**2. Literature review**

### **2.1 Theoretical antecedence of the study**

We adopt the contingency theory as the theoretical base of our study. The theory posits that the situation, environment and other factors are the basis of choosing an appropriate leadership style. According to [6], contingency theories dominate scholarly studies of organisational behaviour, design, performance, planning and management strategy. While they vary widely in subject matter, they have the

common proposition that an organisational outcome is the consequence of a fit or match between two or more factors. Fielding [7] also asserts that contingency theory postulates that no universally accepted model of the organisation explains the diversity of organisational design. Therefore, an organisation's design is contingent on factors relevant to its situation. We argue that given the complex nature and characteristics of student organisations and needs, the leadership preference of students will vary depending on the situations they find themselves in and will require leaders to also vary in their leadership approaches.
