Analysis of Corporate Leadership Practices on Performance of Logistics Industry, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Keywords:
transformational leadership practice, transactional leadership practice, laissez-faire leadership practice, strategic leadership practice, hierarchical organizational structureAbstract
Today’s business environment demands systemic, forward-looking, and change-driven corporate leadership. Pragmatic leadership is vital in navigating the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous conditions of the 21st century. Effective corporate leadership is therefore a key factor for organizational success in this dynamic era. This study analyzed how corporate leadership practices influence performance of the logistics industry in Dubai, UAE. It examined how Dubai’s logistics cluster applies transformational, transactional, laissez-faire, and strategic leadership practices concurrently, to enhance performance. Hierarchical organizational structure was considered as a moderating variable, and treated as a dummy variable in the analysis. The study was guided by Fiedler’s contingency theory, Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory, and the Path-Goal leadership theory. A cross-sectional and descriptive research design was used, targeting 50 logistics companies, and a population of 700 employees. From this, 70 top, middle, and lower-level managers were selected through stratified random sampling. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and secondary sources. Reliability was confirmed with a Cronbach Alpha above 0.7. Data was analyzed using SPSS-29, through descriptive, inferential, and regression analyses. Results showed that the four leadership practices significantly influenced performance, with an R² of 0.805 and an adjusted R² of 0.770, confirming a strong positive relationship.
References
Ahmed, T. (2022). Contingency leadership theory and Its various models. Vantagecircle. https://www.vantagecircle.com/en/blog/contingency-leadership/
Al-Tamimi, H., Al-Kuwaiti, A., & Khalil, A. (2023). Adaptive leadership in the logistics sector: The role of strategic practices in enhancing performance. Journal of Business and Logistics Research, 12(3), 145–163.
Carter, S. M., & Greer, C. R. (2013). Strategic leadership: Values, styles, and organizational performance. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 20(4), 375–393.
Cedar-Rose. (2023). The Impact of regulations on UAE’s logistics sector. https://www.cedar-rose.com/blog/the-impact-of-regulations-on-uae-logistics-sector
Chand, S. (2012). 4 Different Types of Leadership Styles. Your Article Library. https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/business-management/4-different-types-of-leadership-styles/2550
Emirates. (2022). Dubai history: Discover Dubai. United Arab Emirates. https://www.emirates.com/ae/english/discover-dubai/dubai-history/
Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1–4. https://www.academia.edu/download/55796997/Comparison_Convenience_and_Purposive_Sampling-2016_4p.pdf
Evans, M. G. (1970). The effects of supervisory behavior on the path-goal relationship. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 5(3), 277–298.
Fiedler, F. E. (1967). A theory of leadership effectiveness. McGraw-Hill.
Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). University of Sussex.
Frost, J. (2017). How to interpret R-squared in regression analysis. Statistics By Jim. https://statisticsbyjim.com/regression/interpret-adjusted-r-squared-predicted-r-squared-regression/
Gulf News. (2019). History of the UAE: Jebel Ali Port completes 40 years. Gulf News. https://gulfnews.com/uae/history-of-the-uae-jebel-ali-port-completes-40-years-1.1575795157308
Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. H. (1969). Management of organizational behavior: Utilizing human resources. Prentice-Hall.
Investopedia. (2022). R-Squared vs. Adjusted R-Squared: What’s the difference? Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/012615/whats-difference-between-rsquared-and-adjusted-rsquared.asp
Jahani, K. (2011). Sanctioning Iran: The view from the United Arab Emirates. Al Nakhlah. https://peacepalace.on.worldcat.org/search?queryString=no%3A859521686.
Javalagi, A. A., Newman, D. A., & Li, M. (2024). Personality and leadership: Meta-analytic review of cross-cultural moderation, behavioral mediation, and honesty-humility. Journal of Applied Psychology, 109(9), 1489–1511.
Jiao, H., Wang, L., & Liu, S. (2020). Strategic leadership and logistics innovation: A cross-national study of performance drivers. Journal of International Business Research, 18(3), 211–229.
Kaliannan, M., Darmalinggam, D., Dorasamy, M., & Abraham, M. (2023). Inclusive talent development as a key talent management approach: A systematic literature review. Human Resource Management Review, 33(1), 100926. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053482222000456
Kamal, S., & Ahmed, T. (2022). Impact of leadership synergy on innovation and market expansion in Middle Eastern logistics. Middle East Journal of Management, 18(2), 101–120.
Koech, P. M., & Namusonge, G. S. (2012). The effect of leadership styles on organizational performance at state corporations in Kenya. International Journal of Business and Commerce, 2(1), 1–12. https://www.academia.edu/download/53114158/leadership_performance.pdf
Linge, T. K., Sikalieh, D., & Asiimwe, J. B. (2016). The relationship between laissez-faire leadership style and SMEs growth in the top 100 SMEs in Kenya. International Journal of Innovative Research & Development, 5(7), 240–245. https://www.academia.edu/download/109309091/97254-191870-1-SM.pdf
McKinsey & Company. (2023). Diversity wins: How inclusion matters. https://www.mckinsey.com
Montgomery, D. C. (2020). Design and analysis of experiments (10th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Py7bDgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Montgomery,+D.+C.+(2020).+Design+and+analysis+of+experiments+(10th+ed.).+Wiley.&ots=X8u1pZRV2b&sig=kMa6Z1RAPV7c0Q-RY6o2J3CPTqs
Mosteanu, N. R. (2019). Intelligent Foreign Direct Investments to boost economic development–UAE case study. The Business & Management Review, 10(2), 1–9. https://cberuk.com/cdn/conference_proceedings/2019-07-12-17-42-36-PM.pdf
Mukhezakule, M., & Tefera, O. (2019). The relationship between corporate strategy, strategic leadership and sustainable organisational performance: Proposing a conceptual framework for the South African aviation industry. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 8(3), 1–19. https://www.academia.edu/download/84363378/article_64_vol_8_3__2019.pdf
Nashar, K. (2023). UAE GDP grows by 7.9% in 2022. Emirates News Agency (WAM). https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395303172484
Oberer, B., & Erkollar, A. (2018). Leadership 4.0: Digital leaders in the age of industry 4.0. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 9. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3337644
Ojogiwa, O. T. (2021). The crux of strategic leadership for a transformed public sector management in Nigeria. International Journal of Business and Management Studies, 13(1), 83–96. https://sobiad.org/menuscript/index.php/ijbms/article/view/481
Pahi, M. H., & Hamid, A. K. (2016). The magic of destructive leadership: Laissez-faire leadership and commitment to service quality. Journal of Economic & Management Perspectives, 10(4), 602–609. https://search.proquest.com/openview/15a99b2b52a1b9ce4232f01d3158ce33/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=51667
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533–544.
Para-González, L., Jiménez-Jiménez, D., & Martínez-Lorente, A. R. (2018). Exploring the mediating effects between transformational leadership and organizational performance. Employee Relations, 40(2), 412–432. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ER-10-2016-0190/full/html?fbclid=IwAR0CoaM_hqrmluhoo4APaDCo9ofz-9uhWHNzP2P3Jzjoj0gHyOcmaJ_e7j0&utm_campaign=Emerald_HR_PPV_November22_RoN
Samad, S. (2012). The influence of innovation and transformational leadership on organizational performance. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 57, 486–493. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812046770
University of Arizona. (2022). 4 Leadership styles in business: Leadership style quiz. UAGC. https://www.uagc.edu/blog/4-leadership-styles-in-business
Villanovau, F. (2021). Revisiting contingency theories of leadership: An integrative approach. Management Review Quarterly, 71(4), 609–632.
Visit Dubai. (2020). Uncover the history of Dubai. https://www.visitdubai.com/en/articles/history-of-dubai
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Charles Kiilu Mbuvi, Evans Nyamboga Mandere, Peary Kilei
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The author fully assumes the content originality and the holograph signature makes him responsible in case of trial.
