DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STYLES AS A PREDICTOR OF EMPLOYEES COMMITMENT IN  SERVICE INDUSTRIES IN CAMEROON

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

When employees are happy with their jobs, they are more likely to be committed to doing their best. However, picking a leadership style that works for both the company and the employees is one of the best ways to make everyone happier and committed to work. There are different types of leading styles, and different situations often happen in this setting. Some people mix styles to get what they want. Making people accountable starts with giving them detailed job descriptions that include ways to do well on the job. On one hand, Thomas (2022) asserts that a leader's leadership style is the part of their personality that makes people want to follow them. On the other hand, İnce (2018) says that leadership styles are the specific things a leader does to get people to work toward the organization's goal. Leaders or supervisors play a special role as managers or administrators of the company's resources to make sure that its goals are met. Leadership is something that all people do. The art of studying leadership is not a new thing; it goes back a very long time. Egypt and Rome were once great societies that set examples for how to be a leader. According to Bass (2019), leadership happens among all people, no matter what society they are from. Furthermore, in the business world, leadership is both one of the most important problems and one of the least understood ideas. There is a huge body of information and many paradigm shifts in the history of leadership (Sastrawidjaja, 2021). Leadership is an action that everyone does and is essential for both social and organizational success. The process of affecting others and the results that follow are what leadership is all about. The way this process works depends on the personalities, attitudes, behavior, how people see it, what they think about it, and the situation in which it happens. The moral goal of leadership is to give followers the power to make moral choices that lead to moral results that are reached in moral ways. It is said that leadership is important because an organization's growth depends a lot on how committed the employees are and good the leaders are. These leaders have a lot of power over the decisions that the organization makes about its goals and how it can reach those goals. Their actions have a big impact on how members of the group act and what they can do (Williams, 2018). As a result of the push to go global, global businesses need managers who can see things from a global perspective. According to Raupu (2021), leadership style improves the performance of a company and the employees commitment more. Kahn (2019) says that democratic style does have an effect on level of employees engagement. He further asserts that a democratic leader lets people try things out. Democratic leadership is based on the idea that team members should be able to share their thoughts and ideas while still letting the leader make the final choice. People in the group are more invested in the process, and they are recognized for being creative. There are many good things about democratic government. Subordinates are encouraged to talk about their experiences, which can help them come up with better solutions to problems and come up with new ideas (Sadia & Aman, 2018). Staff will care more about the present end result because they will be more involved and committed to projects. However, there is a growing satisfaction gap in many workplaces, which means that there is a bigger difference between what employers want and what workers are willing to do. A drop in employees commitment can be caused by a number of things, but the most common is that management has failed in some way. For a leader to be good at managing loyal employees, he or she have to make leadership skills part of the culture of the company (Fauzia & Sedyowidodo, 2023). This way, everyone from the boss at the top to the newest worker will be handled in the same fair and consistent way (Allen & Meyer, 2020).  Additionally, studies in the management books show that commitment from top management may have an even bigger effect on how an employee stays committed. There are different kinds of commitment at work, and some people think it can affect how well a group works (Meyer & Herscovitch, 2021). Hence, a survey will be conducted in order to examine democratic leadership styles as a predictor of employees commitment in Cameroon

1.2 Statement of the Problem

A leader's style is now an important part of figuring out how well their employees do their jobs, along with the normal skills that leaders at different levels can use. The traits and skills of both the worker and the boss can usually be used to guess how people will react to leaders (Rifaldi, Ramadhini & Usman, 2019). A study found that how committed employees are with their job depends a lot on how well they get along with their leader and how little they talk to them. To make sure that the commitment goals set by hierarchy are met, it is also important to look into different types of leadership. Furthermore, people who work for a company with democratic leadership help make choices based on their reviews, suggestions, and needs. The leader still makes the last choice. So, how well employees do their jobs under democratic leadership will rest on how much the leader talks and listens to them (Olubo, 2021).Additionally, leaders are in charge of making sure that their teams finish the tasks they set out to do on time. But many companies use terrible leadership practices, a lot of employees leaving, and can't do the most basic things they need to do. This could be because there isn't enough strong direction. Many organizations' main goal is to meet their stated goals. This means they need a skilled leader to manage and inspire their staff to be committed. Thus, it is in the light of these that the study seeks to examine democratic leadership styles as a predictor of employees commitment in Cameroon

1.3  Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to examine democratic leadership styles as a predictor of employees commitment in Cameroon. Specifically, the study will;

Find out the extent to which democratic leadership styles is implemented in  service industries in Cameroon.

Find out how democratic leadership style impact employees  commitment in  service industries in  Cameroon.

Find out the challenges faced by leaders in implementing democratic leadership styles in  service industries in Cameroon.

1.4 Research Questions

The following questions have been prepared for the study:

To what extent is the implementation of democratic leadership styles observedin  service industries in Cameroon?

How does democratic leadership style impact on employees' commitment in  service industries in Cameroon?

What are the challenges encountered by leaders in implementing democratic leadership styles in  service industries in Cameroon?

1.5  Research Hypotheses

H0:  There is no significant relationship between democratic leadership styles and employees' commitment in Cameroon.

Ha: There is a significant relationship between democratic leadership styles and employees' commitment in Cameroon.

1.6  Significance of the Study

This study will uncover useful information about how democratic leadership styles affect the views and actions of Cameroon employees. This knowledge will also help shape programs for developing leaders, company rules, and management plans that aim to boost worker dedication, job satisfaction, and the general performance of the company.Furthermore,inspire organizations all over the world to reexamine their leadership styles and put an emphasis on methods to management that include everyone. Additionally, subsequent researchers will use it as a literature review. This means that other students who may decide to conduct studies in this area will have the opportunity to use this study as available literature that can be subjected to critical review. Invariably, the result of the study contributes immensely to the body of academic knowledge with regard to democratic leadership styles as a predictor of employees commitment in Cameroon

1.7 Scope of the study

The scope of this study is boarded on democratic leadership styles as a predictor of employees commitment in Cameroon. Empirically, the study will find out the extent to which democratic leadership styles is implemented in service industries in Cameroon, find out whether democratic leadership style impact employees  commitment  in  service industries in Cameroon and find out the challenges faced by leaders in implementing democratic leadership styles in service industries in Cameroon.

Geographically, the study will be delimited to employees in service industries, Douala.

1.8 Limitation of the study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed. More so, the findings of this study are limited to the sample population in the study area, hence they may not be suitable for use in comparison to other schools, local governments, states, and other countries in the world.

 1.9 Definition of Terms

Leadership styles: the various approaches, behaviors, and attitudes that leaders adopt in guiding and influencing their team members or followers

Democratic leadership: also known as participative leadership, is a style where leaders involve team members or followers in the decision-making process.

Employees commitment: define as the level of dedication, loyalty, and engagement that employees have towards their organization, its goals, values, and objectives.

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