The Influence of Conflict Management Effectiveness on Administrative Staff Productivity in Tertiary Institutions.
CHAPTER ONE
Purpose of the study
The purpose of the study is to examine the extent to which conflict management effectiveness may influence administrative staff productivity in tertiary institutions.
Specifically, the study seeks to determine:
- The relationship between effective consultation and administrativestaff productivity.
- The relationship between effective communication and administrative staff productivity.
- The relationship between effective staff remuneration and administrative staff productivity.
- The relationship between periodic training (in-service) and administrative staff productivity.
- The relationship between workers participation in decision making and administrative staff productivity.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
In this chapter, the relevant and related literature are reviewed on the variables used in the study. These are presented under the following sub-headings.
The concept of conflict management
The continuous existence of organizations depends on the realization of its goals and objectives through effective functioning of its human resources.
Nevertheless, the same human elements required to facilitate goals attainment often engage in disagreements over factors of diverse interest and views, that often result in disorderliness. This is what is ordinarily described as a conflict situation at the workplace. Conflict involves the total range of behaviours and attitudes that arises between managers on the one hand and their employees on the other. It is a state of disagreement over issues of substance or emotional antagonism and may arise due to anger, mistrust or personality clashes (Azamosa, 2004).
Schramm – Nielsen (2002) observed that conflict is a state of serious disagreement and agreement about something perceived to be important by at least one of the parties involved.
Rahim (2001) agreed with the views that; conflict could arise between individuals or groups in an organization if the goals are not specified or when the management shift blame on all workers who are involved which could also be interpersonal or intergroup taking place between a supervisor and his subordinates. Conflicts can create negative impact to group but may also lead to positive effects depending on the nature of the conflict.
Kehinde (2011) posited the level of conflict that is ideal, he noted that too little and too much conflict causes performance to suffer, while optimum level effective decision making can enhance productivity. Kehinde further observed that a good conflict improves decision outcomes especially on task – related conflict and group productivity by increasing the quality through constructive criticism.
Azamosa, (2004) reported that survey of practicing managers spend approximately 20 percent of their time dealing with conflict situation and recorded that a number of both positive outcomes includes:
1) Better ideas produced.
2) Long standing problems brought to the surface and resolved.
3) People forced to search for new approaches.
4) Clarification of individual views.
5) A chance for people to test their capabilities.
Negative outcomes includes:
1) Some people felt defeated.
2) The distance between people increased.
3) A chance of mistrust and suspicion develop.
4) Resistance developed rather than teamwork.
5) An increase in employee turnover. (pg 12-15)
Ford (2007) writing on the strategies of conflict management reported a positive correlation between democratic management styles and organizational stability. He noted further that democratic strategies is capable of promoting inclusion in decision making and by consequence workers identification with decision and commitment to the organization.
According to Rahim (2004) the nature of leadership power in an organization indicates the needs of conflict management strategies. Organizational stability may be maintained even when the leader is low in conflict management because workers sometimes exhibit acceptance behaviour over the superiors attitude, thus reflecting apathy and subjugation with little manifestation of aggression.
Another study by Vigil King (2000) titled conflict reduction and resource identified that the use of more integrative conflict management strategies are likely to have higher commitment than teams using less integrative styles, while it was noted that a supportive leader engenders respect, job satisfaction and higher productivity from his staff. Whereas any authoritarian leaders cannot stand the high productivity in a long run, it is bound to fall in short run.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter describes the methodology adopted in carrying out the research study
Research design
The design adopted in this study is ex-post – facto design. According to Isangedighi, Joshua, Asim, and Ekuri (2004), The ex-post facto research basically studies event after they have occurred. This method was preferred because there is no manipulation or control of the independent variables since the manifestations had already occurred.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The results of the data analysis carried out on the data gathered for the study are presented in this chapter. The findings that emerged and the discussion of those findings are presented also. The presentation was done hypothesis by hypothesis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter is a summary and conclusion of the entire research work and it is treated under the following sub-headings.
- Summary of the study
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- Suggestions for further research
Summary of the study
The thrust of this study was to investigate conflict management effectiveness and administrative staff productivity in tertiary institutions in Cross River State. To achieve the purpose of this study the following hypotheses were formulated to guide the study.
- There is no significant relationship between effective consultation and staff productivity.
- There is no significant relationship between effective communication and staff productivity.
- There is no significant relationship between effective remuneration and staff productivity.
- There is no significant relationship between effective in-service training and staff productivity.
- There is no significant relationship between workers’ participation in decision making and staff productivity.
Literature review was carried out according to the variables of the study. Ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. This research design was considered appropriate because it allows the researcher to make inference and generalization of the population by selecting and studying the sample of the study. A sample of two hundred and four (204) respondents were selected for the study. The selection was done through the purposive sampling technique. This was because the researcher intentionally decided to use the population of the study because of some certain characteristics.
The questionnaire was the main instruments used for data collection which contains fourty (40) items base on the variables in the study. The instruments was faced validated by five experts in Measurement and Evaluation/Research and Statistics who vetted the items developed. The reliability estimate of the instrument was established through the split-half reliability method.
Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient Analysis was employed to test the hypotheses under study. Each hypothesis was tested at .05 level of significance. The result of the analysis revealed that, effective consultation, effective communication, effective remuneration, effective in-service training and participation in decision making significantly relate with administrative staff productivity.
Conclusion
Based on the results of the study the following conclusions were reached.
Findings of this study revealed that conflicts management effectiveness is significantly related to administrative staff productivity in Tertiary colleges in Cross River State. hence, there is need to improve on communication, consultation, staff remuneration, in service training and participation in decision making as conflict management strategies. The federal and state government, education administrators, as well as national universities commission should harmonize the needs of individual workers with that of government. The study has been able to revealed the need for administration and government to ensure a conflict free institutions, conducive and acceptable strategies to enable them to put in their best and bring about higher productivity. Time wasted on conflict for weeks and sometimes months has a cumulative effect on students over all achievement in colleges.
Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made;
- Administration of different organization should avoid distortion of information on labour policies and programmes before dissemination to administrative staff, as the employer(s) and the employees representatives meet regularly for round table issues ,each opinion, belief, prejudice, and observations should be addressed.
- The administration should also ensure that there is a free flow of communication between the management and staff for harmonious working relationship.
- Workers should be motivated through granting of leave, study fellowship, payment of responsibility allowance and excess workload allowance.
Based on the findings of the study the following suggestions are made for further studies.
- It is suggested that this study should be carried out again covering the entire geographical state for the purpose of comparison and replication of the findings of the study.
- A replication of this study could be carried out again on the variables that were not previously investigated and larger sample size to determine if the result could hold credibility as presently designed.
REFERENCES
- Addison, J. T. and Belfield, C. R. (2001). “Updating the determinants of firm performance estimation using the 1998 UK workplace employee relations survey”. British Journal of Industrial Relation. 39(3): 341-366
- Adeniji, M. A. (2011). Training and its multiplier effect on productivity at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Library, Ago-Iwoje, Ogun State Nigeria. PNLA Quarterly. 75(3), 1-10
- Agulana, E. E. and Awojo, A. C. (2005). Human resource management practice: A graphic approach. Owerri. Career Publishers
- Alper, s, Tjosvold, D and Law, K S.(2000) Conflicts management efficiency and performance in organization teams, journal personal psychology,(53)625-643.
- Alimba, C. N. (2008). A place of education in achieving millennium development goals in Nigeria. Journal of Educational Research and Policies, (1):21-26
- Ajao, G. (2001). Resources persons in educational and social development: Using new information mechanism development: A paper
- Amadi, A. O. (1991). “Recipte for productivity improvement in Umeh, P. O. C. (1991). “Increasing productivity in Nigeria”. National productivity centre, Macmillan Nigeria. Pp.98-106
