CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Secondary schools all over the world, including Nigeria, are important institutions in the achievement of the educational policy of the state. As a formal organisation, it has a bureaucratic administrative structure with established rules and regulations, aimed at providing the needed opportunities for the education and development of the learners and sta of the schools, and usually under the leadership of the principal. In their views, Ochoyi and Danladi (2009) and Wilson (2016, p. 52) described education as a vital tool in the development of the learners, through the transmission of worthwhile values such as skills, knowledge and planned activities that can develop the learners’ potentials for the benefit of the society. Education, thus provides for the development of the citizens, and is achieved through the implementation of the necessary school curricula and education policy of the state. In Nigeria, the education policy anchors on five cardinal objectives, basically a free and democratic society; a just and egalitarian society; a united, strong and self-reliant nation; a great and dynamic economy; a land full of bright opportunities for all citizens FGN, (2004, p. 4). In addition, Olatunji (2015, p. 396), stated that Nigeria’s philosophy of education is a complex one that requires adequate administrative procedure to ensure its practical achievement in the state. The desirability of achieving of both the Nigerian education policy and philosophy of education requires effective leadership in all educational institutions in Nigeria, including the secondary schools. Secondary schools provide institutional resources for the secondary education level and needs effective leadership of the principal to ensure the achievement of its objectives.
Adwella (2014, p.1) saw leadership as the operational tool in influencing people to strive willingly and enthusiastically towards the achievement of the organisational goals, including secondary schools. Nworgu (1991), Omolayo (2000), and Aghenta (2001) explained leadership as a process of influencing the activities of a group of people by a leader in an eort towards the attainment of the organisational goal. It involves the act of getting things done with the cooperation and assistance of other people. Leadership is therefore an important instrument in the initiation and implementation of the organisational policies, including educational policies and philosophy of the secondary schools in the State, and the leadership style and traits so applied by the leader influences the job performance of the sta in the organisation (Yahaya, Osman, Mohammed, Gibrilla, and Issah, 2014, p. 2).
In another development, Borman and Motowidlo (1993) explained that job performance implies task performance involving individual activities that contribute to the organisational value, and could be direct or indirect based on the status of the staff involved in the organisational activities under the directive of the leader. Every job in the secondary school system is carried out by the school staff, either by the academic or non-academic staff, and sta job performance is assessed based on the staff activities in the school as directed by the principal. The implication is that the action of the Principal determines the staff activities, directly or indirectly, and accounts for sta job performance in the school. The Principal identifies the basic areas of sta needs and attends to them accordingly to attain the sta performance target in the school. Conducive work environment in educational institutions is generally related to leadership styles (LSs) used by the heads of particular educational institutions. Determinant factors for LSs used by principals of colleges are, however, according to motivational system of particular leader. This is exactly caused by the underlying needs structure that motivates behavior in various interpersonal situations (Armstrong, 2004). So principals have crucial roles to play on tutor work performance for instance by setting structures to facilitate the work environment that eventually lead to attainment of particular goals. Leadership styles used in colleges have been found in most cases to have dierent capacities to influence performances in colleges. It has been noted that there are two views of leadership, transactional leadership which involve an exchange process between leader and follower whereby leader are considered to enhance the followers‟ readiness to perform at expected levels by offering rewards for acceptable performance, thus resulting in the desired outcomes defined by the leader, and a view of transformational leadership that allows for the development and transformation of people. The college principal is in a unique position as the manager or administrator who controls institution resources for the purpose of attaining organizational goals.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The controversy between leadership styles and work performance has existed for a long time and it was centered on whether or not the style of leadership of principals influences the level of job performance among teachers. Several studies have also examined the relationship between the two factors and concurred that leadership has significant impacts on job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
