Influence of Laissez-Faire Leadership on Employee Performance in Faith-Based Institutions of Higher Learning in the Rift Valley Region, Kenya

Mapiri N. Beatrice, Moses Kibirango & Nathan Gitonga
University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, Eldoret, Kenya.
Email: mapiribe@ueab.ac.ke

Abstract: Leadership has been widely conceptualized as the process through which an individual or group influences others toward the attainment of specific organizational goals. The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between laissez-faire leadership and employee performance in faith-based institutions of higher learning in Rift Valley Region, Kenya. The population of this study was employees of the faith-based institutions of higher learning in Rift Valley region. This study involved a multistage sampling to purposively select the counties, institutions and randomly select the respondents. A total of 138 of the 189 questionnaires distributed during data collection were returned, giving an overall return rate of 73%. Respondents perceived themselves as demonstrating good quality of work and strong time management practices. For laissez-faire practices, respondents generally agreed that employee autonomy and limited supervision were practiced in the institutions. To test the hypothesis, the researcher used correlation analysis to determinethe relationship between employee performance and laissez-faire practices. From the analysis, the study established a positive, significant but weak relationship between limited supervision, supervisor’s responsibility and employee performance. The study did not establish any relationship between employee autonomy and employee performance. The study recommends that faith-based institutions should not rely on autonomy alone but should combine employee independence with clear goals, accountability, feedback, and responsible supervision.