MEDIATING ROLE OF SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP ON THE IMPACT OF LEARNING RESILIENCE ON ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE (A STUDY OF MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN NIGERIA)

Abstract

Objective: In the face of rising disruption in the 21st century business space, the study establishes the relationship between learning resilience and organizational performance with the intention to use situational leadership as a mediating variable. Using this antecedent as predictors for outcome provides scholars and practitioners with blueprints to enhance organizational performance.

Theoretical framework: The study leveraged on the resource-based view to establish the relevance of aligning resources of the organization in order to avert or reduce the impact of sudden adverse changes.

Methods: To achieve the objective of the study, the survey design was adopted which helped to generate a cross-sectional sample (n = 123) from the firms within the manufacturing industry. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaire disseminated through online platforms.

Results and discussions: The analysis shows that learning resilience plays a vital role in enhancing organizational performance during disruptions, and situational leadership can be used to explain the contribution of learning resilience to improved performance.

Practical implications: The study demonstrated the need for firms to design leadership interventions to equip managerial cadre with situational leadership traits that foster learning as a means of mitigating the effects of disruptions.

Originality value: This study makes novel contribution to literature by empirically validating the mediating role of situational leadership in the relationship between learning resilience and organizational performance.