The Influence of Goal Focusing on Team Performance Among Courier Companies in Kenya

Abstract

In an organization, a goal represents the desired state or measurable outcome. Organizational success depends on defining goals that guide operations. Goal focusing comprises of goal setting, clarity and capacity. In modern day organizations, teams are the primary channels through which leaders deliver services. Within the Kenyan courier sector, operational inefficiencies abound as their operations continue to grow beyond their current capacities. Part of the courier sector growth is being driven by globalization which is in turn fuelling e-commerce growth, increasing demand for courier logistics services in final transaction fulfilment. This study examined how team leadership elements centered on goal focusing influence team performance. It adopted a post-positivist worldview, targeting 244 departmental team leaders in international courier companies, with a stratified random sample of 166. Data were collected through an electronic structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency distributions, means, standard deviations) and inferential statistics (correlations, chi-square, One-Way ANOVA, ordinal logistic regression). Findings established that goal focusing is a critical leadership practice influencing team performance in Kenyan courier companies. Correlation analysis showed a strong positive relation of goal focusing with team performance (r = .772, p ≤ .05). A Nagelkerke Pseudo R² of 0.612 indicated that goal focusing could explain 61.2% of team. Parameter estimate result (β = -1.419, p ≤ .05) indicated a decrease in goal focusing corresponded with decreased level of team performance. Courier firms should prioritize goal setting, clarity and capacity to align individual and the team as a whole.