Visionary Leadership and Social Innovation in Public Universities in Tanzania

Apaisaria Nyange — 2026-01-21

Visionary leadership is increasingly seen as a key factor in fostering social innovation in higher education, especially in contexts where universities are expected to support national development. In Tanzania, public universities are crucial for tackling challenges such as unemployment, poverty, gender inequality, and environmental issues. Drawing on values-based and transformational leadership theories, this study examined the relationship between visionary leadership and social innovation in Tanzanian public universities. A convergent mixed-methods approach was used, combining survey data from academic and administrative staff with interviews involving university leaders and stakeholders. Results showed a strong, significant positive correlation between visionary leadership and social innovation (R = 0.742), with leadership practices accounting for 55.5% of the variance in social innovation outcomes. Factor analysis identified five key aspects of visionary leadership: strategic direction, inspiration and motivation, commitment to institutional values, creativity, and fostering innovation, with factor loadings ranging from 0.712 to 0.751. Qualitative results illustrated how visionary leaders implement ethical and institutional values through innovation hubs, community projects, and collaboration platforms aligned with national goals, including Tanzania’s Vision 2050. However, challenges like leadership inconsistency and resource shortages hinder the growth of social innovation efforts. The study suggests that strengthening visionary, values-focused leadership is vital for boosting the social innovation capacity of Tanzanian public universities and positioning them as drivers of sustainable social change.

Nexus between Team Leadership and Employee Performance in Commercial Banks in Tanzania

Steven Jerome Assenga — 2026-02-03

Employee performance is essential for commercial banks as it enhances efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction, yet many Tanzanian banks continue to struggle with low performance. The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of team leadership on employee performance in commercial banks in Tanzania. The study was anchored in contingency theory and adopted a descriptive survey research design. The study also targeted all 39 operational commercial bank headquarters. The unit of observation comprised senior managers, managers, supervisors, and lower-level employees in each of the commercial banks under review, for a total of 1480 targeted respondents. Simple random sampling was used to select respondents. However, the expected sample size was 445 respondents. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the analysis of the data. The study found that team leadership significantly influenced employee performance in commercial banks. Based on this study's findings on team leadership, it can be concluded that, as agreed by the majority of respondents in Tanzania's commercial banks, these practices influence employee performance. Leadership practices, including delegation, level of support, and leadership styles, were positively and significantly associated with the measures of employee performance used in this study: productivity, service quality, and employee well-being.

Human Resource and Leadership

Visionary Leadership and Social Innovation in Public Universities in Tanzania

Nexus between Team Leadership and Employee Performance in Commercial Banks in Tanzania