Thesis:

Influence of Strategic Leadership Styles On Performance Of Catholic Churches In Saint Kizito Parish, Olenguruone, Nakuru County

The 21st-century global economy is characterized by fierce and complicated competition. Organizations must adopt strategic leadership if they are to function well in the face of shifting demands and a changing environment. The ability of an organization to gain and maintain a competitive edge is severely limited in the absence of strong strategic leadership. In order to prevent a decline in their performance, modern businesses are quick to review their strategic objectives. Strategic leadership that works helps organizations perform better. Few studies have empirically investigated the impact of strategic leadership on performance, particularly in nonprofit organizations, despite previous findings demonstrating its significance. In this study, the performance of Catholic churches in Saint Kizito Parish, Olenguruone, was examined in relation to the impact of strategic leadership styles on quality leadership. The study's goals were to determine how transformational leadership affected the performance of Catholic churches in St. Kizito parish, Olenguruone; how transactional leadership affected the performance of Catholic churches in St. Kizito parish, Olenguruone; and how situational leadership affected the performance of Catholic churches in St. Kizito parish, Olenguruone. Hambrick and Mason's Upper Echelon leadership theory, Robert Blake and Jane Mouton's Managerial leadership theory, and Stogdill's Trait leadership theory on organizational performance served as the study's guiding theories. The census method was used in the study, and every person in the population was examined. Five leaders from each of the 27 outstation churches that make up Saint Kizito parish provided primary data, resulting in 135 respondents, in order to meet the study's goals. Four leaders who serve on the executive decision-making committees of each church the chairperson, secretary, treasurer, and catechist were given structured questionnaires. By conducting a pilot study at St. Veronica Parish, Kuresoi North, Nakuru County, and continuously consulting with the supervisor for corrections, the validity and reliability of the data collected were realized. The descriptive method of frequency, mean, and standard v deviation was used to analyze the relationship between the strategic leadership and performance variables, and correlation and regression were used to reach a conclusion. Tables were used to present the results. Correlation analysis results show a significant and positive relationship between outreach Catholic churches' performance and transformational leadership style at r (TRM, P) = 0.521, p. 001. With a positive correlation of r (TRS, P) = 0.465, p 0.001, it also shows a strong relationship between transactional leadership and church performance. Lastly, the results also show that situational leadership was positively associated with church performance at r (ST, P) =0.394, p 0.001. According to the results of the multiple regression analysis, there is a statistically significant positive correlation between transformational leadership and church performance (β = 0.241, P<0.05). Additionally, the results showed a positive and statistically significant relationship between transactional leadership and church performance (β = 0.216, P<0.05). Furthermore, it was discovered that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between situational leadership style and church performance (β = 0.194, P<0.05). Based on the results, it was determined that situational leadership styles were important in explaining the performance of outreach Catholic churches at St. Kizito parish, Olenguruone; transactional leadership styles were important in explaining the performance of outreach Catholic churches at St. Kizito parish, Olenguruone; and transformational leadership styles were important in explaining it.