CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

No corporation has achieved sustained success without effective leadership (Armstrong, 2020). Becoming a leader does not necessarily require one to occupy the highest-ranking position or serve as the senior officer or commander within an organization. For organizations to operate with a reasonable degree of efficiency and effectiveness, leadership is essential (Müller & Turner, 2017). Successful organizations place considerable emphasis on effective leadership because it plays a significant role in determining organizational direction and performance. Although leadership is an important concept, it can be difficult to define precisely; however, there are gradually emerging areas of broad agreement concerning its nature and application (Müller & Turner, 2017).

Fundamentally, leadership can be understood as an act of persuasion that is influenced more by moral character than by formal authority or power. In many situations, leadership is not exclusively exercised by individuals occupying positions of authority, and those in formal positions of power may not necessarily constitute the majority of people who demonstrate leadership (Shamim et al., 2016). Rather, leadership is largely characterized by the nature and quality of relationships that exist among individuals rather than by the specific positions they occupy. Every member of a group has a responsibility to create and provide opportunities for participation in leadership. Understanding leadership from this perspective does not eliminate the importance of power and authority; instead, it calls for a different way of approaching organizational and community life (Wakabi, 2016).

This approach to leadership is based on an ethic of care, informed understanding, and personal relationships that have reciprocal effects on the individuals involved. Although authority and influence may appear to represent contrasting concepts, they can function together harmoniously when appropriately applied within an organization.

An effective manager must possess the ability to motivate team members and encourage them to develop and maintain excellent work habits (Armstrong, 2020). Managers must equally be capable of establishing good relationships with others in order to gain the confidence and respect of their employees. For employees to develop positive attitudes toward their jobs and the organization, managers need to possess the ability, determination, and motivation required to inspire confidence among members of the workforce.

A strong work ethic is also essential for achieving progress and advancement in one's career. For an organization to accomplish its established goals and objectives, its leaders and managers must demonstrate the authority and effective governance required to maintain appropriate control over employees. In addition, they must possess strong leadership capabilities (Michael, 2019). Effective leadership involves an interconnected relationship between vision, strategy, and outcomes. Managers and executives, together with their subordinates and direct reports, need to understand and be familiar with the mission and vision of the organization (Shamim et al., 2016).

Leadership further requires the ability to lead, conduct, escort, guide, trace, steer, maintain a clear vision, and effectively manage people (Michael, 2019). These abilities enable leaders to provide direction and coordinate the activities of employees toward the achievement of organizational objectives.

In many instances, an HR manager or organizational leader is viewed as an individual who is expected to demonstrate appropriate and acceptable behaviour toward employees or subordinates. It is widely recognized that work schedules in Nigerian firms are often task-oriented and repetitive, with limited opportunities for variation, while organizational regulations and decisions are frequently imposed on employees (Wakabi, 2016). Consequently, employees working in organizations where leadership regards them merely as instruments for accomplishing assigned tasks may simply pretend to perform effectively in order to satisfy the requirements, standards, and performance metrics established for them.

Human resource managers are expected to motivate their subordinates, colleagues, and customers or clients in order to accomplish organizational responsibilities effectively. Therefore, for organizational leadership to be successful and efficient, adequate attention must be given to the human aspect of management in addition to the measurable output of employees.

Human resource managers and leaders in selected enterprises in Lagos State are expected to demonstrate a set of leadership standards that can contribute to improved organizational performance. In this regard, the purpose of the research is to identify the leadership styles, behavioural characteristics, and human resource management competencies associated with effective HR managers. Based on this consideration, the study will investigate the relationship between leadership styles, behavioural characteristics, and human resource management competencies within the selected firms.

Some experts argue that organizations that are excessively managed but inadequately led may experience difficulties in achieving development, growth, and transformation. This position provides an important justification for the present study (Michael, 2019). It is also important to recognize that the actions and behaviours of an organization's top executives can significantly influence employees in several ways.

Although employee values, attitudes, and leadership styles all contribute to improved organizational performance, each of these factors can be modified or adjusted in ways that may produce significant effects on the performance of the organization. Consequently, understanding the interaction between leadership behaviour, employee attitudes, managerial competence, and organizational outcomes remains important.

There are numerous leadership styles and behavioural approaches that can be examined when conducting research on leadership styles. It is therefore necessary to study and investigate the various leadership styles in order to establish their relevance and contribution to effective human resource management and organizational performance.

1.2 Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to investigate the leadership style, behavioural characteristics, and human resource managerial competencies of successful human resource managers.

Specifically, the study seeks to:

1. Identify the various leadership behavioural styles exhibited by human resource managers in enhancing organizational performance.

2. Examine the impact of effective leadership styles on the success of human resource managers.

3. Examine the impact of managerial competency on the success of human resource managers.

4. Make recommendations that may contribute to the improvement of organizational performance.