An Appraisal of the Functions of Office Managers in the Civil Service, Problems and Strategies for Improvement
Chapter One
Objective of the study
The objectives of the study are;
- To ascertain the function of office manager in civil service
- To ascertain the problems face by office manager in civil service
- To recommend the strategies of improvement to office manager in civil service
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
SUCCESSFUL CIVIL SERVICE REFORM: CONTEXTUAL CHALLENGES
Civil service reform, like all development in the public sector and otherwise, requires a systematic approach that takes account of many different factors. Practitioners must understand the reform context in which they are working and design reforms accordingly. Regardless of the specific reforms required (e.g. human resources management policies, legal and ethical framework or institutional framework), practitioners have the ability to craft their approach to maximize their effectiveness.
This section will explore the following principles: understanding of the local context, political will and government ownership, weak governance in the country as a whole, systems of patronage in place in the civil service, appreciation of the long‐term nature of civil service reform and the impact of reform costs on the programme’s sustainability.
The importance of local context
The single most important variable to consider when designing a civil service reform programme is the local context in which the reform is taking place. Although this is a mantra that has been repeated many times, actions have not always followed words.
Emphasis on taking the local context into account is an outgrowth of the perceived shortcomings of some civil service reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, which focused on reducing the cost of the state administration. Many reforms during this period were modelled on successful programmes in developed countries, especially the concept of New Public Management, which was not necessarily applicable in other systems (see Scott, 2011; Keulleers, 2004; UNDP, 2004). After these reforms failed to produce positive outcomes, practitioners became increasingly aware that one size does not fit all.
Since around the year 2000, donors have made a shift, consistently pledging to take the local context into account when designing and implementing civil service reforms.3 There are many ways in which this can be performed; what is most important is that the individuals who are designing the reform strategy possess a profound and refined knowledge of the key players, trends, challenges and opportunities in the country. Nevertheless, there is a wealth of examples of civil service reforms that did not consider the local context and ended in failure. A thorough literature review on public sector governance reform (PSGR) conducted for the OECD Development Assistance Committee in 2011 asserted that ‘One of the most repeated criticisms of PSGR initiatives is that the political dynamics on the ground are not taken into account in the design stage’ (Scott, 2011: 19). While such a statement might have been expected prior to the rhetorical shift in 2000, the criticism does not appear to have significantly abated. As just one example among many, the World Bank’s 2008 evaluation of its own support to public sector reform mentions Cambodia and Honduras as countries in which the design of the civil service programme was not well adapted to the circumstances; both included unsuccessful downsizing programmes and human resource management reforms (World Bank, 2008b: 37).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought An Appraisal of the functions of office managers in the civil service, problems and strategies for improvement
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information An Appraisal of the functions of office managers in the civil service, problems and strategies for improvement. 200 staff of Rivers state civil service was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain An Appraisal of the functions of office managers in the civil service, problems and strategies for improvement. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of functions of office managers in the civil service, problems and strategies for improvement
Summary
This study was on An Appraisal of the functions of office managers in the civil service, problems and strategies for improvement. Three objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the function of office manager in civil service, to ascertain the problems face by office manager in civil service and to recommend the strategies of improvement to office manager in civil service. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staffs of Rivers state civil service. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made directors, administrative staffs, senior staff and junior staff were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
It is an important issue to corporate organization; and corporate leaders must take proactive measures to end this malaise which unethical practices in the offices have cost organization to enhance a better performance. It is however an identified truth that ethical practice in the office proceeds better performance and in the long run lead to organizational growth (Collins, 2010)
Recommendation
Leaders must create an ethically friendly work environment for all employees, communicate ethical issues, as well as becoming role models and put mechanism in place for the development of employees.
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