A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AMONG OFFICERS OF THE NIGERIA ARMY

Abstract

Performing duties with discipline and commitment and to standards is the hallmark of a nations Army that sets them apart from civilians’. The achievement of this goal of discipline and commitment within the armed forces requires a leader who is dedicated, committed, and disciplined.  Transformational Leadership has always been regarded as important parameters for leading an organization such as the Nigeria Army. This style of leadership has attracted a lot of interest from researchers, leadership theorists, scholars, and commentators alike. Transformational leaders inspire followers to accomplish more by concentrating on the follower’s codes, ethics, and moral by helping the follower align these characters with those of the organization. The study investigated the relationship between transformational leadership and officers’ commitment to the vision and goals of the Nigeria Army. Data were collected anonymously from the rank and file officers through mail in survey from 190 participants. At the end of the four weeks deadline, a total of 170 surveys were returned. Of the 170 returned surveys, 162 were usable while 8 of the questionnaires were not properly completed. The remaining survey data (N= 162) were entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for analysis. The results showed that there was a significant positive relationship between transformational leadership and organizational commitment of the officers.