Democratic Leadership Style and Performance of Administrative Staff in Selected Universities in the Bono Region of Ghana

This study examined the effect of democratic leadership style on the performance of administrative staff members at selected universities in the Bono region of Ghana. The specific objectives of this study were to: investigate whether democratic leadership style was currently being practiced in the selected universities in the Bono region, investigate the relationship between democratic leadership and employee performance and examine the effect of democratic leadership on employee performance. The study examines whether democratic leadership influences administrative staff performance, hypothesizing no significant relationship or impact, and explores the potential effects on organizational effectiveness. The study used 231 respondents and these respondents were randomly selected. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics (mean, and percentages, correlation and regression statistical tools) were used to analyse the data The findings of the research revealed that democratic leadership style has a significant positive impact on the performance of administrative staff members at selected universities. The study showed that the application of democratic leadership style resulted in improved employee performance by 41.1%. This improvement is statistically significant, with a p-value of 0.000, indicating a strong relationship between democratic leadership and employee performance. Furthermore, the study highlighted that democratic leadership fosters strong employee synergy through participation in decision-making, teamwork, and cooperation, all of which contribute to enhanced performance. The analysis concluded that democratic leadership style, characterized by involvement and empowerment of staff, significantly improves employee performance in both public and private university settings in the Bono region of Ghana. It was recommended that supervisors apply democratic leadership style to induce employee performance.