Staff Training and Development a Tool for Increase in Performance in Organisation in Abia State; (A Case Study of Federal Ministry of Education, Abia State)
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
In view of the identified problems of this study, the objective of this research will include among other things the following:
- To ascertain the relationship between staff training and development and performance.
- To examine the extent to which training and development can contribute to increase in performance
- To identify problems associated with employee training and development programmers in administrative organization.
- To make useful recommendation based on finding of the study.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Organization employ people in order to use then realize their goals. People equally join organization in order to achieve their own objectives in life. It therefore follows that, for organization to get the best of the workers, it must offer them the opportunity of realizing their goals to a reasonable extent by the provision of adequate training and development from time to time (automation). Once a worker believes that he can realize his personal objectives by helping the organization to realize it’s objectives he is bound to offer his best. Thus, behavioral scientist believes that effective worker performance requires motivation through training and development of workers in any organization.
Like other social science concept training and development has been defined by many scholar and authorities based on their different ideology, perspective, environment to mention but few. After conducting a critical analysis of these various definitions by different authors, I observed that training can be defined putting into consideration these goals:
- 1. Training as a tool for change of employee behaviour
- Training as a means of acquiring skills and knowledge
- Training for development of employee potential.
TRAINING AS A TOOL FOR CHANGING BEHAVIOUR
According to Nkwam (2005), behaviour “is refers to anything a person does, says, imagines or thinks which can be objectively observed or measured in a way”. Furthermore, he disclosed that human behaviour develops from two unique factors referred to as genetic and environment variable. The genetic factors are inherited from parents while environmental factors come through training, exposure, culture, common and unique experience and others.
These definitions of training below assert that training and development is geared towards change of staff behaviour to the acceptable organizational behaviour so as to achieve the objective of the organization. Ivancevich (1994), see training “as the systematic process of altering goals.” These scholars have stated it clearly that the aim of training is to change staff behaviour to suit the organizational goals and objectives.
Concerning with the above definition, Campbell (1971) asserts that staff training “is a planner’s learning experience designed to bring about permanent change in an individual’s knowledge, attitude or skill.”
We will magnify that word “attitude” which is an offshoot of behaviour. In the words of Ukwam (2005) “attitude is a relationship enduring organization of belief about an object situation, predisposing one to respond in a particular manner” when the belief of a staff is inconsistent with that of the organization, it will hinder productivity. One of the means of changing attitude is through new information which can be gotten through training.
In another view, training can be perceived as a way of integrating and adopting new employees or promoted employee to their new environment. The only way an employee can be integrated into a new environment is to change his behaviour to suit the new environment’s behaviour style. No wonder, Todore (2003) in Obikeze, says that the purpose of training “is to increase productivity of employees by influencing their behaviour”
TRAINING AS A MEANS OF ACQUIRING SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
These set of scholars agreed that training is geared towards assisting employees to acquire new knowledge and skill so as to contribute positively to the growth of productivity in an organization.
Cole (1993) Opine that training
Is any learning process or activity which is directed towards the acquisition of specific knowledge and skill for the purpose of an occupation or task.
Agreeing with Cole (1993), Ohadinma and Nkwan (2000) assert that training “is an organized procedure by which people gain knowledge, skill for doing a particular job” this means that trainee will acquire new manipulative skill, technical knowledge, problem solving ability and others.
In the same vein, training can be seen as an organizational effort aimed at helping an employee to acquire basic skills required for the efficient execution of functions for which he was hired. These set of author perceive training as a tool used by the organization to inculcate new ideas, skills, on the new or old staff.
TRAINING AS A TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF EMPLOYEE POTENTIAL
So many staff in organization or even outside the organization possesses diverse unidentified, untapped, unexploited or un-utilized potentials, which it’s utilized, will lead to increase in productivity. This category of author believes that training serve as a means of identifying as well as developing staff potentials.
Todaro (2003) in Obikeze, Obi and Abonyi (2005) perceives training “as the process of developing qualities in human resources that will enable them to be more productive and thus to contribute more to organizational goal attainment”.
Agreeing with Todaro, Hellriegel and Slocum (1990) postulate that training “is improving an employee skills to the point where he or she can do the current job” the sticking difference about there definitions is that the staff already possess the qualities, skills and potentials, training is used to develop these potentials so they can perform the current job.
In addition, Onyemsim (2008) views training as a “process that develops and improves skills related to performance” Julius (1971), defined training “as a process by which the attitude, skills and ability of employee to perform specific job are increased”
However, Okpo (2005) see training as teaching the employee how to perform their jobs.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
The major aim of carry out this work is to find out how training and development can be regarded as a tool for increase in performance in organization in Abia State, with a particular reference to Federal Ministry of Education Abia State.
Research methodology is refers to that range of approaches used in research to gather data which are used as a basic for influencing, interpreting, explanting and predicting. A review of the methods and procedures used in conducting this research are analyzed in this chapter, in order to provide an answer to the identified problems.
RESEARCH DESIGN
According to Aham (2000), research design “is refers to the different ways by which a researcher can draw sample from any given population”.
Due to the nature of this study, the researcher employed the survey researcher. The reason behind the use of the aforementioned approach is that the researcher does not in any way control or manipulates independent variable because the situation for study is already exists or has already taken place. The researcher created a situation that generated the requisite data for analysis. The data generated was derived through survey research because of the nature of the work.
SOURCES/METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
The data used in this study, emanated from two main sources: Primary and Secondary sources.
Primary data:- This form of data is collected from relevant test of the study and they are gathered through administration of questionnaire to the study under review. This research also obtains some relevant information through oral interview as well as personal observation.
Secondary data:- Here, data was obtained from writing of scholars of repute in the field of study as it can be seen in textbooks, magazines, journals, articles, and others. The secondary data is relevant to the study for they form if not all, the bulk of literature review.
POPULATION AND SAMPLE SIZE
In order to know the exact number of people that respondent from the total population and how training and development can increase performance, the researcher wishes to make use of “sample”.
A sample is any fraction or part of a population taken in a specified manner. It can be taken as a representative to the entire population.
In the light of this, the researcher issued one hundred and fifty (150) questionnaires to the staff of federal ministry of Education Umuahia Abia State, and one hundred and twenty five (125) were dully returned which helped the researcher to have some knowledge for analyzing and presentation of data in the course of this research.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
INTRODUCTION
This study deals on Staff Training and Development as a tool for increase in performance in the Federal Ministry of Education Abia Sate. The use of questionnaire is one of the methods of data collection employed by the researcher. The answers to the questionnaire were supplied by the staff of Federal Ministry of Education Abia State. The questionnaire was carefully designed to elicit answers that will be helpful to the researcher in making a reasonable decision as it regards to the research questions stated.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.
INTRODUCTION
This work on the Staff Training and Development as a tool for increase in the performance in the organization in Abia Sate, a case study of Federal Ministry of Education Umuahia Abia State have been emphasized heavily on the previous chapters as on it’s important and the positive effect to the workers and the organization to mention but a few.
However, this chapter is to bring the whole work in summary, conclusion and recommendation on a precise manner.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The major findings of this work are as follows:-
- Training and development is a variable tool for change of employee behaviours, development of employee potential as well as a means of acquiring skills and knowledge needed to meet the demand of the rapidly changing techniques in the service oriented establishment in Nigeria.
- Employee comes from different backgrounds with different culture, region and ideology. Training and development programme become inevitable to ensure a conflict free organization as well as efficient and utilization of those human resources to achieve the organizational objective.
- Training and development is relevant in an organization and lead to increase in productivity because it improves the ability of workers as well as boast their moral thereby increasing their level of productivity.
- Federal Ministry of Education employee support training and development programmes. Some are interested in the acquisition of skills during training and development exercise while others focus on the monetary incentive attached to the programme.
- From the assessment of training and development efforts in Nigeria ministries, some problems has restricted its impact in ministries employees. These constraints include
- Cost of systematic training
- Incompetent training officials/trainers
- Employees perception
- Inadequate planning
- Corruption
- Insufficient development and training facilities.
a) Cost of systematic training:- Systematic training is a training process that involves set of activities that happens simultaneously that leads to an effective implementation of a training programme. It starts from assessment of training and development needs, determination of objective of training and development, designing the training and development programme, conducting the training and development as well as evaluating the programme. This process is a expensive and some organization cannot afford it.
(b) Incompetent trainers:- These training officials lack the training and development skills and experience to teach these employees.
(c) Employee’s perception:- Some employees perceive training and development programme as a means of acquiring monetary and non-monetary incentive rather than the main aim of skills acquisition.
(d) Inadequate planning:- Organization do not carryout in-depth planning exercise so as to ascertain the cost the training programme that will be adopted. This leads to under funding and abandonment of training programme.
(e) Corruption:- This surface in forms of mismanagement of funds meant for training exercise, over invoicing, tribalism, nepotism, sexual gratification etc.
CONCLUSION
Sequel to the literature review, data interpretation and subsequent findings, it becomes proper to conclude that the concept of employee training and development plays a vital role in the increase in the productivity of an organization.
It was proved that training of the organization workforce or human resources is indispensable, if the organization want to increase it’s productivity so as to achieve the organizational objectives.
Consequence upon the above, the work further concluded that adopting a systematic approach to employee training based on the identification of employee training needs as well as description of programme implementation of the training programme as well as evaluation or review of the programme to unveil it’s impact on the employees. Also, this work concludes that if the above stated problems restricting the impact of training and development such as corruption, incompetent trainers etc on the employees is removed or highly reduced them productivity will increase drastically.
Based on the data generated in the course of this study, the researcher can conclude that workers view training and development programme in two perspectives. Some see it as a means of skills and techniques acquisition while others perceive it as a medium of enriching themselves via the benefits attached to it.
It addition, departmental report combine with workers appraisal constitutes the most effectives strategy for the identification of training of need. Also the review of current or past training mistake and lapses as well as idea instrument of protecting future training and development programme.
Finally, as a step for employee training performance and durability, training programme should be adopted as the organizations policy for both recruitment and promotion exercise.
RECOMMENDATION
In view of the above findings, the following recommendation becomes imperative or necessary.
- Adequate finance:- According to Ogunna (1996) a policy plan on training and development “is not merely a paper work or a set of Idea to be memorized and sung, but rather it is a set of value which require resources (money, men and materials) for it’s implementation” finance is therefore a crucial requirement for effective implementation of training policy and programme. The researcher recommends that the ministry should generate enough internal revenue so that it will be used to sponsor training and development programme.
- Systematic training and development programme:– Prior to the unsystematic, haphazard, quite inadequate and unsatisfactory in the training and development of workers, a goal oriented training programme must identify the training or development needs of employees, this can be achieve through supervisor’s reports, appraisal, issuing of questionnaire as well as conducting interview.
This will pave way for the determination of the type of training that will be adopted whether on the job or off the job training. The implementation stage should be handed by human resources specialist as well as professionals in the field of personnel management.
According to Ubeku (1975) “an organization has to evaluate it’s training programme so as to ascertain whether the money spent on the programme is producing the result needed”,. Improvements can be made to the training procedure order to reduce cost and improve efficiency and whether the type of training given is necessary to improve productivity.
Therefore, the ministry should adopt systematic planning of training and development programme.
- Qualified personnel:- Good training planning, efficient implementation required effective technical inputs. Adequate well qualified and professionally competent personnel to give technical advice, plan programme and execute training policy effectively. Private human resources firms should be contracted to carryout training and development programme, Ministry should also partner with other Non-Governmental Organization so as to improve flexibility and efficiency.
- Adequate information:- Any meaningful development in the skill of human resources will lead to increase in productivity and this cannot be achieved in a climate of in communication.
Nwodu and fab-ukozor (2003) stated that “ministries employees should be informed or enlightened about the goals or objectives of a training programme so as to prepare them for the programme”.
That before the formal training programme commence, course or orientation should conduct a pre-training for trainee visualize the cum of training exercise. This will help to reposition the perception of workers who see training and development programme as means of enriching themselves monetarily instead of acquisition of skills.
(5) Effective management of fund and proper accountability:- According Ogunna (1996) “the government ministry faced with the problem of mismanagement of available fund meant for training and development programme”.
The researcher recommends that public accountability should be taken serious in ministry. That the ministry accounts should be regularly audited to ensure that there is prudent management funds and that all aspects of ministry financial management conform to the financial memorandum. This will ensure that fund meant for training and development programme cannot be transferred to private purse for personal comfort.
(6) Provision of training facilities and infrastructural:- Some training programme needs or requires certain facilities for its effective implementation e.g. vestibule training requires infrastructures similar to that used by the employee to perform their formal task. Facilities like computers, tools, workshops, conducive training environment etc should be provided to ensure efficient and effective implementation of the training programme.
(7) Elimination of favoritism, tribalism and sectionalism:- That employees should be given equal opportunity to embarks on training programme. It should be based on merit not tribe or section act sentiments. When opportunity come for sea training course, only employees that merit this opportunity should be subscribed for this training programme. Also in the issue of award of training and development programme, these contracts should be award to vibrant, qualified and acceptant training and development firms based on merit.
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- Ivancevich J.M, Lorenze and skinner S.J with Crosby P.B. (1994) Management Quality and Competitiveness: Illionis Irwin publishers.
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