Thesis:

Influence of leadership styles and employee retention in Moi Teaching and referral hospital, Uasin Gishu county, Kenya

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to attract and retain employees has become a critical factor for organizational success. As competition for skilled labor intensifies, organizations must focus on effective strategies to keep their top performers engaged and committed to the company's long-term goals. This study sought to determine the influence of leadership styles on employee retention using the case of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The study sought to achieve the following specific objectives; To determine the effect of transformational leadership style on employee retention in MTRH in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya; To examine the effect of transactional leadership style on employee retention in MTRH in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya; To analyze the effect of laissez-faire on employee retention in MTRH in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya; To assess the effect of servant leadership style on employee retention in MTRH in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The following theories guided the study; Trait Theory and Social identity theory. The quantitative research design was used to obtain and process information concerning the current status of the problem due to its reliance on the collection of quantitative data. The design was to use data to answer the research questions and extrapolate the findings. The study area was MTRH in Uasin Gishu County Kenya. This study adopted stratified sampling because the population of interest was heterogeneous in nature. The study employed Slovin’s formula to come up with a sample size from a target population of 3,721 and hence a sample size of 361 respondents. The data was collected for a period of four weeks using a questionnaire which comprised of a 5-point likert scale and thematic questions, from employees and management of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. Collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 26 and the study findings were presented in tables and figures for easier interpretation. The study findings showed that each of the independent variable (Transformational Leadership, Transactional Leadership, Laissez-Faire Leadership and Servant Leadership) had a strong positive significant influence on the dependent variable, Employee Retention. The findings further indicated that the independent variables (Transformational Leadership, Transactional Leadership, Laissez-Faire Leadership and Servant Leadership) positively and significantly explained 65.1% of the total variability in the dependent variable, employee retention. Therefore, this study recommends that organizations take into consideration the kind of leadership style to use in their organizations as it has been found to significantly influence the retention of their employees.