COMPETENCY SKILLS AS AN ANTECEDENT OF WOMEN LEADERSHIP PERFORMANCE IN PARASTATALS IN KENYA

Abstract

Women participation is low in decision making positions around the globe. Evidence is provided by Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality (2005-2015) which stipulates that there should be a 30 per cent target for women in decision making positions in public or private corporations. This has contributed to the intense debate on their representation and performance in top leadership positions in parastatals in Kenya. It is due to the backdrop of this information that scholars are increasingly showing an interest in women leadership in the world today and Kenya is no exception. Previous studies have not identified a significant link between antecedents of women leadership performance in parastatals hence, this study sought to fill this knowledge gap. The study was guided by the general objective of the study which was to determine the effects of competency skills as an antecedent of women leadership performance in parastatals in Kenya. Two theories formed well-grounded premises significant for this study: Transformational theory and Upper Echelon Theory. Positivism philosophy was adopted. Descriptive research design was used and solely focused on the total population of 147, parastatals in Kenya. Simple random sampling and convenience sampling were used to get a sample size of 214 women leaders from 107 parastatals. The study used a structured questionnaire as the main data collection tool. A pilot study was carried out to test the data collection instrument to check for its reliability and validity for the study. A total of 132 questionnaires were received translating to a 61.68%. Both descriptive and inferential statistics used to analyse the data. Multi and linear regression models were used in explaining the effects of competency skills as an antecedent of women leadership performance in Parastatals in Kenya. The study established that majority of respondents strongly agreed that for the last few years women leaders have improved in acquisition of the expected conceptual skills to support their leadership roles. This is because they have been able to access the most appropriate requisites that support their roles as leaders in their organizations. The study concluded that this was because a majority of the women leaders exclaimed that they had no obstacles that prevented them from attaining their full potential. This study recommends that special attention is required to enhance women competencies. This is because it is important to note that women need skill, encouragement, selfconfidence, and decisiveness to adapt themselves to the dominant masculine environment.