LEADERSHIP TENURE, SUCCESSION AND GOAL ATTAINMENT IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

University goal attainment is the extent to which universities achieve their visions through teaching, research and Community Services (CS). However, literature shows that Goal Attainment (GA) is diminishing in Federal Universities (FUs) in Nigeria, particularly in the southwest. Previous studies on GA laid more emphasis on quality of work-life, leadership, corporate culture and participatory management practices than on Leadership Tenure (LT) and Leadership Succession (LS) factors. Therefore, this study was designed to examine LT (Leadership Time Frame-LTF, Leadership Experience-LE and Leadership Style), LS (Transition Planning-TP, Succession Planning-SP and University Culture-UC) and GA of FUs in southwestern Nigeria. The study was premised on Goal System Theory, while the mixed method (Quan-qual) was adopitedi. The miulti-istage siampiling piroceidurei was usedi. Tihreei fiirsti gieneratiioni FUsi ini soiuthwesterin iNigeriia (iUniversity ofi Ibadani-UI; Oibafemii Awiolowio Universiity-OAU and Universitiy of Lagios-UNILAG) were purposively selected. The proiportiioniatei to sizie siampling technique was used to select 23 faculties (UI-10; UNILAG-8 and OAU-5) and 142 departments (UI-65; UNILAG-49 and OAU-28). The siimplei randomi sampliing tiechniiquei was used to seliecti three Acaidemiic Sitaff (AS) in each department (UI-I95; OAU-84 and UNILAG-147). Eight hundred and fifty-two undergraduates were randomly selected across the institutions (UI-390; UNILAG-294 and OAU-168), while 23 Deans and 142 Heads of Department (HoDs) were enumerated. The instruments used were Publication Checklist; Goal Attainment (r=0.93); Leadership Style (r=0.87) questionnaire and three sub-scales of Leadership Succession (r=0.95). Key informant interviews were held with three Deans and 37 HoDs. Quantitative data were anialysied iusing idescriptivie staitistiics aind Analysis of variance ati pi ≤ 0. i05, whiile qualiitatiive datia weire conteintainaliysedi. Thei respoindeints’ ages were AS ̶ 45.07±8.79 and students ̶ 16.50±2.30 years. There were 61.4% male AS, and 49.9% female students. Teaching (𝑥̅=3.63), CS (𝑥̅=3.48), research (𝑥̅=3.17), publications (𝑥̅=2.99), TP (𝑥̅=3.09), SP (𝑥̅=3.06) and UC (𝑥̅=2.96) were high as against the threshold of 2.50. Tihiere wias ai siignificanit diifferenicei ini GA (F (2, 391) = 29.148), LT (F(2, 391) =7.507) and LS (F(2, 391) =13.34) among AS in the selected FUs. The respondents from UNILAG haid the higheist mean scorei (68.20) in GA foillowiedi by UI (64.94) and OAU (47.80). The respondents from UNILAG had the highest mean score (93.04) in LS, followed by UI (82.25) and OAU (75.50), while the respondents from OAU had the highest mean score (𝑥̅=137.7) in LT, followed by UNILAG (𝑥̅=134.7) and UI (𝑥̅=121.2). The HoDs and Deans exhibited democratic leadership style, while the LTF varied from two to four years across the universities. The LT and LS, though sacrosanct, varied across the universities. Leadership time frame, experience, style, transition planning, succession planning and university culture were potent variables in the goal attainment of federal universities in southwestern, Nigeria. Leadership experience, style and succession factors should be improved upon for effective service delivery in universities.