brong Ahafo of
Ghana. Specifically, the following objectives were developed to:
1. assess the leadership styles that exist in Berekum Senior High School.
2. examine the influence of transactional leadership style on staff
performance.
3. examine the influence of transformational leadership style on staff
performance.
The study employed the quantitative research approach and the causal
research design due to the purpose of the study. The structured questionnaire, a
primary data collection instrument, was used to gather data from all the 108
members (staff) in the target population. However, 89 out of the total
questionnaires (108) administered were reliable for the study and as such,
obtained a response rate of (82.41%). The data obtained were processed using
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 and analysed using
statistical tools such as frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations
and linear regression. The results were presented in tables and discussed in
50

Chapter four. The next section presented the summary of the study’s key
findings.
Key findings
This study provided an overview and relevant discussion on leadership
and employee performance within academic literature. It has brought to bear
relevant information that could inform policies in relation to improving
performance of employees (teaching and administrative staff) at Berekum
Senior High School in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. Presentation below
are the key findings of the study. The findings are organised according to the
research objectives.
In relation to the first research objective on the leadership style of
management at the school, it was found that the democratic style was the most
adopted. This implies that, management involves employees in decision making
processes and also allow them to feel in control of their own destiny. Employees
are also highly involved in key activities of the school and thus are highly
involved. This finding was unsurprising as management who adopt this style
have been found to perform better. This style is also regarded as one of the most
widely used leadership style that helps to entice employees to remain committed
and engaged with their respective organisations.
With regard to the second research objective on the influence of
transactional leadership style on performance of employees at the Berekum
SHS, it was found that, transactional leadership style has a significant positive
effect on the staff performance. This implies that, staff obey their management
totally once they have agreed to work for the school. This style of leadership
allows management to induce the staff through the use of contingent rewards,
51

rule enforcement and corrective actions which in turn lead to improved
performances. The use of corrective actions, for instance, enables management
to constantly take corrective measures to correct wrong doings which helps to
build employee capacity and in turn performance.
Finally, the third research objective focused on the influence of
transformational leadership style on performance of employees at the Berekum
SHS, it was found that, this leadership style has a significant positive effect on
the staff’s performance. This implies that, the use of this style by management
allows them to focus on staff development coupled with addressing their needs.
Managers with these leadership style concentrate on their employees’ growth
and development of value systems, their moralities and inspirational levels. It is
therefore unsurprising to find that this leadership style produces positive results
on performances of the staff at the school. Clearly, giving employees more
insight and understanding brings about permanent changes, momentum
building and self-perpetuating.
Conclusions
The aim of the study was to investigate leadership styles and staff
performance at the Berekum Senior High School within the Brong Ahafo
Region of Ghana. Three specific objectives were therefore set to help
investigate the issue. These objectives have been achieved to a large extent. For
instance, with regard to objective one the study concludes that, democratic
leadership style is the most preferred leadership style in Berekum Senior High
School. This style ensures employee involvement in the activities at the school.
This style has helped management to improve upon both staff and students’
performances at the school in recent years.
52

With regards to the second research objective, the study revealed that,
transactional leadership style has significant positive influence on staff
performance. As such, this style allows management to implement rules and
regulations, propose writ of authority, establish and focus on certain goals. It
also direct employees to attain pre-determined objectives. This result supports
previous empirical studies that indicate that, for management to establish and
encourage higher standards of their employees, they need to adopt transactional
leadership style. Also, other studies have supported this study’s result by
revealing that, establishing rules and standards enable management to have
control over their staff and in turn assist them to perform better. Based on this
result, the study concludes that, staff performance at the school is positively and
highly influenced by transactional leadership style.
With regards to the third research objective, the study revealed that,
transformational leadership style has significant positive influence on staff
performance. This style allows management to concentrate on their employees’
growth and development of value systems, their moralities and inspirational
levels. This in turn help to enhance performances of the staff. This result
supports previous empirical studies that indicate that, management need to
uphold the interest of his/her employees by adopting this leadership style.
Employees play tremendous roles in organisational development thus leaders
have been encouraged to adopt this style in bid to uphold employee interest
through clear communication lines, transparency and involvement in decision
making processes. Based on this result, the study concludes that, staff
performance at the school is positively and highly influenced by
transformational leadership style.
53

Recommendations
On the strength of the research findings and conclusions made, the
following recommendations are hereby made.
The problem at stake was that, the leadership style adopted by
management of Berekum Senior High School was unclear. the study therefore
found that, among the various styles of leadership, the democratic style was
prevalent among management. This style has been regarded among the best
leadership styles globally. Based on this, the study recommends that,
management should continue to improve upon the democratic leadership style
by constantly ensuring representativeness or organisational cohesion. This can
be achieved by ensuring staff to participate in decision making processes as it
will ensure employees support the policies that would be taken in the school.
employees feel appreciated and recognised when their suggestions are sought
during decision making.
Also, the study found transactional leadership style to have a positive
significant effect on staff performance. This style helps management to
establish policies and standards and monitor and correct inappropriate
performances through corrective measures/actions. However, although this
style could help improve staff performance, it has been found to be associated
with autocracy and laissez-faire leadership styles. The study therefore
recommended that, management of the academic institutions should take
cautious efforts when adopting this study as overusing it could negatively affect
their staff’s performances. Also, the corrective actions of management should
also be clearly stated, fair and transparent to prevent in-house conflicts which
could arise from staff dissatisfaction.
54

Finally, the study found transformational leadership style to have a
positive significant effect on staff performance. This style helps management to
understand employees’ interests and thus provide incentives aimed at satisfying
them. Employees are regarded as the backbone of organisations thus
disrespecting their interest/views could have rippling effect on the
organisation’s performances. On this note, the study recommended that, policy
makers in the educational sector including management of Berekum Senior
High School should improve current policies geared towards employee
development. This could be done through implementation of innovative
employee development programmes such as training packages, incentives and
flexible leave policies in bid to ensure that the interest of their staff is addressed.
Suggestions for Further Research
Although the study provides useful insight into leadership style and
employee performance at Berekum Senior High School, the results cannot be
generalised to the high schools in Ghana. This is because, the study relied on
the opinions and suggestions of staff of one school (Berekum SHS). It is to note
that, the style of leadership implemented by a particular management team
could vary thus difficult to generalise findings. The study therefore recommends
that, further research should focus on a broader research by including other
academic institutions within the country to ensure better generalisation.
55

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60

APPENDIX
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ON LEADERSHIP STYLE AND
PERFORMANCES OF STAFF AT BEREKUM SENIOR HIGH
SCHOOL
This survey is designed to gather information on Leadership style and
performance of staff at Berekum Senior High School. Your views are very much
important to the study. Every information you provide would be 100%
confidential. Thanks for accepting to participate in the study.
SECTION A: DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION OF RESPONDENTS
Please indicate your response by ticking (√) in the applicable box for each
question.
1. Sex:
Male [ ] Female [ ]
2. Age:
18-24 [ ] 25 – 34 [ ] 35 – 45 [ ]
46 – 55 [ ] 56 – 65 [ ]
3. Highest Level of Education:
Certificate [ ] Diploma [ ] Degree [ ]
Professional [ ] Others(specify) ……………………
4. Teaching experience (years)
Below 5 [ ] 5 – 10 [ ] 11 – 15 [ ]
16 – 20 [ ] 21 – 25 [ ] 26 – 30 [ ]
Above 30 [ ]
61

SECTION B: PERCEIVED LEADERSHIP STYLES
On a scale of 1 – 5, please rate your level of agreement to each statement. Please
tick (√) appropriately, from 1 (least agreement) to 5 (Highest agreement).
Statements 1 2 3 4 5
1 My superior has absolute power over the staff and
does not allow us to make suggestions (autocratic)
2 My superior invites all the staff to participate in
decision making (democratic)
3 My superior allows us to do everything on our own
but communicates back to us when necessary
(laissez-faire)
4 My superior wants the staff to work strictly
according to the rules of GES and the school
(Bureaucratic)
5 I think my superior inspires staff to achieve great
things and this drives us forward (Charismatic)
6 Since the day I accepted to work in this school, my
superior always want me to totally agree with
him/her (transactional)
7 My superior is someone who inspires staff with
constantly shared vision of the future
(transformational)
8 I perceive that, my superior is focused only on the
staff getting the job done (task-oriented)
62

9 I think my superior is totally focused on organising,
supporting and developing the staff in the school
(people-oriented)
SECTION C: TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE
1 I am always informed on what to do if I want to be
rewarded appropriately
2 My Superior is satisfied when I meet agreed upon
standards.
3 My superior punishes any staff member who does
not meet expected standards
4 My superior provides rewards when academic
goals are achieved
5 My leader corrects any staff member for not
meeting expected standards
6 My superior has established clear rules, regulations
and standards which every staff member is
expected to follow
7 My superior directs me to attain pre-determined
targets
8 My superior informs staff on the standards we have
to know to carry out our works
63

9 My superior is concerned with my performance for
a particular term only
10 My superior allows us to bring new ideas and
create new ways of doing things in the school
SECTION D: TRANFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLES
My superior clearly defines the school’s vision
to staff
My superior provides support to the staff
My superior enables me to view problems from
new perspectives
The interest of staff is of great concern to my
superior
My leader is focused on transforming the lives
of staff in the school
My superior concentrates on staff growth and
development
Performances of staff is of great concern to my
superior
My superior gives personal attention to all the
staff in the school
64

My superior assists staff in improving our
motivational levels
My superior is able to settle disputes between
staff amicably whenever they occur
SECTION E: STAFF PERFORMANCE
1 My performance in the school is measured by
my ability to respond quickly to respond to
students’ problems
2 My ability to teach well whenever there is a

change in curriculum is used to measure my
performance in the school
Dependability of a staff member is used to
measure his/her performance in the school
My ability to deliver topics in my syllabus
well and efficiently is used to measure my
performance
My punctuality to school and class is used to
measure my performance
The content of the syllabus I prepare for
lessons is used to measure how I perform in
the school
My performance is measured by the responses
I give to students whenever they ask me
questions
My overall work output in the school is used
to measure my performance
65

My ability to use teaching and learning

materials in class is used to measure my
performance
The overall performances of the students I
teach is used to measure my performance in
the school
THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING
66

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UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

LEADERSHIP STYLE AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT

BEREKUM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

NANA KWAMENA ADDAE NYARKO

Digitized by Sam Jonah Library

UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

LEADERSHIP STYLE AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT

BEREKUM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

NANA KWAMENA ADDAE NYARKO

Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management of the School of

Business, College of Humanities and Legal Studies, University of Cape Coast

in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Business

Administration degree in General Management.

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I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own original

Candidate’s Signature………….................................. Date……………………

Name: Nana Kwamena Addae Nyarko

I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of the dissertation

were supervised in accordance with the guidelines on supervision laid down by

the University of Cape Coast.

Supervisor’s Signature…………................................. Date……………………

Name: Dr. Alex Adom

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Leadership styles have been recognised to have immense impact on the

performance and growth of employees and invariably organisational

performances. However, in Ghana, students’ academic performances have been

have been found to be a major contributor. It is therefore relevant to examine

the influence of leadership styles on staff performance in Ghana focusing on

sampling technique was employed to solicit for information from 90 academic

inferential statistical tools such as frequencies, percentages, means, standard

both transactional and transformational leadership styles had positive

significant influence on staff performance at the school. The study therefore

recommended that, management should continue to improve upon the

democratic leadership style by constantly ensuring representativeness or

organisational cohesion. It was also recommended that, policy makers in the

educational sector including management of Berekum Senior High School

should improve current policies geared towards employee development

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Transformational leadership style

Transactional leadership style

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I am grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Alex Adom, for his support and

this work to its current state.

and care throughout my programme.

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Digitized by Sam Jonah Library

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii

Background to the Study 1

Statement of the Problem 4

Purpose of the Study 6

Significance of the Study 6

Organisation of the Study 8

Fiedler’s Contingency Theory 9

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Authoritative leadership style 13

Laissez faire leadership style 14