Description

Leadership, employee job satisfaction and organisational performance have been widely discussed in the world with numerous perspectives having been postulated to date. The interrelationships of these exogenous and endogenous variables have probably contributed to the turnaround and demise of so many industries across the whole world. It was therefore of utmost interest to explore the impact of leadership style on employees job satisfaction and organisational performance with particular reference to ZESA Enterprises Private Limited, a subsidiary of ZESA Holdings Private Limited. A number of studies have been done in various sectors of the economy with respect to these exogenous and endogenous variables but there seems to be no unifying study that has been done especially in an emerging economy like Zimbabwe to critically look at why parastatals fail to perform even with all kinds of support.
This thesis sought to examine the interrelationships of the leadership styles, employee job satisfaction and organisational performance and how they outplayed each other to influence such kind of a poor consistent negative performance of the organisation for the period under study. The research study undertook a quantitative approach in which 200 survey questionnaires were distributed to senior executives, managers, middle managers, supervisors and artisans including clerical staff with 53% response rate. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling Smart Partial Least Squares (PLS) statistical software was used for data analysis. Confirmatory Factory Analysis (CFA) was used to check model fit, reliability and validity of measurement instruments while Path Modelling (PM) checked model fit and was used for hypothesis testing. The findings of the study presented that the hypothesised statement between participative leadership style and employee job satisfaction was supported and significant, autocratic leadership style and employee job satisfaction was supported but not significant, entrepreneurial leadership style and employee job satisfaction was supported and significant, management leadership grid style and employee job satisfaction was rejected and insignificant, transformational leadership style and employee job satisfaction was supported and significant, transactional leadership style and employee job satisfaction was supported and insignificant and employee job satisfaction and organisational performance was supported and significant.
It is hoped that the findings of this study will contribute immensely to theory and will correspondingly inform practice. Indeed, it is also anticipated that the findings of this study will go a long way in guiding future research endeavours.