Concepts of EffectiveLeadership in Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) :influence on Leadership Styles and Succession Plans

Abstract

This study sought to establish the concepts of effective leadership espoused by the seven top-most leaders in Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM). The study aimed to find out the extent to which those concepts were practiced and how they were influencing the formulation of leadership development and succession plans of the organization. The study adopted a non-experimental cross-sectional study design with a combination of descriptive and explanatory research approaches. To facilitate the collection of quantitative and qualitative data, the questionnaire used contained both closed- and open-ended questions. The researcher used the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to analyze the quantitative data. The study revealed that the concepts of effective leadership that the said leaders in EAM espoused could lead to effectiveness if allowed to influence practice. Further, the study found that these concepts were significantly influencing leadership practice. However, there appeared to be other forces and/or values either in the organization or in the leaders themselves that were hindering the formulation of leadership succession plans. In view of the findings, the researcher recommended that the leaders in EAM need to endeavor to account for the lack of clearly laid out leadership development and succession plans since these plans are not only a mark of effective leadership, but are essential to an organization's continued effectiveness. The leaders should establish the forces/values, either in themselves or in the organization, which account for lack of clearly laid out leadership succession plans.