Linking Transformational Leadership to Knowledge Management in the Universities in Kenya; the Role of Teamwork Processes

Abstract

This study analyses the effect of teamwork processes of cohesion and communication on the relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge management. The key objective of the study was to examine the role that various teamwork processes play in influencing a leadership and knowledge management relationship in the Universities in Kenya. The study utilized the work of Yammarino et al. (2003), Muchiri et al. (2012) and Atwater and Bass (1994) on transformational leadership, performance and teamwork processes. The study also utilized Crawford (2005) research on the relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge management as well as the work of John D. Politis (2003) and Turner et al (2012) on Knowledge management and teams. Cross sectional data was collected and analyzed within a period of one year from September 2017. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data in order to determine the patterns and meaningful characteristics that would emerge from the data. Inferential statistics were used to determine the relationships between and among the study variables. The results obtained support the view that transformational leadership has a significant positive effect on knowledge management initiatives of creation, sharing and utilization. The teamwork processes of communication and cohesion were interestingly found not to significantly mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge management.