SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE, AMONG SELECTED NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOS) IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The study evaluated Servant leadership style on the performance of nonprofit organizations in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was anchored on Social Dualism and Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory. The study used a convergent parallel design where the quantitative part of the research adopted a descriptive approach and the qualitative approach relied on interpretivism. The study targeted a total number of 125 employees from five NGOs in Nairobi and a total number of 95 respondents was selected randomly from the targeted population through stratification and simple random sampling, while the key informant sampling technique was adopted for identifying the selected key informants. Data collection process was undertaken through administration of questionnaires and interviews guide, while validity was assured through the use of expert judgment and reliability through Cronbach's alpha (> 0.70). Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (correlation analysis and regression analysis) were employed in data analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27, while qualitative data was subjected to thematic analysis. It was discovered that among the nonprofit organizations in Nairobi County, servant leadership and organizational success were positively correlated. Organizational performance and servant leadership were shown to be positively and significantly correlated (R =.873), with servant leadership accounting for 76.3% of the differences in organizational performance (R Square =.763). Regression analysis revealed that servant leadership has a substantial impact on organizational performance (β =.148, B =.182, p =.002). Similarly, servant leadership and organizational performance were found to be positively correlated (r =.724, p <.01) according to Pearson correlation coefficient values. The organizations should promote servant leadership by enhancing issues such as employees' well-being, professional growth, teamwork, and communication among other key factors. The leaders need to initiate mentorship programs, wellness programs, feedback mechanisms, and training sessions in order to enhance employee motivation.