Demographic Factors Differentiating between Leadership Styles among Nigerian Workers

Abstract

The study was aimed at finding the demographic variables that differentiated between the leadership styles used by some Nigerian workers. Data were collected from 138 participants including 98 males (71 Yorubas and 27 Ibos) and 31 females (21 Yorubas and 10 Ibos). Analysing the data with the t-statistics, the results revealed significant ethnic difference in autocratic leadership orientation and not in democratic leadership style. There was no significant difference between the two leadership styles due to gender, marital status, and religion. The analysis with One-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences due to age and educational qualification in both leadership orientations. It can be concluded that the participants manifested the leadership styles in the same way. The findings have implications for leadership development and organizational management strategies tailored to meet the diverse needs of the workforce. Future research has been recommended to collect more data from the public sector and additional demographic factors such as socio-economic status and organizational tenure. Moreover, a longitudinal study is also recommended to assess how leadership preferences evolve over time and their impact on employee outcomes and organizational success.