Team Leadership and Effectiveness of Collaborative Partnerships in International Research Organizations in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of team leadership on effectiveness of collaborative partnerships in international research organizations in Kenya. The research was guided by the following research questions; 1) how does goal focusing of team leadership influence the team effectiveness of collaborative partnerships in international research organizations in Kenya? 2) How does communication of team leadership influence team effectiveness of collaborative partnerships in international research organizations in Kenya? 3) How does collaboration of team leadership influence team effectiveness of collaborative partnerships in international research organizations in Kenya? 4) How does managing conflicts of team leadership influence the team effectiveness of collaborative partnerships in international research organizations in Kenya? 5) How does empowerment of team leadership influence team effectiveness of collaborative partnerships in international research organizations in Kenya? 6) How does donor regulations moderate the relationship between team leadership and team effectiveness of collaborative partnerships in international research organizations in Kenya? The study was grounded on Hill's (2001) theory of team leadership. Positivism was considered the most appropriate research philosophy in this study. The study adopted the correlational research design. The anticipated respondents from the twelve international research organizations included 164 program leaders, project managers and heads of departments. A census was conducted. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the data. A pilot study was carried out to check the validity and reliability of the questionnaires in collecting the data required for the purposes of the study. SPSS version 25 was used to organize, code and analyze information and generate the quantitative report. The collected data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study employed ANOVA to assess the impact of independent variables on the dependent variable and test the formulated hypotheses. The correlation results showed that goal focusing of team leadership, communication by team leadership, collaboration of team leadership, managing conflicts of team leadership, empowerment of team leadership and donor regulations are positively and significantly related to team effectiveness. Furthermore, the study used ANOVA results to support the influence of these variables on team effectiveness and rejected the null hypotheses. Regarding the first research question, the regression results showed that goal focusing of team leadership is positively and significantly related to team effectiveness (β =.0567, t (151) = 8.329, p<.05).. For the second question, the regression parameter estimates showed that communication by team leadership is positively and significantly related to team effectiveness (β =.743, t (151) = 12.269, p<.05). With reference to the third research question, the regression results showed that collaboration of team leadership is positively and significantly related to team effectiveness (β =.455, t (151) = 6.531, p<.05). For the fourth research question, the regression results showed that managing conflicts of team leadership is positively and significantly related to team effectiveness (β =.755, t (151) = 11.005, p<.05). The regression results for the fifth research showed that empowerment of team leadership is positively and significantly related to team effectiveness (β =.597, t (151) = 8.72, p<.05). With respect to the sixth research the study results showed (p<.05) for all values under the interaction terms. Thus, the null hypothesis was rejected implying that donor regulations have a significant moderating effect on the relationship between team leadership and team effectiveness of collaborative partnerships in international research organizations in Kenya. The study concluded that goal focusing, communication, collaboration, managing conflicts, and empowerment of team leadership significantly influence team effectiveness. Overall, effective team leadership is crucial for improving team effectiveness in collaborative partnerships within international research organizations in Kenya. Based on the study findings, several recommendations are made for management, policy, theory and future research. Overall, the study recommended that focusing on goal-oriented leadership, effective communication, and collaboration in team leadership, managing conflicts, empowering team leadership, and complying with donor regulations can enhance team effectiveness in international research organizations in Kenya.