Influence of Leadership Orchestration on Electronic Readiness Accession in Higher Education Institutions in Kenya

Abstract

The world has increasingly become knowledge-centric driven by advancements in the information society and created a need for digital-age leadership skills. Digital age leaders with clear digital strategies are in great demand across the globe. Higher education institutions are not insulated given the observed low levels of e-readiness accession in recent KENET e-readiness surveys of 2006, 2008 and 2013. This calls for a review of leadership in higher education institutions for the improvement of e-readiness accession. The general objective of the study was to investigate the influence of leadership orchestration on the e-readiness accession in higher education institutions in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were: to examine the influence of the leader as a conductor on e-readiness accession in higher education institutions in Kenya; to examine the influence of the leader as an architect on e-readiness accession in higher education institutions in Kenya; to examine the influence of the leader as an auctioneer on e-readiness accession in higher education institutions in Kenya; to examine the influence of the leader as a promoter on e-readiness accession in higher education institutions in Kenya; and to examine the influence of the leader as a developer on e-readiness accession in higher education institutions in Kenya. To operationalize the study an e-readiness assessment model based on people, process, and technology nexus and service quality nutshell was developed. A cross-sectional survey design was used with stratified random sampling of 336 respondents from a purposive sample of 9 higher education institutions in Kenya. An online closed questionnaire was used and triangulated with a focus group discussion and interview guide. Correlation and linear regression was used to analyze the data with F-test being applied to the test hypothesis at . Content analysis was used for the qualitative data. The results and findings herein demonstrate that the leader dimensions: leader as a conductor, as an architect, as an auctioneer, as a promoter and as a developer have a strong, significant and positive correlation with e-readiness accession. Individually, each predictor is a significant predictor of e-readiness accession while jointly in step-wise multiple regression only the leader as a conductor and as a developer are significant co-predictors of e-readiness accession. It is therefore recommended that investment be made in leadership orchestration for e-readiness accession in higher education institutions in Kenya to tap the benefits of the digital age, for quality education and societal impact. It is also recommended that e-readiness accession be assessed on the basis of people, process and technology nexus and the service quality nutshell. Primary data to assess leadership orchestration and e-readiness accession for which further research may be done using longitudinal research design with snapshots of primary data annually or biannually, as well as, using secondary data collected by KENET on e-readiness in higher education institutions in Kenya. Further studies may be done to deconstruct and re-construct a new set of variables and, perhaps, form a different combination(s) of predictors of leadership orchestration and e-readiness accession as well as unravel the effect of moderating, mediating and intervening variables beyond the scope of this study.