THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP PARTICIPATION IN PROMOTING COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN NIGERIA
According to Ogbu (2007); the word cooperative is a collective noun as well as the cooperative society. Cooperative implying to work together among a group of persons originated from time immemorial. This could clearly distinguish between cooperative on the basis of time as short term/coincidental and long term/permanent as well as informal and formal traditional modern scientific, genuine pure and psendo cooperatives, para-cooperatives.
This could in the widest sense, reveal that cooperative means more than working together, but people working together to achieve commonly felt need.
Hence, it is as old as man otherwise, instinctive. The cradle of cooperative in that crude sense, is the formally characterized by give and take concept.
In this method, the people involved are “Mutual’s” among whom are characterized by stark illiteracy, informalized structure short live existence and absence of legality, mainly engaging in productivity venture without effective management.
On the contrary, modern scientific cooperatives are originated on the bench mark of the industrial revolution in Europe spanning a century (1750-1850).
As such, they are formal legal entities in business undertaking as a body cooperate and adhering to the internationally acceptable principles. Cooperative are purely on special type of business units, others namely: the sole-proprietorship, the partnership, Joint stock companies and parastatals. The modern scientific cooperative enterprises could be established in all economic systems, be it socialist or communist, capitalism or free market as well as mixed economic system.
It could be formed by business owned persons, workers, rich, poor, and averagely poor, in the society. Thus, it has been characterized in many ways, but mainly flexible.
2.2 The Concept of Leadership
According to Norbet M. Ile (1999), defined leadership as a process where one exerts social influence over members of a group.
Leadership is also the process of influencing others to work willingly and to the best of there capabilities towards the goals of the leader.
Lester (1980), defined leadership as “the knock of getting other people to follow you and to do willingly the things you want them to do. Leadership has been defined in many ways, in general, leadership provides the value and focus of action for other members of a group. These, leadership is the process of influencing other to act so as to accomplish certain goal and objectives.
Ile (1999), narrated that leadership is a display of ability to motivate and to integrate followers to achieve determined organizational goals. Thus leadership is defined as process of directing and influencing the task elated activities of group members.
According to Ile (1999), defined leadership as the act of process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly towards the achievement of group goal.
2.3 The Role of the Leadership Participation in Promoting Cooperative
There are various definitions of leadership as given by writers and authors on management. But all these definitions were looked at critically have the same general idea as to what leadership is. Thus, there is no universal accepted definition of leadership. Leadership as the term implies, can be seen from different perspective.
Roles of leadership in cooperative society. According to Babangida (2010) narrated that a leader (manager) is appointed by and accountable to the board. The leader is responsible for defining operational or management level objectives, goals and policies, selection of employees and preparation of budgets. They also organize and direct men and material so as to achieve the defined goals. The multiple role and function performed by the leader of any cooperative society is of paramount important to group and development of the society.