An Investigation Into the Relationship Between Personnel Management and Local Government Administration
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The major purpose of the study includes:
- To identify the significant relationship between personnel management and local government administration
- To find out the effect of personnel management strategies on local government goals and objective attainment.
- Examine the role personnel administrative unit in local government administration.
- To know whether the local government in Abak has attached whether the local government in Abak has attached importance to personnel management.
- To identify different personnel management tools as they contribute to the success of the local governments in the state.
Chapter Two
Literature Review
Conceptual framework
Concept of management
The concept “management” can be said to have no specific traceable origin since research has shown that management is as old as man himself. But over the years, the term management has been a serious course for concern to many scientists and researchers. While contributing his view point to this problem, Umoh (2000) has this to say; “in recent years, we have heard so much talk about management that it makes many people begin to wonder whether management is a phenomenon of modern age and was not known in the past, whenever school system, a church, a city administration or even business organization collapses, people quickly and generally blame the failure on poor management”. Adding that many organizations are formal and named after management; for academic expediency, we now have to re-examine the past to see how we can aptly place the life history of management in its proper perspective. To do this we will break the logical period of management into four categories, which include; the antiquity period, scientific management era, the personnel and human relation movement and modern management period.
The definition and meaning of management varies as management practitioners and theorists came from all sorts of background. Management as a practice is also very old regarding the time people began to work collectively to achieve result, which were beyond the scope of individual efforts. In other words the practice is also an old one. But the discipline is mid. As the researcher unfolds the various definitions of management, a common thread running through most of them is likely to be detected. But in actual fact, a comprehensively acceptable definition of concept like management is always difficult to achieve, as practitioners and thinkers defines it from their wide range viewpoints or perspectives.
Eze, (2002) viewed management as a concept, which concentrated on rationality and order, within organized settings. To him, manager was seen as being all about how work is structured and organized, with the duty of the order and rationality by detailing out work, determining goals and directing (through command and control), organizational participants towards the predetermined goals of the organization in a manner that is devoid of haphazardness and irrationality. The classical viewpoint of management is concerned with how work and organization can be managed more efficiently. He further classified approaches to management into three ways which according him includes: the scientific management approach, the administrative management approach and the Bureaucratic management approach.
Personnel Management
The personnel of an organization comprises of men and women, young and old who engage in the production of goods and services and who are the greatest assets of the organization as observed Ndiomu (1992). The ability of any organization to achieve its goals depends, to a large extent, on the caliber, organization and motivation of its human resources. These and other statements by human resources management experts and practitioners alike, point to the importance and critical role of the human element in organization. But the personnel of an organization have to be properly managed for them to make maximum contribution to the organization. That, according to Ezeani (2002), is why Likert (1974) opines that “of all the tasks of management, managing the human components is central and most important task because all else depends on how well it is done”. Amber (2009) in agreement with Likert observed that on any organization there is a system which is responsible to increase the welfare and performance of the employees. This system implements policies which aim to achieve all the objectives regarding the personnel of the organization. This system is known as personnel management. Nowadays, scope of personnel management has increased and thus referred to as human resource management.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODS
Research Design
This study adopted a Descriptive/simple survey research design. A survey research design according to Osuala (2001) centers on individual and their opinion, belief, motivation and behavior. The design was considered suitable since the study will solicit information from respondents in Abak local government area in Akwa Ibom State.
Area of the Study
The study is conducted in Abak local government area in Akwa Ibom State.
Population of the Study
The population of the study comprised 150 local government workers (Workers and Non Workers) in Abak L.G.A. as at the time of this study.
Chapter Four
Data Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation
This chapter deals with the presentation and analysis of data obtained from the administration of the instrument (questionnaire) of the study. The data are arranged following the order of the research questions that guided the study
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY
The purpose of this research work has been to assess the human resources management in Nigeria through investigation and analysis. Because in our contemporary world, there is a visible attempt by law of change to turn the universe to new world of technology, and this has affected the whole sphere of human endeavor in any organization. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, hypothesis was used to test the structured questionnaires on the investigation into the relationship between personnel management and local government administration using Abak LGA as the case study. While employing simple percentages in analyzing the data collected, the test carried out proved beyond doubt that:
- The effective strategic management plan by the personnel department of the LGAs can enhance quality delivery of the organizations.
- Motivation such as incentives, promotion and maintenance of good working condition of workers help to improve optimal productivity and creativity of the LGA.
- Environment, technology and social economic changes affect the management of workers’ welfare in the LGA
CONCLUSION
Personnel is a critical factor in the attainment of the goals of an organization, hence good organizational structure does not by itself, guarantee good performance. Personnel is life to the existence, survival and development of an organization as food is to man; since all the activities of any organization are initiated and determined by the persons who make up that organization. Plant, offices, computers, automated equipment and all else that a modern firm uses are unproductive except for human efforts and direction. This is why personnel have been defined as persons employed in an organization to perform some kind of work or task including the management of them.
However, the ability of personnel to contribute to the attainment of the goals of an organization such as the local government depends to a large extent on how well they are managed. This is because all the task of management managing the human component is central and most important task because all else depend on how well it is done. Simply put, the personnel of an organization have to be properly managed for them to be able to make maximum contribution to the organization. Such organization may be the local government council.
Local government is a unit of government below the central, regional and state government, established by law to exercise political authority through a representative council within a defined area. It is also a system of public administration at a local level, charged with the responsibility of bringing the people at the grassroots closer to the government. It involves a philosophical commitment to a democratic participation in the governing process at the local level. The expediency for the creation of local government stems from the need to facilitate development at the grassroots. Its importance, however, is a function of its ability to generate sense of belongingness, safety and satisfaction among its populace.
To achieve these important changes, the seeming impediments, in the context of problems of personnel management, such that have infringed on its performance of functions, duties and responsibilities, should be dealt with. To deal with such impediments that constitute local government personnel management problems, some innovative ideologies enumerated should be employed and adhered to. Such as follows; Acquisition of modern organizational technologies and consequent acquisition of the skills and knowledge to operate, use and maintain such equipment; constitutional absolute autonomy to the local government as a third tier government, in terms of finance (statutory allocation) and personnel management interference and control;
Improve funding of the councils to ensure the ability to acquire up-to-date technologies and qualified personnel, such that will ensure productivity of the council. Improved incentives and motivation of the personnel and the re-uniformity of salary scale structure with those of state or even federal civil servants.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations have been made
- Motivation of workers should be adopted to create good working environment and to improve workers attitude towards achieving corporate objectives.
- Promotion and maintenance of good working condition of workers should be dully observed without bias and sentiment.
- Human resources managers must shun and eschew bribery and corruption.
- The local Government Service Commission should embark on seminars and workshop in order to train human capital for efficiency and productivity.
Reference
- Ademolekun, L. (1983). Public Administration: A Nigeria and Comparative Perspective. New York: Longman Inc.
- Ajayi, K. (2000). Theory and Practice of Local Government. Ado Ekiti, UNAD
- Appadorai, A. (1975). The substance of Politics. New Delhi, Oxford University Press.
- Bedeian, A. G. (1986). Management, Chicago: The Dryden Press.
- Bello-Imam, I. B. (1996). Local Government in Nigeria: Evolving a third tier of Government. Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books (Nigeria) PLC.
- Cole, G. A. (2002). Personnel and Human Resource Management. Fifth Edition. Book Power. London.
- Croft, L. (1996). Management and Organisation, London: Bankers Books Limited.
- Dumadu, S. (2008). Local Government Administration and Challenges of Rural Development in Nigeria. Unpublished.
- Ezeani, E. O. (2005). Fundamentals of Public Administration. Abak: Zik-Chuks Publishers, Snaap Press Ltd.
