EFFECTS OF LEADERSHIP STRATEGY ON PERFORMANCE OF GOVERNMENT SECURITY AGENCY (A CASE OF NATIONAL POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION OF KENYA)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the effects of leadership strategy on performance
of government security agency and targeted the National Police Service Commission of
Kenya as an area of study. Specifically, the study explores the effects of democratic
leadership, transformational leadership, transactional leadership and authoritarian
leadership on performance of the National Police Service Commission. The effects of
leadership strategy and performance of government security agency has been the area of
concern and there was need to explore the gaps, which exist between the two areas. The
study reviews related literature, which supported the study gaps and necessitated the need
for this study. This study used a descriptive research based on the perceptions of senior
managers and the operational members of staff, who were used as the respondents of this
study. A structured self-completed research questionnaire was administered by hand and
collected after a period of two weeks. The component of analysis for this study was 150
employees, which formed the target population for this study. A stratified sampling
technique was employed on various categories where 30% of the target population was
selected to form the sample size of this study. The response rate of 93.3% from the
respondents made it easier for the study to be carried out. Data collected was presented
and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The statistical package for
social science was used to facilitate the data analysis. The study used correlation statistical
analysis techniques to aid in establishing the relationship between independent variables
and dependent variable. Analysis of variance, means, standard deviation, percentages,
graphs and regression model were, used to ease the study findings and discussions. From
the study findings, the statistics showed that there was a correlation of democratic
leadership and performance with a correlation figure of 0.047, transformation leadership
and performance with a correlation figure of 0.089, transactional leadership and
performance with a correlation figure of 0.023 and authoritarian leadership and
performance with a correlation figure of 0.103. The conclusion of this study showed that
the use of democratic leadership and transformational leadership was not fully embraced
within the organization, transactional leadership was disputed by the respondents who
indicated that its use in the organization may cause high staff turnover and that
authoritarian leadership affects efficiency and effective performance negatively. From the
conclusions of the study, the study recommended that the organization should embrace
democratic leadership but more emphasis should be given transformation leadership. Care
should be taken when transactional leadership is to be practiced since it has its short falls
and authoritarian should be used as the last resort and needs to be discouraged if
efficiency and effective performance is to be realized within the organization.