LEADERSHIP STYLE AND ORGANIZATIONAL POLITICS: THEIR IMPACT ON EMPLOYEES' PERFORMANCE IN UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA

This study investigates the effect of leadership behavior and organizational politics on Employees' performance University of Abuja, with the primary objective of assessing how different leadership styles and environmental factor within the institution influence employee performance. Grounded in the Path Goal Theory of Leadership, which emphasizes the leader's role in clarifying paths to goals and removing obstacles for subordinates, the research examines how directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented leadership behaviors affect worker outcomes within a politically-influenced environment. A quantitative research methodology was adopted, employing structured questionnaires distributed to 346 academic and non-academic staff sampled across various units of the university using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table of determining sample size. The data collected were analyzed using statistical tools including descriptive statistics, with the aid of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to determine the strength and nature of the relationships among variables. Findings of the study revealed that leadership behavior has positive and significant effect on employees' performance, and organizational culture contributes to the development and expression of effective employees' commitments. However, political behavior exhibited within the institution may sometimes be strategically used to influence decisions, allocate resources, or build networks that ultimately enhance performance. It is recommended that leaders at all levels should be encouraged to adopt participative, supportive, and achievement-oriented leadership styles that align with employee needs and institutional goals, promote a cohesive organizational culture, and establish transparent and fair administrative processes to ensure that political behaviour does not lead to favoritism or resentment among the employees.