The Impact of Leadership Styles on Employee Performance in Jinja City Council: An Empirical Study

This study sought to assess the influence of Leadership Style on Employee Performance in Jinja City Council.The study objectives were to: establish how Autocratic leadership style, Democratic leadership style and laissez-faire leadership style influences employee performance at Jinja City Council.The study employed descriptive research design where qualitative and quantitative approaches were used, opinions, and suggestions on the influence of leadership styles on employee performance at Jinja City Council.The study population was 72 employees from Jinja City Council which comprised of Mayor, Town Clerk, CFO, Commercial officer, Accountants, Procurement officer, Cashier, Internal Auditor and opinion leaders.The researcher used simple random sampling technique (randomization) as it ensured that each member of the target population had an equal and independent chance of being included in the sample and purposively sampled.Data from questionnaires will be cleaned and checked for consistence.The pre-coded data was thereafter entered into a computer and analyzed using SPSS version 20.The qualitative data was then coded and codes will be used to identify themes.Thematic analysis was used to analysis the data after which conclusions were made on individual questions.The findings of this study highlight the critical role that leadership styles play in influencing employees' performance.Autocratic leadership, which involves centralized decision-making and minimal employee participation, was found to have a detrimental impact on performance.This aligns with existing literature suggesting that rigid control and lack of employee engagement suppress innovation and reduce motivation.Directive leadership, on the other hand, was found to have a significant positive effect on employees' performance.Leaders who provide clear instructions, establish expectations, and set structured goals contribute to a more efficient work environment and in contrast, laissez-faire leadership exhibited an insignificant relationship with employees' performance, implying that a completely hands-off approach does not necessarily improve productivity.Employees who lack proper supervision and guidance may struggle with accountability and decision-making.