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There are myriads of research outputs regarding the nexus between leadership behaviors and organizational effectiveness. Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of empirical studies examining the indirect effect of leadership behaviors on academic performance in higher education settings via organizational learning. The present study examined the effects of leadership behaviors on departmental performance through organizational learning in Ethiopian public research universities. Adopting a mixed research method, the researchers selected four universities from a total of eight public research universities using a simple random sampling technique, and1176 staff members using a stratified random sampling technique, and 14 key informants using a purposive sampling technique to involve them in the study. Quantitative data was collected using multiple tools, namely the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Dimensions of Learning Organization Questionnaire, and New Tool for Measuring Global Academic Performance. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interview. The quantitative data were analyzed using Frequency, Percentage, Multiple Correlations, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM). The qualitative data was analyzed thematically using Open Code version 4.03. The results indicated that the directions of relations among the three variables of Leadership Behaviors (LB), Departmental Performance (DP), and Organizational Learning (OL) were positive while the magnitudes of the relations ranged from very weak to moderately strong. The dimensions of LB and OL accounted for the largest cumulative variance in DP. The study further demonstrated essential patterns that would guide future policy and managerial actions.

Cooperative learning is more effective in a well-managed classroom with diverse ethnic, linguistic, and religious backgrounds. To that end, this study examined the state of applications of cooperative learning and student diversity in polytechnic colleges in southwest Ethiopia. A qualitative research methodology, specifically grounded theory design was employed to achieve the research purpose. The empirical data was gathered from 20 educational officials through in-depth interviews at sample polytechnic colleges. Student diversity found to have a significant influence on how cooperative learning is implemented. It has also been found that the perception of department heads towards diversity has a significant influence on the application of cooperative learning. The study’s findings also showed that managing diversity among students and interacting with peers within groups and from other groups has a positive influence on cooperative learning. In conclusion, the application of cooperative learning is affected by perceptional and structural factors of student diversity. Thus, this research recommends further study to be conducted on the relationship between diversity management and cooperative learning.

This study investigates the relationship between the transformational leadership of academic leaders and the job satisfaction of academic staff in polytechnic colleges located in the North Shewa Zone of Ethiopia. This study used a correlational research design and simple random sampling techniques to select 264 academic staff members. Respondents completed a rating version of the multifactor leadership questionnaire and a job satisfaction survey. Data analysis uses descriptive and inferential statistics like Pearson correlation and linear regression. The study found that transformational leadership was found to positively correlate with and predict academic staff job satisfaction, though it was weak. The findings also revealed that academic staff was dissatisfied with their jobs, despite perceiving their leaders as having a moderate degree of attributes of transformational leadership style. Educational planners can use the findings to transform administrative and academic leaders' leadership programs. Leadership training boosts academic staff morale and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction also improves staff retention and minimizes turnover. Thus, academic leaders should grow themselves and seek opportunities to improve their transformational leadership skills. To better understand the leadership style elements that have the greatest impact on job satisfaction, further research is necessary due to the limited variability or unexplained variance in the ability of transformational leadership styles to predict job satisfaction. Further investigation is also needed to explore the mediating factors that impact the link between two variables in an Ethiopian context.

Literacy abilities are crucial for economic progress and community welfare, with higher education recognizing them as vital for problem-solving, critical thinking, continuous learning, and effective functioning for both experienced educators and the new student cohorts. The study examined the interplay between organizational learning and departmental performance, and its implications for changes in Ethiopian Public Research Universities. The researchers used the framework that focuses on seven distinct dimensions of organization learning (OL) namely continuous learning, inquiry and dialogue, collective and collaborative efforts of organizational members, empowerment, embedded system, system connection and strategic leadership and departmental performance (DP) which consists of three dimensions teaching-learning, research and community services. The researchers employed embedded mixed methods design (QUAN + qual) to examine the interplay between organizational learning (OL) and departmental performance (DP). The researchers selected four public research universities using simple random sampling technique. Then, they selected 1,176 respondents (969 instructors and 207 department heads) from target population using simple random sampling technique. The researchers adapted standardized questionnaires and collected quantitative data using questionnaires, and analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean & standard deviation), and inferential statistics (multiple correlations, multiple regressions & structural equation modeling). Qualitative data was collected using semistructured interview from 14 key informants who were selected using the purposive sampling technique based on their rich lived experiences of teaching-learning, research and leadership in higher education institutions. The qualitative data was thematically analyzed. The finding of the study showed that the structural equation model fit to the data. It was also found that the correlations between the different dimensions of organizational learning practices and departmental performance ranged between low and moderate. There were positive significant and moderate correlations between each dimension of organizational learning and departmental performance. The organizational dimensions accounted the largest cumulative variance to departmental performance dimensions; research (R[superscript 2] = 40.70%; [beta] = 0.638, p < 0.001); community service (R[superscript 2] = 33.50%; [beta] = 0.579, p < 0.001) and teaching-learning (R[superscript 2] = 24.60%; [beta] = 0.496, p < 0.001). The study showed that the presence of formal and informal organizational learning cultures in universities enhance departmental performances. Therefore, the Ethiopian public research universities should create effective organizational learning systems to improve departmental performances.

This study explored the links between leadership styles and leadership effectiveness using a correlational research design. A total of 616 academic staff members drawn from five public universities were included using proportionate stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results unveiled the domination of laissez-faire leadership style than the transformational and transactional styles in public universities. The results further unveiled that transformational leadership had high and significant correlations with all the leadership outcome measures of employees’ extra effort, perceived leadership effectiveness and finally staff satisfaction, while transactional leadership had moderate and significant relationships with employees’ perceived extra effort and staff satisfaction, but moderate and non-significant relationship with perceived leadership effectiveness. Besides, laissez-faire leadership style had low and non-significant relationships with all the three measures of leadership outcomes. Finally, the findings indicated that 55.8 % of the extra effort, 59.9 % of leadership effectiveness, and 53.9% of perceived staff satisfaction were explained by the three leadership styles. Policy directions are also forwarded in the study towards the end.

Despite the abundance of research linking leadership behaviours to organisational effectiveness in various sectors, there is a lack of empirical studies that investigate how leadership behaviours influence performance in the context of research universities. The present study examined the effects of leadership behaviours on departmental performance in public research universities in Ethiopia. The study employed a quantitatively driven embedded type of mixed methods design. The participants of the study were 1176 academic staff (969 instructors and 207 department heads). They were selected from four public research universities using a simple random sampling technique. In addition, 14 key informants were selected using a purposive sampling technique based on their teaching-learning, research and leadership lived experiences in higher education institutions and interviewed using semi-structured guiding questions. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires composed of demographic questions and adapted versions of two scales: Multifactor Leadership Questionnaires and a new tool for measuring global academic performance. The quantitative data were analysed using frequency, percentage, multiple correlations and regression, one sample t-test, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Version 23.0 of Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) and SPSS-23 were used for data analyses. Qualitative data were analysed thematically using open code version 4.03 software. The analyses showed that transactional leadership dimension and teaching-learning dimension of departmental performance were practised predominantly. Dimensions of leadership behaviour were found to be positively and significantly related to dimensions of departmental performance. The joint contributions of dimensions of leadership behaviour were larger than their separate contributions, thereby supporting the formulated alternative hypotheses. Implications of the findings were discussed.