The exploration of leadership styles on employees’ performance: a study of Premier Specialist Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kassim, Suraya Abu (2023) The exploration of leadership styles on employees’ performance: a study of Premier Specialist Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Doctoral thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

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Abstract

In an aggressive business environment, specifically in healthcare, organisations depend on their market leaders to assist in accomplishing the necessary improvements and innovations that are necessary to maintain a competitive edge. After a comprehensive situational analysis at Premier Specialist Hospital, it is evident that there is common friction between individual responsibilities and roles that causes internal politics. Initial results pointed to a lot of laissez-faire leadership tendencies. Thus, this serves as a breeding ground for poor innovation, decreased commitment, and poor team chemistry, which significantly affects employee performance, as observed through the study results. This suggests that the inability to meet performance targets due to the lack of the strategic interventions of a specific leadership style to specific situations is the problem at hand. The primary objective of this study is to understand leadership styles and their impact on employees’ performance at Premier Specialist Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A qualitative methodology with a phenomenological design was adopted in which 10 participants from the managerial level and the Head of Department were selected. This group is directly reported to the CEO (the unit of analysis for this study). The data were gathered through interviews with research participants using semi-structured interview questions tailored to the study's context and research objectives. The leadership styles were measured through the participants' responses to the leadership characteristics of the previous or current CEO at the specialist hospital and how these leadership characteristics have impacted their performance. The results show that the transformational leadership style is the most exhibited at Premier Specialist Hospital, followed by the charismatic leadership style. Overall, responses in a transformational leadership style were found to be strongly related to employee performance measures in terms of their duties and assignment, motivation or morale, and commitment towards the job or organisation. Charismatic leadership had a significant positive relationship with motivation and morale, contributing to performance quality. Authoritative and laissez-faire leadership styles had an insignificant relationship with employee performance. The results suggest that organisations need to use a lot of transformational leadership behaviours or rather embrace transformational leadership styles and not autocratic or laissez-faire leadership. According to the findings, transformational leadership may have a greater impact on employee productivity and performance quality than traditional leadership practices. Therefore, it is recommended that transformational leadership is the most ideal and effective leadership style to be used at Premier Specialist Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords: leadership style, employee performance, health-care Malaysia
Subjects: D History General and Old World > DS Asia
H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Divisions: Theses and Dissertations > Doctoral Theses
Depositing User: Lesley Cresswell
Date Deposited: 06 Feb 2023 10:20
Last Modified: 31 Jul 2023 08:41
URI: https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/2256

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