Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

Exploring Self-Leadership Strategies and its Proposed use among Small and Medium Enterprise Leaders in Nigeria

Enem Godwin Nnaemeka, Mohd Ashraff Mohd Anuar, Nor Wahiza Abdul Wahat, Ismi Arif Ismail

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v10-i11/8146

Open access

Self-leadership is a concept that aims to gain control on all aspect of life and individuals who practice self-leadership tend to improve on their performance. However, until recently the study of self-leadership has focused mainly on the personality of individuals, thereby neglecting the attitude of individuals and situational characteristics as crucial elements in self-leadership (Mutalib et al., 2013). This conceptual paper explores the self-leadership of small and medium enterprise (SME) leaders in Nigeria and investigates the crucial role the Nigeria business environment plays in the practice of self-leadership. The research methodology is qualitative descriptive research mainly relying on document analysis which constitutes an extensive review of relevant journals sourced from online platforms such as Google Scholars, Psycho.Net and from the researchers’ institutions online resources. The ideal leadership for SME leaders has been a contentious issue in recent times; therefore in this paper attention is also drawn on the SME knowledge and experience of their self-leadership. The findings show that situational factors such as technology, poor infrastructure and government policy affect self-leadership among SMES leaders. The practical implications suggest that self-leadership has the potential for individual leadership development and could be a strategy to enhance personal effectiveness and organizational development. Additional Self-leadership development opportunities are also required because the emerging realities which indicate the increasing demand for less supervision in organizations, and individuals are expected to be independent with higher performance.

Alabdulbaqi, E., Banjar, H., and Felemban. (2019). The Relationship between Self-Leadership and Emotional Intelligence among Staff Nurses. IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science (IOSR-JNHS). ISSN: 2320–1940 Volume 8, Issue 1 Ver. III. (Jan. - Feb .2019), PP 58-65. www.iosrjournals.org
Amundsen, S., & Martinsen, O. L. (2015). Linking Empowering Leadership to Job Satisfaction, Work Effort, and Creativity: The Role of Self-Leadership and Psychological Empowerment. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(3), 304–323. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051814565819.
Bailey, S. F., Barber, L. K., & Justice, L. M. (2016). Is self-leadership just self-regulation? Exploring construct validity with HEXACO and self-regulatory traits. Current Psychology, 37(1), 149-161. doi:10.1007/s12144-016-9498
Baker, C. (2018). A Study of Emotional Intelligence and Self Leadership. SAM Advanced Management Journal. 82. 18-28.
Bandura, A. (2001). 'Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective', Annual Review Psychology, vol. 52, pp. 1-26.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Beck, A. (1970). Cognitive Therapy: Nature and Relation to Behavior Therapy. Behavior Therapy, 1, 184-200. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(70)80030-2
Browning, M. (2018). Self-Leadership: Why It Matters. International Journal of Business and Social Science Volume 9, Number 2, p.p. 14-18.
Cautela, J. R. (1969). Behavioral therapy and self-control: Techniques and applications. In C. M. Franks (Ed.), Behavioral therapy: appraisal and status (pp. 323–340). NY: McGraw-Hill.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2011), ‘Self-determination theory’, Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology 1, 416–433.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behaviour. New York: Plenum.
Deci, E. L., Olafsen, A. H., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory in work organizations: The state of a science. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 19-43. doi: 10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113108.
Di Domenico, S. I., and Ryan, R. M. (2017). The Emerging Neuroscience of Intrinsic Motivation: A New Frontier in Self-Determination Research. Journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience volume 11. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00145,
DOI 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00145. ISSN 1662-5161

Geldenhuys, M., Laba, K., & Venter, C. (2014). Meaningful work, work engagement and organisational commitment. South African Journal of Industrial Psychology. 40. 1. 10.4102/sajip. v40i1.1098.
Goleman, D. (1998) “What Makes a Leader,” Harvard Business Review, vol. 76, p. 93-102
Ho, J., & Nesbit, P. L. (2014). Self-leadership in a Chinese context: Work outcomes and the moderating role of job autonomy. Group & Organization Management, 39(4), 389–415.
Houghton, J. D., & Neck, C. P. (2002), 'The revised self-leadership questionnaire', Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 17, no. 8, p. 672.
Houghton, J. D., & Yoho, S. K. (2005). Toward a Contingency Model of Leadership and Psychological Empowerment: When Should Self-Leadership Be Encouraged? Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 11(4), 65–83.
Ifekwem, N., & Ademola, O. (2016). Survival strategies and sustainability of small and medium enterprises in the Oshodi-Isolo local government area of Lagos State. Acta University Sapientiae, Economics and Business, 4(1), 103–118. doi:10.1515/auseb-2016-0006.
Konradt, U., Andreßen, P., & Ellwart, T. (2009) Self-leadership in organizational teams: A multilevel analysis of moderators and mediators, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 18:3, 322-346, DOI: 10.1080/13594320701693225.
Manz, C. C., & Neck, C. P. (2004). Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence (3rd ed.). Pearson Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Manz, C. C. (1986). Self-leadership: Toward an expanded theory of self-influence processes in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 11.3, 585–600.
Manz, C. C. (2015). Taking the self-leadership high road: Smooth surface or potholes ahead? The Academy of Management perspectives: 29(1), 132–151
Manz, C. C., Skaggs, B. C., Pearce, C. L., and Wassenaar, C. L., (2015). Serving one another: Are shared and self-leadership the keys to service sustainability? Journal of Organizational Behavior, J. Organize. behavior. 36, 607–612 (2015) Published online 25 January 2015 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/job.1991.
Manz, C. C., & Neck, C. P. (2004). Mastering Self-Leadership: Empowering Yourself for Personal Excellence (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Manz, C. C., & Sims, H. P. 1991. Super Leadership: Beyond the myth of heroic leadership. Organizational Dynamics, 19(4): 18-35.
Manz, C. C., & Sims, H. P. (2001). The new super leadership: Leading others to lead themselves. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Marques-Quinteiro, P., Vargas, R., Eifler, N., & C., L. (2018). Employee adaptive performance and job satisfaction during organizational crisis: the role of self-leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 1-16. 10.1080/1359432X.2018.1551882.
Maykrantz, S., & Houghton, J. (2018). Self-leadership and stress among college students: Examining the moderating role of coping skills. Journal of American College Health. 68. 10.1080/07448481.2018.1515759.
Megheirkouni, M. (2018). Leadership and Decision-Making Styles in Large-Scale Sporting Events. Event Management. 22. 785-801. 10.3727/152599518X15299559876162.
Meyer, R. D., Dalal, R. S., & Bonaccio, S. (2009), 'A meta-analytic investigation into the moderating effects of situational strength on the conscientiousness-performance relationship', Journal of Organizational Behaviour, vol. 30, pp. 1077-1102.
Middleton, L., Hall, H., & Raeside, R. (2019). Applications and applicability of Social Cognitive Theory in information science research. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 51(4), 927–937. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000618769985
Mutalib, S. K. (2013). Towards a theory of self-leadership and individual characteristics: understanding the impact of situational factors.
Neck, C. P., & Manz, C.C (1996). 'Thought self-leadership: The impact of mental strategies training on employee cognition, behavior, and affect', Journal of Organizational Behavior, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 445-467.
Neck, C. P., & Manz, C. C. (1992). Thought self-leadership: The influence of self- talk and mental imagery on performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13(7), 681–699.
Neck, C. P., Manz, C. C., & Houghton, J. D. (2017). Self-leadership: The definitive guide to personal excellence. Los Angeles: SAGE
Neck, C., & Houghton, J. (2006). Two decades of self-leadership theory and research: Past developments, present trends, and future possibilities. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21: 270-295.
Neck, C. P., & Manz, C. C. (2013). Mastering self-leadership: empowering yourself for personal excellence (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
O'Dwyer, T. F. (2014). Consequences of self-leadership in an Irish public sector knowledge organization.
Ozmete, E., & Hira, T. (2011). Conceptual analysis of behavioral theories/models: Application to financial behavior. European Journal of Social Sciences, 18(3), 386-404.
Oyeyinka, B. O., (2020). Financial System Strategy 2020 FSS 2020 International Conference. SME Issues, Challenges and Prospects. https://www.cbn.gov.ng
Parker, S. K., Williams, H., & Turner, N. (2006). Modeling the antecedents of proactive behaviour at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 636–652.
Panagopoulos, N., & Ogilvie, J. (2015). Can salespeople lead themselves? Thought self-leadership strategies and their influence on sales performance. Industrial Marketing Management, 47, 190–203
Pearce, C. L., & Manz, C. C. (2011). Leadership Centrality and Corporate Social Ir-Responsibility (CSIR): The Potential Ameliorating Effects of Self and Shared Leadership on CSIR. Journal of Business Ethics, 102(4), 563–579
Politis, J. (2015). Entrepreneurial Orientation, Creativity and Productivity: The Influence of Self-leadershipStrategies. Management Studies, 3(7-8), 203-213. https://doi.org/10.17265/2328-2185/2015.0708.004.
Prussia, G. E., Anderson, J. S., & Manz, C. C. (1998). Self-leadership and performance outcomes The mediating influence of self-efficacy. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 538(August 1995), 523–538.
Robu, M. (2013). The Dynamics and Importance of SMEs in Economy: The USV Annals of Economics and Public Administration. Volume 13, Issue 1(17),
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000b), 'Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being', American Psychologist, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 68-78.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2019). Supporting autonomy, competence, and relatedness: The coaching process from a self-determination theory perspective. In P. Brownell, S. English, & J. Sabatine (Eds.), Professional coaching: Principles and practice (pp. 231- 246). New York, NY: Springer.
Sesen, H., Tabak, A., & Arl?, O. (2016). Consequences of Self-Leadership: A Study on Primary School Teachers. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice. 17. 10.12738/estp.2017.3.0520
Shad, F. S., Sharbiyani, A. A. A., and Abzari, M. (2015), Studying the relationship between self- leadership with job satisfaction and performance improvement. Global Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 39-57.
Shek, D. T., Ma, C. M., Liu, T. T., & Siu, A. M. (2015). The role of self-leadership in service leadership. International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 14, 343 - 350.
Singh, R., Kumar, N., & Puri, S., (2017). Thought self-leadership strategies and sales performance: Integrating selling skills and adaptive selling behavior as missing links. Journal of Business & Industrial marketing. 32(5), 652-663.
SMEDAN. (2013). SMEDAN and national bureau of statistics collaborative survey: Selected
Nigeria’s SMEs: Mitigating the Challenges by Gumel, B. I. 29 findings 2013. Abuja: National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved from http://nigerianstat.gov.ng.
Stewart, G. L., Courtright, S. H., & Manz, C. C. (2011). Self-leadership: A multilevel review. Journal of Management, 37(1), 185-222
Sweet, S. N., Fortier, M. N., and Strachan S. M., (2012). Testing and Integrating Self-Determination Theory and Self-Efficacy.
Sydanmaanlakka, P. (2006). Älykäs itsensä johtaminen Talentum. Helsinki.
Uchehara, C. C. (2017). Ex-raying operations of small medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria business environment: The challenges. European Journal of Economic and Financial Research, 2(1), 1-20. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.255799.
Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H., Soenens, B., & Lens, W. (2010). Capturing autonomy, competence and relatedness at work: construction and initial validation of thework-related basic need satisfaction scale. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(4), 981–1002
Van Zyl, E. (2014). The role of self-leadership in becoming an ethical leader in the South African working context. African Journal of Business Ethics, 8(2), 5-14.
Ward, E., and Eagle, B. (2018). A HEXACO Personality Structure Analysis of Self-Leadership. International Journal of Business and Applied Social Science (IJBASS) https://ijbassnet.com/
Voca, Z., & Havolli, Y. (2019). The Impact of Human Resources Development on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Performance. Journal of Economics and Management Sciences. 2. p45. 10.30560/jems. v2n2p45.
Wang, Y., Xie, G., & Cui, X. (2016). Effect of emotional intelligence and self-leadership on students’ coping with stress. Social Behavior and Personality, 44(5), 853-864. doi:10,2224/sbp.2016.44.5.853.

In-Text Citation: (Nnaemeka, Anuar, Abdul Wahat, & Ismail, 2020)
To Cite this Article: Nnaemeka, E. G., Anuar, M. A. M., Abdul Wahat, N. W., & Ismail, I. A. (2020). Exploring Self-Leadership Strategies and Its Proposed use among Small and Medium Enterprise Leaders in Nigeria. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. 10(11), 821-838.