Examining types of Organizational Structure in Private Chartered Universities in Western Uganda and their Impact on Academic Staff Performance

Background This study examines the types of organizational structures in privately chartered universities in Western Uganda and how these structures impact academic staff performance. Grounded in Henri Fayol’s Administrative Management Theory and Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, this study integrates structural and motivational perspectives to explore the impact of institutional design on academic operations. Method A concurrent triangulation research design was employed to combine quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data were collected from 186 academic staff members using structured questionnaires and 10 academic deans through in-depth interviews. Results Quantitative findings revealed that functional and hierarchical structures were the most common, with 55.4% of respondents reporting highly centralized decision-making and 42.5% reporting poor communication flow. A significant positive correlation was observed between organizational structure and academic staff performance (r = 0.512, p < 0.01). Regression analysis showed that organizational structure explained 26.2% of the variance in academic staff performance (R 2 = 0.262, F (1, 184) = 65.46, p < 0.001). Qualitative data supported these results, with participants highlighting that rigid and bureaucratic structures limit flexibility, innovation, and collaboration, whereas excessive centralization undermines academic autonomy (Yusoff & Isa, 2021). Conclusion The study concludes that, while traditional structures dominate private chartered universities, they often hinder academic performance. To enhance staff effectiveness, universities should adopt adaptive and participatory structures (Berkowitz, 2023). Aligning Fayol’s principles of work specialization, centralization, and communication flow with Vroom’s motivational framework offers a strategic path for organizational improvement.