IMPACT OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ON JOB EFFECTIVENESS OF ACADEMIC STAFF IN UNIVERSITIES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Today, significant numbers of universities are available around the world and students are greatly concerned with the reputation and quality of the university independent of its location and/or course expenses (e.g., world ranking, facilities available, world-class recognition). However, in the current unstable financial climate, obtaining government and/or industry funding for universities has also become competitive, and these financial allocations are typically made based on their performance. Universities also bear a great deal of responsibility for the economic development of society by undertaking excellent research and generating highly skilled graduates. Thus, competent faculty members are a unique asset that every institution may use to sustain the standard of instruction and carry out top-notch research, improving their standing in the global rankings and giving them a competitive edge. Additionally, most of the currently available performance measures in universities mainly focus on the research performance of their academic staff, and no or little attention has been focused on evaluating the teaching performance(Lohman,2021). Furthermore, there is ongoing debate regarding the relative benefits and drawbacks of performance management for an organization's HRM procedures with regard to "soft" metrics like work satisfaction(Padhaya, 2021). On the other hand, the university has already launched several restructuring programmes by investing a significant amount of money, mainly for improving their infrastructure facilities, redesigning the degree programs, increasing the recruitment of students and academic staff nationally and internationally, etc. However, in such a massive organizational change, the pressure falling on the existing staff is inevitable. Hence, performance appraisal process (PAP) as a human resource management process/tool has a huge mediating role to assess/understand the job effectiveness of the university academic staff (as an academic staff is one of the core human resources in any university) to receive the real benefits of this restructuring process. Performance appraisal is one of the major mechanisms of evaluating the performance of human beings. At the beginning of the performance appraisal period, academic staff and their supervisors often collaboratively set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. Also, throughout the performance period, supervisors may provide regular feedback to employees, discussing their progress, addressing concerns, and recognizing achievements. Regular communication helps employees stay informed about their performance. However, some performance appraisal systems include a self-assessment component where employees have the opportunity to reflect on their achievements, challenges, and personal development. Therefore, a survey will be conducted in order to investigate the impact of performance management on job effectiveness of academic staff in universities.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The significance of the performance appraisal process (PAP) in the higher education sector to enhance the job satisfaction and effectiveness of their academic staff. While performance appraisal is a valuable tool for employee development and organizational improvement, it faces challenges and problems. It can be subjective, leading to potential biases from supervisors. Personal opinions, favoritism, or unconscious biases may influence the assessment, impacting the fairness of the process. In addition, unclear or constantly changing performance expectations can create confusion among academic staff. Without clear guidelines and expectations, employees may struggle to meet criteria for successful performance. Furthermore, in some cases, performance management systems may not adequately support professional development opportunities for academic staff. This lack of support can hinder career growth and skill enhancement. It is in the light of these that the study seeks to examine the impact of performance management on job effectiveness of academic staff in universities.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to find out the impact of performance management on job effectiveness of academic staff in universities. Specifically, the study will;

1.Determine whether there is a significant relationship between job effectiveness of academic staff and performance management in universities.

2.Investigate on the underlying factors that influence job effectiveness of academic staff in universities.

3.Investigate the impact of performance management on job effectiveness of academic staff in universities

1.4 Research Questions

The following questions have been prepared for the study:

1. Is there a significant relationship between between job effectiveness of academic staff and performance management in universities?

2. Investigate on the underlying factors that influence job effectiveness of academic staff in universities?

3. Investigate the impact of performance management on job effectiveness of academic staff in universities?

4. 1.5 Significant of the Study

This study will give staff the opportunity to state their individual perceptions towards performance management of the university, and make recommendations as to what they feel the university should do to improve job effectiveness. The management will benefit from the study too, as the findings will be presented to them with recommendations from the respondents. It will also serve to make them understand the benefits of good performance management and it influence on job effectiveness of academic staff. Further more, subsequent researchers will use it as a literature review. This means that other students who may decide to conduct studies in this area will have the opportunity to use this study as available literature that can be subjected to critical review. Invariably, the result of the study contributes immensely to the body of academic knowledge with regard to the impact of performance management on job effectiveness of academic staff in universities.

1.6 Scope of the study

The scope of this study is boarded on the impact of performance management on job effectiveness of academic staff in universities. Empirically, this study will determine whether there is a significant relationship between job effectiveness of academic staff and performance management in universities, investigate on the underlying factors that influence job effectiveness of academic staff in universities and investigate the impact of performance management on job effectiveness of academic staff in universities.

Geographically, the study will be delimited to academic staff in Lagos State University.

1.7 Limitation of the study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed.

More so, the findings of this study are limited to the sample population in the study area, hence they may not be suitable for use in comparison to other schools, local governments, states, and other countries in the world.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Job effectiveness: ability to get work done within a given time frame; Sets realistic personal goals and work plans that are consistent with the business needs and strategies of the unit; Works effectively under pressure - balances multiple objectives; Obtains information and utilizes resources effectively.

Performance: is the accomplishment of an employee, organization in relation to stated goals and objectives.

Staff: all the people employed by the institution.

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