The effect of leadership style on the survival of quantity surveying firms

Historical documentation of the development of the quantity surveying (QS) profession in Nigeria in the last 50 years revealed that most of the private QS firms did not survive for long. This aroused the need to investigate the root cause. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of leadership style on the survival of QS firms in Lagos, Nigeria. The study utilised a questionnaire survey to obtain information from QS firms regarding the types of leadership styles they adopt and the age of their firms. The data collected were analysed using mean score analysis, analysis of variance and regression analysis. Results revealed the top-ranking leadership styles as transactional, democratic and transformational leadership styles. Results further showed that firms' age had impact on the adopted leadership style. A regression model that was formulated revealed that the survival age of a firm could be predicted when a combination of the leadership styles in use are known. The model will prove useful in determining a combination of leadership styles that will ensure a long-term survival of QS firms.