Organisational Factors as Correlates of Academic Staff Performance in Polytechnics in North West Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria

ABSTRACT 

This study investigated whether organisational factors were correlates of academic staff performance in North West geo-political zones of Nigeria. The study was based on four specific objectives namely: to determine whether leadership practices were correlates of academic staff performance in polytechnics; to establish whether employee identification was a correlate of academic staff performance in polytechnics; to determine whether organisational structures were correlates of performance academic of staff in Polytechnics; and to establish whether flexitime was a correlate academic of staff performance in polytechnics. The study tested the following hypotheses: leadership practices were not correlates of academic staff performance in polytechnics; employee identifications were not a correlates of academic staff performance in polytechnics; organisational structures were not correlates of academic staff performance in polytechnics; and flexitime was not a correlates of academic staff performance in Polytechnics. Using objective ontology, epistemology, rhetoric and methodology as the dominant ones, the researcher adopted both the positivist and interpretive paradigms with the positivist paradigm as the dominant one. Using descriptive and correlational research designs, data were collected from a sample of 285 academic staffs of polytechnics in North West geo-political zone of Nigeria. Quantitative data were analysed at univariate, bivariate and multivariate levels. Univariate analyses involved percentages and the mean while bivariate analysis involved correlation analysis and multivariate analysis used multiple regression. Qualitative data were analysed using discursive and thematic methods. The following were the main findings of the study: with respect to leadership practices, transformational leadership practice component (P = 0.148, p = 0.016 < 0.05) positively and significantly predicted academic staff performance while transactional leadership practice (P-0.008, p= 0.906 > 0.05) did not. Regarding employee identification, while both aspects of organisational and group identification were positive correlates of academic staff performance, only group identification was a significant correlate (P = 0.157, p = 0.045) that predicted academic staff performance and organisational identification (P = 0.147, p = 0.060) was not. Concerning organisational structure, formalisation (P = 0.145, p = 0.001) and complexity (P = 0.072, p = 0.580) were positive correlates but centralisation (P = - 0.011, p = 0.932) was a negative correlate. However, formalisation predicted Academic Staff Performance was more than complexity. Flexitime (P = 0.166, p = 0.009) was a positive and significant correlate of academic staff performance. Therefore, it was concluded that transformational leadership was the most important leadership practice for enhancing academic performance; group identification was a significant prerequisite for academic staff performance while formalisation and flexitime were probable requisites for academic staff performance. 1t was thus recommended that managers in polytechnics should emphasize the transformational leadership practice, promote group identification and formalisation in the organisational structures and implement flexitime in the structuring of work activities for academic staff.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................. i

APPROVAL ................................................................................................................................... ii

DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT ............................................................................................................... iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. vi

LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... xiii

LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................... xvii

ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................. xviii

CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................ 1

INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1

1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ I

1.1 Background to the Study ........................................................................................................... 1

1.1.1 Historical Perspective ............................................................................................................. 1

1.1.2 Theoretical Perspective ........................................................................................................... 3

1.1.3 Conceptual Perspective ........................................................................................................... 5

1.1.4 Contextual Perspective ........................................................................................................... 6

1.2 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................................... 7

1.3 Purpose of the Study .................................................................................................................. 7

1.4 Specific Objectives of the Study ................................................................................................ 8

I .5 Research Questions .................................................................................................................... 8

1.6 Research hypothesis ................................................................................................................... 8

1.7 Scope of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 9

1.7.1 Geographical Scope ................................................................................................................ 9

1.7.2 Content Scope ......................................................................................................................... 9

1.8 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................................... 9

CHAPTER TWO ......................................................................................................................... 11

LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................... 11

2.0 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 11

2.1 Theoretical Review .................................................................................................................. 1 I

2.1.1 Transformational and Transactional Leadership Theories ................................................... 11

2.1.2 The psychological Contract Theory ...................................................................................... 12

2.1.3 Organizational Structure Theory .......................................................................................... 13

2.1.4 Social Exchange Theory ....................................................................................................... 15

2.2 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................ 16

2.3 Review of Related Studies ....................................................................................................... 17

2.3.1 Academic Staff Performance ............................................................................................... 17

2.3.2 Organisational Factors and Academic Staff Performance ................................................... 22

2.3.2.1 Leadership Practices as Correlates of Academic Staff Performance ................................ 22

2.3.2.2 Transformational leadership as a Correlate of Academic Staff Performance .................. 22

2.3.2.3 Transactional leadership as a Correlate of Academic Staff Performance ....................... 26

2.3.2.4 Employee identification as a Correlate of Academic Staff Performance .......................... 29

2.3.2.5 Organisational Structures as Correlates of Academic Staff Performance ........................ 31

2.3.2.6 Formalisation as Correlates of Academic Staff Performance ............................................ 32

2.3.2. 7 Complexity as a Correlate of Academic Staff Performance ............................................. 34

2.3.2.8 Centralisation as a Correlate of Academic Staff Performance .......................................... 36

2.3.3 Flexitime as a Correlate of Academic Staff Performance .................................................... 38

2.4 Gaps of the study .................................................................................................................... .40

CHAPTER THREE ..................................................................................................................... 42

METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................... .42

3.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. .42

3.1 Research Philosophy ............................................................................................................... .42

3.2 Research Paradigms ................................................................................................................. 42

3.3 Research Design ...................................................................................................................... 43

3.4 Study Population ...................................................................................................................... 43

3.5 Sample Size ............................................................................................................................ .44

Table 3. I: Sample Size Distribution ............................................................................................. .45

3.6 Sampling Procedure ................................................................................................................. 45

3.7 Research Instruments ............................................................................................................... 46

3.7.1 Research Questionnaire ....................................................................................................... .46

3.7.2 Interview Guide ................................................................................................................... .47

3.8.2 Reliability ............................................................................................................................. 48

3.9 Research Procedure ................................................................................................................. 48

3.10 Data Analysis Procedure ...................................................................................................... .49

3.10.1 Qualitative Data ................................................................................................................. .49

3.10.2 Quantitative Data ............................................................................................................... .49

3.10.3 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................................ 49

CHAPTER FOUR ....................................................................................................................... 51

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION ...................................... 51

4.0 lntroduction .............................................................................................................................. 51

4.1 Demographic Characteristics ................................................................................................... 51

4.2 Results on Academic Staff Performance ................................................................................ 53

4.2.1 Teaching performance .......................................................................................................... 54

4.2.2 Supervision Performance ...................................................................................................... 60

4.2.3 Publication Performance ....................................................................................................... 67

4.2.4 Innovation Performance ........................................................................................................ 74

4.2.5 Community Service Performance ......................................................................................... 79

4.2.6 Academic Staff Performance Index ...................................................................................... 85

4.3 Results on Organisational Factors and Academic Staff Performance ..................................... 87

4.3.1 Objective One: To determine whether Leadership Practices were Correlates of Academic of Staff Performance in Polytechnics ................................... 87

4.3.2 Transformational Leadership Practices ................................................................................ 87

4.3.3 Transactional Leadership Practices ...................................................................................... 94

4.3.4 Correlation Analysis between the Academic Staff Performance and Leadership Practices............................. 101

4.3.5 Regression Model for Academic Staff Performance and Leadership Practices ............... 101

4.3.6 The Controlling Effect of Demographic Characteristics on the relationship between Leadership Practices and Academic Staff Performance .......... 102

4.4 Objective Two: To establish whether Employee Identification is a Correlate of Academic Staff Performance in Polytechnics ................... 104

4.4.1 Organizational Identification and Academic Staff Performance ........................................ 104

4.4.2 Group Identification and Academic Staff Performance ..................................................... 111

4.4.3 Correlation analysis between Academic Staff performance and Employee Identification ..................................... 118

4.4.4 Regression Model for Academic Staff Performance and Employee Identification ........... 119

4.4.5 The Controlling Effect of Demographic Characteristics on the relationship between employee identification and Academic Staff Performance................ 120

4.5 Objective Three: To determine whether Organisational Structures were Correlates of Academic Staff Performance in Polytechnics ......................... 121

4.5.1 Organizational Formalization . ............................................................................................ 121

4.5.2 Organizational Complexity ................................................................................................. 127

4.5.3 Organizational Centralization ............................................................................................. 133

4.5.4 Correlation Analysis between the Academic Staff Performance and Organisational Structure ........................................ 139

4.5.5 Regression Model for Academic Staff Performance and Organizational Structure ........... 140

4.5.6 The Controlling Effect of Demographic Characteristics on the relationship between Organizational Structure and Academic Staff Performance ............. 141 

4.6 Objective Four: To establish whether flexitime is a correlate of Academic Staff Performance in Polytechnics.............................. 143

4.6.1 Descriptive Statistics of flextime ........................................................................................ 143

4.6 I Linear Regression Model for Academic Staff Performance using Flexibility .................. 150

4.6.2 The Controlling Effect of Demographic Characteristics on the relationship between Flextime and Academic Staff Performance  .............................. 150

4. 7 Overall Summary Quantitative Results ................................................................................. 15 l

CHAPTER FIVE ....................................................................................................................... 158

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................ 158

5.0 lntroduction ............................................................................................................................ 158

5.1..2 Employee Identification and Academic Staff Performance in Polytechnics in North West Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria ............... 159

5.1..3 Organizational Structure and Academic Staff Performance in Polytechnics in North West Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria ..................................... 160

5.1.4 Flextime and Academic of Staff Performance in Polytechnics in North West Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria .......................................... 16

5.2 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 162

5.3 New Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................. 163

5.4 Recommendations .................................................................................................................. 164

5.5 Suggestions for Further Research .......................................................................................... 165

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 167

APPENDIX I A ........................................................................................................................... 184

PERMISSION LETTER TO CONDUCT A RESEARCH STUDY ........................................... 184

APPENDIX I B ........................................................................................................................... 185

INTRODUCTION LETTER ....................................................................................................... 185

APPENDIX IC ........................................................................................................................... 186

KADUNA POLYECHNIC .......................................................................................................... 186

APPENDIX ID ........................................................................................................................... 187

KANO STATE POLYTECHNIC ................................................................................................ 187

APPENDIX I E ............................................................................................................................ 188

THE POLYTECHNIC OF SOKOTO STATE ............................................................................ 188

APPENDIX IF ............................................................................................................................ 189

HASSAN USMAN KATSINA POLYTECHNIC ...................................................................... 189

APPENDIX I G ........................................................................................................................... 190

HUSSAINI ADAMU FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC ................................................................... 190

APPENDIX I H ........................................................................................................................... 191

THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC .............................................................................................. 191

APPENDIX II .............................................................................................................................. 192

INFORMED CONSENT ............................................................................................................. 192

APPENDIX III A ......................................................................................................................... 193

SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ACADEMIC STAFF ............................... 193

APPENDIX Ill B: ........................................................................................................................ 203

INTERVIEW GUIDE FORKEY RESPONSES ........................................................................ 203

APPENDIX IV ............................................................................................................................ 204

TABLE FOR DETERMINING SAMPLE SIZE FROM ............................................................ 204

A GIVEN POPULATION ........................................................................................................... 204

APPENDIX V .............................................................................................................................. 205

CURRICULUM VITAE .............................................................................................................. 205