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Background Healthcare institutions strive for better healthcare systems with clinical leaders to provide excellent patient care. However, there is paucity in the literature on what strategic leader attributes should clinical leaders have to perform clinical and leadership functions in an HIV health system. Methods We explored healthcare providers' perceptions regarding the strategic leader attributes of clinical leaders in AMPATH-Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret Kenya. We conducted (n = 22) in-depth interviews with healthcare providers including clinical officers, nurses, social workers, counselors, retention officers, and, pharmacists who were purposively sampled from the AMPATH-MTRH HIV facility between September 2019 to May 2020. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach. Results The findings identified 4 domains of strategic clinical leader attributes. Training and expertise: clinical competence, informed, and knowledgeable. Personality traits: team leader, trustworthy, honest and integrity, flexible and swift, impartial and mentor. Interpersonal skills: approachable, good listener and understanding, good communication skills, good relationship, interaction, and respect. Managerial traits: good planner, accountable, disciplined, dedicated and hardworking, innovative, problem-solver, organized, and vocal. Conclusion Clinical leaders require strategic leader attributes to lead HIV health systems, manage patient dynamics and provide excellent HIV care. The leadership and management of the HIV facility should develop the capacities of the clinical leaders to a more strategic leadership approach so that they become dynamic and responsive in their leadership and clinical roles.

Patient loyalty is the continuous commitment and engagement in care where patients can improve and sustain quality of life through continuous use of medical care. Identifying strengths and weaknesses in providing excellent quality care is a key measure of success of healthcare professionals and hospital management. However, few studies have examined patient loyalty from a strategic leadership perspective within HIV health care systems. The purpose of this study is to determine how patient loyalty to HIV care is influenced by multiple factors in a healthcare system environment. The study employs a mixed-methods approach guided by the complexity theory and the theory of planned behavior. A total of 444 surveys with (50 healthcare providers and 394 adult HIV-infected patients) currently on antiretroviral drugs, as well as 22 in-depth interviews with healthcare providers will be conducted. The study will be done at AMPATH Eldoret Kenya. We will use stratified proportionate and census sampling methods to select study participants for the survey while purposive and convenient sampling techniques will be used for in-depth interviews. Structured questionnaires and interviewer guides will guide data collection. Quantitative data analysis will entail hierarchical regression to test direct effects while multiple regression will test the mediation effects using the Hayes PROCESS Model No.6 in SPSS. Qualitative data analysis will be conducted using a thematic analytical method.

This paper highlights local experiences, opportunities and common challenges faced by micro- and small-sized businesses in Resource Recovery and Reuse (RRR) - with a special focus on briquette making businesses from faecal sludge and other household waste. The study enlisted the potential that RRR has in preserving the environment through through hybrid business models in sanitation. It used field methods of identifying businesses and providing them with business development support, while testing the potential to become sustainable faecal sludge enterprises. The findings indicated that the small businesses still face several challenges in integrating faecal sludge into the business models profitably. We recommend high level attention by government, academic institutions and entrepreneurs for policy, research and management innovations. This will have a combined benefit of sanitation improvement as well as having entrepreneurial innovations and business growth from waste.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) among local government civil servants. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a cross-sectional survey research design with a response of 239 civil servants in the local government sector; data was collected using a questionnaire and quantitative approaches were used in analysis. Findings The findings reveal that there is a significant positive relationship between organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour. The predictive power of organizational commitment on OCB is, however, lower than other similar studies in extant literature. Despite being significant, the coefficient of determination in the final model was very low raising thoughtful concerns hence recommendation for further analytical studies in the local government context in the African setting. Research limitations/implications The results in this study cannot be without limitations. The authors take a note of the sector that the authors studied, i.e., local governments, in which the authors may not have contextualized the concepts very well and had challenges of interpretation by the respondents. The authors were also limited by the lack of context-specific literature to underpin our discussion. The paper is also limited by the narrow scope of one region in Uganda and thus generalizability to the African level may be done with caution. Practical implications This study provides important implications to policy, practice and research. While policies provide for expected efficiencies and productivity, the authors note that an environment in which these are to be achieved is important when it promotes OCB. Policy makers should bear in mind behavioural elements for affective, normative and continuance commitment. Originality/value This study contributes to the body of knowledge by finding further support for the relationship between organizational commitment and OCB, and advances a likely debate that among local government civil servants in a developing country context the predictive power could be very low. This possibly explains the efficiency gaps at this level of state governance.

This study focused on strategic planning systems as predictors of performance in a developing country context. These concepts have not been adequately investigated in extant strategy literature. We contended that strategic planning systems should be emphasized as a configuration and not by its domains. The influence of resources, management participation and planning techniques on performance showed positive and significant results. In support of our conceptualization, the results were that strategic planning systems as an aggregate factor has a stronger influence on performance than its domains. We conclude that the configuration of planning systems with its theoretical underpinning in the dynamic capabilities and resource based view, explains performance variations among firms.

This study followed a cross-sectional and descriptive research design. The study aimed at establishing the relationship between strategic leadership and employee engagement. A simple random sampling design was employed to a sample obtained from one of the leading breweries in Uganda. The findings showed that strategic leadership was indeed evident in the organization. They also revealed that strategic leadership and employee engagement were significantly and positively correlated and that strategic leadership was significant predictor of employee engagement. It was therefore concluded that organizations should invest in training their managers in strategic leadership skills to improve on their relations with the subordinates.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the management and benefits of meetings so as to draw conclusions on their effectiveness in organizations given the increasing discontent about their set up. Design/methodology/approach – The study was a cross-sectional survey, data were collected from 325 respondents in 22 service organizations in Kampala, using a questionnaire and participant observations; the instrument was tested for reliability and analysis done using descriptive and statistical techniques. Findings – The key finding was that policy regarding meetings and reasons for convening them jointly account for 57 percent variations in the benefits organizations have. The way meetings are conducted was found to have no significant effect, contrary to anecdotal evidences. The internal and external contextual factors did not affect the effectiveness of meetings. In general meetings have benefited organizations but the discontent on how they are managed is still high. Research limitations/implications – The lack of analytical and local literature on the study variables limited this study. There were also methodological challenges especially operationalization of variables, sampling and choice of respondents. Practical implications – The study underpins policy as a key factor for effectiveness of meetings; the literature supported this account. For governance boards there is need to review policy on meetings; and for managers, the paper emphasizes the need for improving how meetings are convened, conducted and the follow up action. The study has provided rich ground for scholars; the authors have extended the debate on meetings, brought into view an African context and made it possible for further studies. Social implications – Meetings involve many people in the organization and affect entire operations. There are critical personal factors that are pertinent in the outcome of meetings. The finding that personal factors do not have a significant relationship with effectiveness of meetings should not be applauded till further investigations and conceptualization is done in similar contexts. There are social implications on if meetings are not managed well as the authors have established like time wastage, employee motivation and poor management among others. Originality/value – Many papers that the authors accessed on meetings were on organizational experiences from western countries, the authors have made an original focus on Uganda and underpinned the debate on management development in Africa. The authors have also examined and provided an empirical basis for understanding effectiveness of meetings using key factors of policy, preparation, conduct and contextual factors.

The Daily Monitor publications ran serialized articles showing the awful state of government hospitals across the country. While the Ministry of Health insists that the problem is not as bad as it is depicted, the level of service delivery in public hospitals has come under serious public scrutiny espousing the cause for concern about policy, practice and research. There should be glaring gaps in management practices as a possible explanation. In this study, we investigated impact of management decision making, structure, processes, communication and management style on hospital performance. The study has emphasized good management as the determinant of better performance of hospitals in the Ugandan context. Findings of this study challenges policy makers to strengthen management processes in addition to mobilizing financial, human and capital resources for hospitals. The study extends the debate on application of management theory with practice in the health sector in the Ugandan context.

The LEAD– Leadership Effectiveness in Africa and the Diaspora, begun 2007. It is a team of committed researchers with diversity in membership, aspiration, scholarship and background. The researchers are from Africa: Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya; Africa Diaspora: Trinidad, US, Canada, West Indies and Barbados. The team has achievements in research and publications; virtual interaction and infrequent physical meetings. This paper examines the factors behind these achievements namely task drive, focus, composition, individual motivation and above all leadership. The paper highlights the beginnings of LEAD team, growth, leadership, academic works, challenges and future directions.

This study was carried out to examine the completion rate for masters’ degree programs at Makerere University Business School. We investigated the delay in research, teaching schedules, administrative processes and students’ own challenges as possible limitations. The study relied on opinion from former students on possible strategies which can be put in place to improve completion. The study examined the masters of Business Administration (MBA) and the Msc. Accounting and Finance (Ms.AF). The study was cross sectional and used both qualitative and quantitative data. A sample size of 211 students was used covering those who had completed their masters within a two-year period and those who were not able to complete in the same period. Findings revealed that the completion rate of masters program was still very low. Delay in returning the research comments both by external examiners and the Graduate and Research Centre office was found to be the major cause, among others. This finding had support in the literature. The study recommends to management to improve the research and teaching environment.

This study sought to establish the relationship between managerial skills, financial capability and the level of strategic planning. The study was premised on the increasing focus on strategic planning in Ugandan organizations. There was however, a lack of local empirical studies on the factors driving this trend. Data were obtained from organizations in various sectors that included government institutions, private and family business organizations. The findings confirmed that organizations were involved in significant level of strategic planning. There was a positive and significant relationship with managerial skills. However, there was a very weak relationship with the financial capability. The implication of the findings for management was to give more attention to managerial skills to ensure congruence of operations.