Impact of Leadership Style on Employee Commitment in the Nigerian Public Healthcare Sector: A Study of Ogun State Hospitals

This study investigates the impact of leadership style on employee organizational commitment in public hospitals in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. The persistent crisis of healthcare worker motivation, frequent strikes, and poor service delivery in Nigerian public hospitals has prompted renewed inquiry into the role of hospital leadership in shaping employee attitudes. A survey research design was adopted, and data were collected through validated questionnaires administered to 165 doctors, nurses, and administrative staff across four general hospitals. The Full-Range Leadership Model by Bass and Avolio and the Three-Component Model of Organizational Commitment by Meyer and Allen provide the theoretical anchors. The study finds that transformational leadership behaviours, such as inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation, are significantly positively correlated with both affective and normative commitment among healthcare workers. Conversely, laissez-faire leadership is associated with reduced continuance commitment and elevated intentions to leave the organization. The findings further indicate that female health workers respond more positively to participatory leadership styles than their male counterparts. Recommendations include targeted leadership development programs for hospital administrators, integration of leadership competency assessments into the promotion criteria for senior health officials, and the decentralization of decision-making authority within hospitals. This research enriches the literature on leadership and organizational behaviour in Nigeria's health sector and has direct policy relevance for the Ogun State Ministry of Health. Keywords: leadership style, employee commitment, public healthcare, Ogun State, organizational behaviour