The Mediating Influence of Leadership Style within the Nexus of Organizational Agility and Performance Outcomes in Public Universities in Kenya

Public universities in Kenya have been operating in an environment that has been changing over the past few years, and the numerous uncertainties have made survival difficulty. Ineffectiveness and inefficiencies in the public universities, low global ranking of public universities, low research output and the weak university-industry partnerships due to the closed system nature of public universities and other internal and external factors have continued to affect university performance. The application of the concept of organizational agility may be viewed as a panacea to addressing the above pertinent issues and bring the public universities to a higher level of performance in uncertain changing environment. Therefore, the goal of this study is to examine the mediating influence of leadership style within the nexus of organizational agility and performance outcomes of public universities in Kenya. The research is anchored on Dynamic Capability theory, Resource based view theory and Learning organization theory. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to measure both quantitative and qualitative data, using descriptive and explanatory research methodologies for empirical analysis. Content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data, and the results presented in accordance with patterns and themes. The target population was the 31 fully fledged public universities in Kenya out of which 10 were sampled systematically from best to worst ranked institution based on January 2023 web metrics global university ranking scale. The study targeted 220 respondents comprising of Deputy Vice Chancellors, Deans of schools and faculty, academic department heads and key senior staff in administration. Out of this, only 207 returned the questionnaire accounting for 94.1% success rate. Due to the characteristics of the respondents and the goal of the investigation, a proportionate random sample technique was employed to choose the respondents for the study. A drop-and-pick methodology was used to collect data by trained research assistants. The questionnaire was subjected to both validity and reliability tests by carrying out a pilot test on different group from the study group but with similar characteristics and use of SPSS version 27 to process the data. Using a multiple regression analysis approach, descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the data in accordance with the specific research objectives and hypotheses. Results from quantitative data analysis were presented using figures and tables while qualitative data was analyzed based on common themes and presented in narrative form. The findings of the study established that leadership style fully mediated effect on relationship between organizational agility and university performance outcomes. These findings were found useful in management of public universities in the face of uncertainties. Furthermore, these findings are expected to provide a framework for enhancing performance outcomes of public universities in the midst of adverse environmental circumstances.by forming appropriate policies and strategies through application of appropriate leadership styles.