Abstract

This study explains the success of employee performance using selected leadership styles of middle-line Hotel managers in Mid-western Uganda. The simple random sample included 196 employees from ten Hotels. The respondents completed the measures of styles of leadership (democratic, autocratic and laissez faire) and employee performance. Bivarriate correlations and regression matrices were used to test for the relationship of these distinct styles of leadership on employee performance. Results revealed that a style of leadership explains the degree of employee performance in the hospitality industry. Therefore, employees in the sector have reactive attributes to each of the selected styles of leadership exhibited to them. The results provide insight into the relationship between styles of leadership and employee performance in the hospitality industry. In particular, it was found that while employee performance is higher under a specific style of leadership that gives them freedom to exercise their abilities at the place of work, employee performance may exist in every style of leadership. From the employee perspective, we find that choice of a style of leadership has a significant effect on the degree of employee performance in the hospitality industry. These outcomes provide implications for future research in the aspect of leadership within the hospitality industry as well as insight and direction for middle-line managers.

Key words: Style of leadership, employee performance, democratic, autocratic, laissez faire.