RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERSHIP STYLES AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE OF PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN JIGAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

There is a noticeable gap in research on leadership styles within service industries, particularly among private secondary schools in Jigawa State, Nigeria. Grounded in Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, this study aims to address this gap by examining the relationship between leadership styles and employee work performance. Data were collected through a self-reported survey of 277 employees and school administrators from leading private secondary schools. The proposed hypotheses were analyzed using SPSS and Smart PLS-SEM. Findings reveal that transformational, democratic, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles significantly predict employee work performance. These results support Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, which posits that leadership effectiveness is contingent upon situational variables and organizational context. Based on these findings, the study recommends that private secondary schools adopt transformational and democratic leadership styles, while also applying transactional and laissez-faire approaches strategically to enhance employee performance and overall organizational success. Theoretical implications, practical applications, and study limitations are also discussed. Keywords: Autocratic, Democratic, laissez-faire, Transactional and Transformational Leadership styles, Employee performanc