PARTICIPATIVE MANAGEMENT STYLE AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE;

A CASE OF AFRICEL UGANDA LIMITED HEADQUATERS-KAMPALA

BY

AMULE EVE ONGOM

A RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
FOR THE REQUIREMENT OF THE AWARD OF A
MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
(MANAGEMENT) OF UGANDA MARTYRS
UNIVERSITY

AUGUST, 2020
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................ii
CHAPTER ONE..............................................................................................................................1
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................1
1.1 The Background of the Study....................................................................................................1
1.2 Problem statement.....................................................................................................................3
1.3 Objectives of the study..............................................................................................................4
1.3.1 General Objective...................................................................................................................4
1.3.2 Specific objectives..................................................................................................................4
1.3.3 Research Question..................................................................................................................4
1.4 Scope of the study......................................................................................................................4
1.4.1 Subject scope..........................................................................................................................4
1.4.2 Time scope..............................................................................................................................4
1.4.3 Geographical scope.................................................................................................................4
1.5 The significance of the study.....................................................................................................5
CHAPTER TWO.............................................................................................................................7
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................7
2.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................7
2.1 Participative management style.................................................................................................7
2.1.1 Decision making.....................................................................................................................8
2.1.2 Team work..............................................................................................................................9
2.1.3 Delegation.............................................................................................................................10
2.2 Employee performance............................................................................................................10
2.2.1 Executing define duties.........................................................................................................12
2.2.2 Employee satisfaction...........................................................................................................12
2.2.3 Employee Input.....................................................................................................................13
2.1 The effect of decision making in enhancing employee performance......................................14
2.2 The role of teamwork on employee performance....................................................................19
2.3 The role of delegation on enhancing employee performance..................................................24
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY................................................................29
3.0 Introduction.............................................................................................................................29
Table 1: Sample size for the study.................................................................................................30
3.5 Data sources.............................................................................................................................31
3.5.1 Primary data..........................................................................................................................31
3.5.2 Secondary data......................................................................................................................31
3.6.1. Questionnaire Method.........................................................................................................31
3.6.2. Interview Method.................................................................................................................32
3.6.3 Observation method..............................................................................................................32
3.7. Data collection instruments....................................................................................................32
3.7.1. Questionnaire..................................................................................................................32
3.7.2 Interview guide...............................................................................................................32
3.7.3 Observation checklist............................................................................................................33
Table 3.1 Reliability statistics........................................................................................................34
References;....................................................................................................................................38
Table for determining sample size for a given population............................................................46
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 CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction

This chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the
study, objective of the study, research question, scope of the study, the significance of the
study and conceptual framework.
1.1 The Background of the Study
Management styles are historical phenomena and have dated back to 1360’s .There are
several challenges in the public service concerning management style (Kiyaga-Nsubuga,
2004). Management styles are characteristic ways of making decisions and relating to
subordinates (Robert Tannenbaum 2000 and Warren H. Schmidt, 2002), they argued that the
style of leadership is dependent upon the prevailing circumstance; therefore leaders should
exercise a range of management styles and should deploy them as appropriate. Management
styles are of different types, (Frame 2003, Pasaie 2002, Richard et-al 2004), they include the
autocratic management style, paternalistic, democratic, laissez-faire, and management by
walking around among others.

According to Aboyassin, N. A., (2013), the evolution of management styles and how it
affects performance dates as early as the 17th century (Cole 2004). From the end of 17th
century we started experiencing different treatment of employees from treating them as
human machines to rather treating them as human capital for achieving different
organizational goals and objectives.

Burton, G. (2009), argues that most of the management style theories suggest that the
management style applied has the significant influence on employee performance,
satisfaction and motivation and has also a significant influence on the performance of the
organization (Matin & Farjami, 2009).It is further commented that leaders’ behavior in
management style affected the quality of the organization outcome (Cordelo, 2003). It is
propounded that effective management style should diagnose and adopt appropriate style of
management style in order to meet the demand of situations in which it operates (Kenneth,
1989) This research sought to investigate and understand the impact of management style and
its effects on employee performance in organization.
According to (Peter Drucker 2005), management is defined as the Organization and
coordination of the activities of an enterprise in accordance with certain policies and in
achievement of clearly defined objectives. Management is often included as a factor of
production along with machines, materials, and money.

On the other hand, performance refers to the actions of a system or organism, usually in
relation to its environment, which includes the other systems or organisms around as well as
the physical environment. It is the response of the system or organism to various stimuli or
inputs, whether internal or external, conscious or subconscious, overt or covert, and voluntary
or involuntary (Dusenbery,2003)

Bornstein (2010), defines Employee performance as the range of performances exhibited by

employees and which are influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority,
rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics. He adds that the performance of
people and other organisms or even mechanisms falls within a range with some performance
being common, some unusual, some acceptable, and some outside acceptable limits.
Managers can be effective at changing undesirable employee performance but they need to
understand why employees behave the way they do (Dávila, 2003).

According to Frame (2003), poor management styles such as the autocratic management style
where managers’ interaction with their staff is unilateral and associated with traditional image
of ‘Boss’, bosses make all the decisions, exercise tight control over their staff and match
around the office with grim expressions, and they are not interested in feedback from staff
which causes a lot of harm in the organization. A good example was seen in the recent strike
by City Council where casual laborers employed by The Century bottling company laid down
their tools and staged a protest at City Hall, over delays in payment of their wages. This
situation was calmed down when Century bottling company officials intervened and pledged
to resolve the matter later (Christopher Wasswa 2010).This showed an autocraric style of
management where managers make decisions. It is against this background that the
researcher is interested in finding out the relationship between management styles and
employee performances.
Africell Uganda Ltd sought to adopt appropriate management styles in order to compete in
the business market. It is clear that until today Africell Uganda Ltd is continuously looking
for new ways and methods of development, especially in the administrative aspects, which
can assist in achieving effectiveness and efficiency of organizational goals (Al-Metheb,
2008). It will be propagated that in order to achieve business efficiency and economic
development, organizations must adopt various management styles which include
transformational, laissez faire, autocratic and management styles (Wammy, 2014), Indeed,
every management style has the role of motivating employees, controlling, managing, solving
conflicts and influencing employees. The methodology of playing these duties defers from
one management style and the other style. Most of the researcher in management of
organizations point that performance of the particular organization depends on the particular
management style applied during the entire business activities (Hill, 2008).

1.2 Problem statement

Due to the increased competition in the telecommunication industry in Uganda today, many
firms are finding it difficult to keep their existing customers loyal to them which is evidence
by the acquisition of multiple SIMs cards by the consumers hence increase in participative
management styles like decision making, team work and delegation. With the ever growing
number of players in the industry like MTN Uganda, Airtel Uganda, Uganda Telecom,
Africell Uganda, Smile Telecom, K2 Telecom, Smart Telecom (formerly Sure telecom) and
Vodafone Uganda (UCC, Annual Market and Industry Report, 2016). However Africell
Uganda, has tried to promote its products and services like offering free sim cards to its
customers, free bundles for daily, weekly and monthly, free calls Africell to Africell, 4G+
Internet, promotion phones, advertising its products and services to create awareness to
its customers.

Despite the fact that Africell Uganda, has done this there is still a gap where it has less
customers in market compared to other telecom companies where by market base has
decreased from 10% to 8% which has affected employee performance in terms of
achieving organizational goals, executing define duties and team input (Africell Uganda,
performance Review Report 2018). It is not clear whether these challenges are caused
by participative management styles which could affect employee performance hence the
researcher intends to find out the relationship between two variables in the study.
1.3 Objectives of the study
1.3.1 General Objective

The general objective of the study is to establish the role of participative management style
on employee performance; a case of Africel Uganda Ltd.

1.3.2 Specific objectives

i. To establish the effect of decision making in enhancing employee performance in

Africel Uganda Ltd
ii. To determine the role of team work on employee performance in Africel Uganda
Ltd
iii. To ascertain the role of delegation in enhancing employee performance in Africel
Uganda Ltd

1.3.3 Research Question

i. In what way does decision making enhance employee performance in Africel Uganda
Ltd?
ii. How does team work influence employee performance in Africel Uganda Ltd?
iii. What is the role of delegation in enhancing employee performance in Africel Uganda Ltd?

1.4 Scope of the study

1.4.1 Subject scope

The study will focus on the Effect of management style on employee performance; a case of
Africel Uganda Ltd
1.4.2 Time scope

The research will cover a period of three years (2016-2019) because this is believed to be the
period through which students enrolment started to dwindle majorly due to poor management
styles in the university besides the time period being deemed to be adequate to enable the
researcher draw meaningful conclusion about the study topic.

1.4.3 Geographical scope

The research will be carried out in Africel Uganda Ltd. The study will be conducted at the
company’s head offices located on Clement Hill Road, Plot 28-30, in centre of Kampala city
in Uganda. Justification for the choice of Africel Uganda Ltd will be due to easy accessibility
to the researcher and its suitability to the topic under study.

1.5 The significance of the study

The study will be also benefit policy makers as well as the entire administration of Africel
Uganda Ltd among other organizations for deriving realistic contemporary policies and
strategies that best take into account consideration of their employee engagement practices.

The research may benefit other academicians and or students as they used it for literature
review while carrying out research in similar areas

The study helped the researcher in enabling them attain a Master’s in Business
Administration of Uganda Martyrs University
CONCEPTUAL FRAME WORK

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Participative Management Style Employee Performance