MANAGEMENT DISSERTATION PROPOSAL PROFORMA

SECTION ONE

Background

The area of interest is to review leadership behaviors in my organization and its impact on organizational performance. This topic of interest is quite important to me because of the different leadership behaviors exhibited by different leaders in the organization and their impacts on organizational performance. Understanding leadership behaviors that best suits the organization has become increasingly important due to the recent challenges being faced by the organization and the need to remain competitive. Among these challenges are inability of the Navy to fully meet up to its constitutional responsibilities thereby resulting in increased maritime piracy and threats, difficulty in motivating both officers and soldiers to increase operational performance and effectiveness of the Navy. What leadership behavior drives performance in the Navy Jackson & Parry (2008, p. 28) identified the transformational leadership as the “new leadership”, Will this form of leadership be effective in the case of the Nigerian Navy Most leaders in the organization seem to exhibit more of a transactional and charismatic leadership approach, are these the most suitable forms of leadership that drives performance in the organization These are all part of the problems this dissertation wishes to examine during the research.

Aim

The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of leadership behaviour on organizational performance.

Draft Research Questions/Hypothesis

The main research question will be:

How do leadership behaviors relate to organizational performance

The main research question is approached and answered by the following sub- research objectives.

-To identify the types of leadership behaviors.

-To study the concepts of leadership behaviors.

-To study the different measures of organizational performance.

-To study the impact of leadership on organizational performance.

To investigate the impact of leadership behavior on organizational performance using the Nigerian Navy as a case study.

Draft Research Objectives

The main objectives of this study is to conduct proper research on the concepts and types of leadership behaviors by studying relevant theories on leadership behavior and also to investigate the impact of leadership behavior on organizational performance using the Nigerian Navy as a case study.

Feasibility of the Study

Like earlier stated, the title of the dissertation will be ‘Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance: A Case Study of the Nigerian Navy’. The purpose of this research is to study existing theories on leadership and investigate the impact of the various leadership styles on organizational performance while using the Nigerian Navy as a case study. Cultural implications would also be studied. The researcher belongs to this organization and has over time witnessed various leaders who have exhibited different leadership behaviors. Certainly, each of these leadership behaviors has had a considerable impact on the Navy’s constitutional roles and understanding their various impacts is important for the organization. Hence, the need to study the most appropriate leadership behavior that enhances organizational performance so as to create more awareness among officers and soldiers and also encourage them to emulate these leadership behaviors in the interest of the organization.

The timeline for this research would be a period of 9 months in line with the requirements of the UOL. During the first stage of this period, the researcher would reach out to the various respondents in order to generate primary data that would be used for analysis. Primary data would be collected through questionnaires, surveys, interviews and direct observations. All the major respondents would consist of and be limited to officers and soldiers serving in the Navy. These categories of personnel includes:

Top management: (at the headquarters, command and base levels)

Operational commanders

Tactical commanders

Senior non-commissioned officers and soldiers.

The use of primary data would be necessary at this stage and should primary data fail, secondary data such as published articles and books would be adopted during the research. Scholarly articles would be sourced from the University’s Online Library and other academic libraries located accessible by the researcher. The cost of conducting this research would be entirely borne by the researcher. During the period of the research, guidance would be sought from the General Dissertation Instructor (GDI) for the purpose of ensuring that the research is up to the required standard. After due request and confirmation, the GDI for this dissertation is Dr Joaquin Angles.

SECTION TWO – LITERATURE REVIEW

History of Leadership

The history of leadership dates back to the early 20^th century when various theories were formulated. Fisrt among these was the Great Man theories of 1900 which suggested that the capacity of leadership is inborn. The next was the Group theory of 1930 which proposed the emergence of leadership among small groups. The trait theory was developed between 1930-40s and further expanded its concepts from the Greatman theories by stating that people are either born or made with certain innate leadership qualities, which makes them to excel in leadership roles. After this theory was the Behavioral theory which came into existence between 1950-60 and it examined the key behavioral patterns that makes leaders to succeed. The Contingency/Situational theory was further proposed in the 1960s and its main concepts was based on how certain leadership behaviors contribute to its success. To a certain extent, the Contingency theory is an extension of the Trait theory due to the belief that human traits are related to the situation that enables leaders exercise their leadership. The transactional and transformational leadership theories were developed in the 1980s and has dominated the literature on leadership. Both theories identified leadership from a behavioral perspective, though the latter has been described as the “new leadership” (Jackson & Parry (2008, p. 28). This research therefore seeks to examine the impact of both leadership styles on organizational performance.

Leadership and Organizational Performance

Chemers (1997) described leadership as a process of social influence where an individual solicits the aid and support of others to accomplish specific tasks. Certo (2002, p. 325) sees leadership as “the process of directing the behaviour of others towards the accomplishments of some objective”. Cole (2002) also defined leadership as a dynamic process whereby in a certain context and time, an individual influences a group of people towards acheivement of group objectives. One important deduction from these definitions is that leadership is an important part of organizational experience and its influence can have significant impact on the conduct of employees and organizational performance. But what type of leadership style increases organizational performance and how can it be measured

There has been considerable debate on the bases for measuring organizational performance (Ford & Schellenberg, 1982). Though a number of variables exist such as profitability, gross profit, revenue growth, sales growth, stock price, market share, return on investment (ROI), return on asset (ROA), return on sale (ROS), return on equity (ROE) and operational efficiency (Snow & Hrebiniak, 1983; Atrill and McLaney 2012). However, despite these various parameters for measurement, the diverse nature of organizations has made it difficult for researchers to explicate a single method of performance measurement (Snow & Hrebiniak, 1983). Notwithstanding, several research has been conducted to examine the impact of leadership styles on organizational performance.

For instance, a research conducted by Ejere & Abasilim (2013) investigated the impact of both transactional and transformational leadership styles and how it affects organizational performance using an organization in Nigeria. Assessment of organizational performance were practically based on three measurement parameters: effort, satisfaction and effectiveness. After conducting detailed survey from 184 respondents which were selected randomly, the research revealed that both forms of leadership had significant positive impacts on organizational performance. However, while the transformational leadership style had a strong positive influence, the transactional leadership style had a weak positive influence. The research however concluded that a mix style of leadership which involves a combination of both transactional and transformational leadership styles should be implemented but with special consideration to the nature of the responsibilities assigned to employees or followers. In view of the fact that a combination of both leadership styles can enhance organizational performance, understanding the nature of the organization is critical in order to create the right balance. This is why the researcher intends to focus on the Nigerian Navy as a case study.

Another research conducted by Bass et al. (2003) attempted to understand how leaders can create an effective mix of both the transactional and transformational leadership styles to provide the ideal leadership approach that is required to tackle organizational challenges and to improve future performance. The research critically examined existing literature and strived to understand how leadership ratings impacted on the performance of Units operating under uncertainties. The research also sought to understand how the leaders transformational leadership style was augmented by a transactional leadership style in order to enhance Unit performance. The Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) measuring scale was used to calculate the predictive relationships between both forms of leadership. The heirarchical regression model revealed no augmenting role. However, a second approach revealed an augmenting role in boosting organizational performance.

The third article that would be considered during this literature review is the research conducted by Halpin (2011) which sought to understand the historical changes that have impacted on the leadership context within the military environment. This became important in view of the changing global landscape and the environment which is becoming more complex and challenging for military organizations. Understanding these various factors is important for this research in order to develop valid hypothesis that would provide a guide for the dissertation.

SECTION THREE – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This section addresses the research methodology that the study shall encompass including the study design as well as the methods that shall be used to collect the data and how the data shall be analyzed. The section also outlines how the persons to be involved in the study shall be chosen. It is important that first of all the study area be comprehensively defined in detail, for example, the population size and the topographic features of the area. A survey research method shall be used for the study. The researcher shall prefer this because it can provide data from primary data using the various tools that shall be highlighted later (Blessing, Chakrabarti & Blessing, 2009). This form of data is quite crucial at providing valid and highly reliable information, especially when done with the suitable premises and all the relevant variables are taken into consideration.

The tools used to collect data usually include questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observations and focus groups. Questionnaires are used as a means of collecting data and therefore, it must address the specific objectives of the research. It must also be designed in a simple way that the respondents can understand so that the validity of the data collected can be high. Before the questionnaire is administered to the study respondents, it can be used in a pilot study to ascertain its effectiveness and the areas that are not clear can be corrected. Interviews can also be used to collect primary data (Crowe 2010, p.96). The respondents are selected randomly to avoid bias, and lead questions that can help extract important, relevant information are given to them. A group of people who have knowledge of the study topic can also sit together and objectively discuss the study topic. They can be between five and seven people. At the end of the discussion, the participants would have generated a lot of information concerning the research topic.  These are the primary ways that the researcher will use to collect data. The use of secondary methods would also be employed to collect the data by reviewing the existing literature.

The researcher will choose participants by sampling them. First, they will be described by defining the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Then the researcher proceeds to do a sample size determination arithmetically. This gives him the number of participants that will take part in the study. The Fisher et. al (1998) formula is usually used to determine the sample size (Olsen, 2012). After the number is determined, a criterion is determined to pick the sampled participants randomly but representatively from among the study population to avoid bias (Olsen, 2012 p.158). The collected data will be analyzed using the statistical analysis softwares (Easterby-Smith, Thorpe and Jackson 2012). The findings are then presented using frequency tables, charts, and graphs, for example, bar graphs, line graphs and histograms where necessary.

The researcher should stick to the ethical considerations of conducting research. For instance, the participants must be guided to make an informed consent of participating, and their anonymity must be guaranteed. Therefore, only those participants who are willing to take part in the study will be allowed to participate. To cover the political aspect of successfully conducting the research, the researcher will seek permission from the local authorities of the respondents and show a letter of recommendation from the organization to ascertain the legitimacy of the research.

After you have fully addressed all my comments regarding your methodology and you have explained all areas.

Start sub-section and title this 3.1 Research Sample. Here you must fully explain the total sample size, population (how will they be selected), how many organizations you will collect data from and the type of instrument (interviews/questionnaires) that will be use. Surveys will require a pilot study. You must explain this.

Then provide 3.2 Data Collection and Analysis sub-section. Here you will explain how you plan on collecting and analyzing your data and your pilot study. You need to explain this fully including how many will take part of the pilot study.

How will you ensure validity and reliability of the data Please begin with sub-section 3.3 titled Validity and Reliability. You must address each area separately. Please look at the resources in your RMT class for information on these areas

SECTION FOUR – TIMING MILEPOSTS

Milestone Summary

References:

Atrill, P., and McLaney E. (2012) Finance and Accounting for Managers, 4^th ed., Essex, England: Pearson Learning Solutions.

Bass, B.M., Jung, D.I., Avolio, B.J. and Berson, Y. (2003), ‘Predicting unit performance by assessing transformational and transactional leadership’, Journal of Applied Psychology, 88 (2), pp. 207-218.

Blessing, L. T. M., Chakrabarti, A., & Blessing, L. T. M. (2009) DRM, a design research methodology. Dordrecht: Springer.

Certo, S. C. (2002) Modern Management, 9th Ed., New Delhi: Prentice Hall.

Chemers M. (1997) An Integrative Theory of Leadership, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Crowe, A. R. (2010) Advancing social studies education through self-study methodology: the power, promise, and use of self-study in social studies education. Dordrecht: Springer.

Ejere, E.I., & Abasilim, U.D. (2013) ‘Impact of transactional and transformational leadership styles on organization performance: Empirical evidence from Nigeria, The Journal of Commerce, 5 (1), pp. 30 – 34, [Online] Available from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewervid=1&sid=ba93764d-a042-4dbb-9561-56a8cb7b4f40%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4102 (Accessed: 26 January 2016).

Ford, J. & Schellenberg, D. (1982) Conceptual Issues of Linkage in the Assessment of Organizational Performance, The Academy Of Management Review, 7(1), pp. 49-58. [Online] Available from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewervid=1&sid=998077d5-a79d-4fbc-84e8-125659162924%40sessionmgr198&hid=114 (Accessed: 26 January 2016).

Halpin, S.M. (2011) ‘Historical Influences on the Changing Nature of Leadership Within the Military Environment’, Military Psychology, 23(5), pp. 479–488. [Online] Available from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewervid=7&sid=ef05d8a6-ab34-4afe-a1e0-56a6254a1887%40sessionmgr198&hid=103 (Accessed: 27 January 2016).

Jackson, K.A. & Parry, B (2008) A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Leadership, London: Sage Publications.

Olsen, W. K. (2012) Data collection: key debates and methods in social research. London: Sage publications. [Online] Available from http://srmo.sagepub.com.liverpool.idm.oclc.org/view/data-collection/SAGE.xml (Accessed: 3 February 2015).

Sethibe, T., & Steyn, R. (2015) ‘The relationship between leadership styles, innovation and organisational performance: A systematic review’, South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 18(3), pp. 325-337, [Online] Available from https://monkessays.com/write-my-essay/scielo.org.za/scielo.phppid=S2222-34362015000300003&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en (Accessed: 26 January 2016).

Snow, C. C., & Hrebiniak, L. G. (1983) ‘Strategy, Distinctive Competence, and Organizational Performance’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 25, pp. 307- 335.

This needs revision. Within what contextor for better terms what application or perhaps you should revise; How do leadership behaviors found within the Nigerian Navy relate to organizational performance

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