BJAR British Journal of Advanced Research BJAR 3153-709X Ivory and Finch Publishers 10.68263/BJAR-3XRRH5PS BJAR_AUG_26_049 Original Research Article Leadership Style and Academic Staff Motivation in a Military-Affiliated Tertiary Institution: Evidence from Nigeria Chibuzor Sunday Ohalete Department of Economics, Admiralty University of Nigeria, Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria; Nigerian Navy College of Accounts and Finance, Owerrinta, Abia State, Nigeria ohaletesunday@gmail.com Gladys Obinna², and Amaraihu Precious³ Ahuchogu 10 09 2026 1 3

This study examined the relationship between leadership style and academic staff motivation at the Nigerian Navy College of Accounts and Finance (NNCAF), Owerrinta, Abia State, Nigeria. The study was anchored on Self-Determination Theory, Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, and Path-Goal Theory. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and a census approach was used to cover the institution's 52 academic staff. Data were collected using a structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaire, with all 52 distributed questionnaires returned and found usable, representing a 100% response rate. Leadership style was operationalized as a composite construct encompassing communication, participation, support, encouragement, and direction. Academic staff motivation was examined through five dimensions: rewards, recognition, promotion, job satisfaction, and career development. Descriptive statistics and five separate simple linear regression models were employed. The findings show that leadership style was positively associated with all five motivational outcomes. However, the relationship with rewards was not statistically significant at the 5% level (B = 0.2997, p = .0512, R² = .0739). Significant positive relationships were found with recognition (B = 0.5144, p = .0004, R² = .2244), promotion (B = 0.5399, p = .0006, R² = .2112), job satisfaction (B = 0.7532, p < .001, R² = .3942), and career development (B = 0.7164, p < .001, R² = .3541). Job satisfaction recorded the highest explanatory power, followed by career development, recognition, promotion, and rewards. The findings suggest that leadership may be particularly relevant to relational, experiential, and developmental dimensions of academic staff motivation, whereas formal financial rewards may be more strongly influenced by institutional structures beyond the immediate control of academic leaders. The study recommends transparent advancement procedures, structured professional development, participatory communication, supportive supervision, and systematic non-monetary recognition mechanisms.

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