University education plays a major role in the development of any country’s economy. The performance of universities is thus greatly dependent on the quality of education and related services provided therein. However, the extent to which International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification enhances performance of universities still remains debatable, given the problems faced by these universities. This paper assesses leadership in universities as a component of ISO certification in relation to organisational performance. The authors look at perspectives from selected private university campuses in Eldoret, Kenya. Objectively, the study sought to determine the relationship between leadership and organisational performance of selected private university campuses in Eldoret, Kenya. Guided by Juran’s Theory of Quality, a correlational research design was adopted to compare the two variables. The target population comprised 1752 students and teaching staff. Nassiuma’s formula was used to obtain a sample size of 199 on which simple random sampling technique was applied. Collected data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used to show the relationship between leadership and organisational performance of selected private university campuses in Eldoret, Kenya. The study found that there was a significant relationship between leadership and organizational performance of selected private university campuses in Eldoret, Kenya. In conclusion, leadership enhances organisational performance. This paper recommends that universities should not only get ISO certified but remain faithful to the requirements and standards especially the aspect of leadership to ensure organisational performance.
Keywords: ISO Certification, Leadership, Organizational Performance, Private Universities
