Leadership styles and organisational communication in selected public universities in Uganda

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the impact of leadership styles on organisational communication in selected public universities in Uganda. Specifically, the study examined the influence of transformational and transactional leadership styles on organisational communication within these universities. The four public universities included in the study were Kyambogo University, Gulu University, Busitema University, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology. A correlational research design was employed, and data was collected from a sample of managerial staff, namely administrative and academic heads, using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) were used to analyse the data using SmartPLS. The descriptive findings indicated that the organisational communication within the university was satisfactory, and the utilisation of transformational leadership styles by the leaders was high, while the use of transactional leadership styles was moderate. The findings from the Structural Equation Modeling confirmed that both transformational and transactional leadership styles had a positive and significant impact on organisational communication, while the passive-avoidant leadership style had a positive but insignificant impact. As a result, it was concluded that while transformational and transactional leadership styles are crucial for enhancing organisational communication in public universities, the passive-avoidant management/laissez-faire style is not. The study recommended that university leaders should emphasise the use of both transformational and transactional leadership styles to improve organisational communication. This study's implication is that it identifies the leadership styles necessary for enhancing organisational communication in universities.