EFFECT OF JOB ENRICHMENT TECHNIQUES ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE

EFFECT OF JOB ENRICHMENT TECHNIQUES ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY OF ACADEMIC STAFF OF CROSS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, CALABAR

ABSTRACT

This study investigated effects of effect of job enrichment techniques on employee performance in Cross River University of Technology. Job enrichment is one of the cherished goals to achieve employee performance. It is essential to understand how job enrichment is a valuable tool for managing and fostering the successful employee performance. Enriched job consists of various elements like task significance, task identity and skill variety which improves the performance of employees and motivates them to perform zealously. This study intends to focus on the relationship between job enrichment and individual performance. It noted that job enrichment is that type of development in the job environment which may give a worker more challenge, more complete task, more obligation, more prospect for progression, and more effort to contribute his or her ideas for the betterment of the organization. It explores the connection between job enrichment, satisfaction, motivation and performance of employees using the descriptive survey design and utilizing the regression statistical tools to show the effect of Job enrichment techniques on job performance. The study drew its sample from the academic staffs of Cross River University of Technology. The findings shows that training and development, Work-life balance, job autonomy and job incentive scores are positively and significantly related to job performance which implies that the higher the perceived training and development, work-life balance, job autonomy and job incentive, the higher would be the level of perceived job performance. It also revealed that job enrichment is a strong predictor of work-related attitudes (employee satisfaction, motivation, and performance). This study concludes that job enrichment provides skill variety, job identity, feeling important in the eyes of others, responsibility, challenge, realizing ones competence, freedom, participation in decision making, performance feedback from the job done, growth and sense of achievement which leads to internal motivation, satisfaction, and high performance of the academic staff.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The survival and growth of a corporate organization depend to a large extent on the productivity of its workforce. Similarly, the wealth of a nation as well as socio-economic wellbeing of its people depends on the effectiveness and efficiency of its various sub com­ponents (Akinyele, 2007). Productivity is therefore of great importance to the individual worker, the organization, the national economy at large and there­fore also important to the upliftment of the welfare of the citizen and reduction of mass poverty in the polity (Yesufu, 2000 & Akinyele, 2005). Productivity of the Nigerian worker has been adjudged lower than that of counterparts in the western world for decades (Yesufu, 2000 & Thingan, 2005). According to World Bank Report (2009), labour productivity in Nigeria is persis­tently low, labour productivity recorded an average growth rate of 1.2% from 2000- 2008, this is below the 1.9% recorded in sub Saharan African coun­tries (World Bank, 2009).

The Nigerian educational sector is not only an integral part of the economy, but also an influential part because of its contribution to the economy. Because the sector has remained largely industrious mentally; but rely heavily on number of manual work­ers, it is also bogged down with the low productivity picture painted above (Wahab, 2001 & Akindele, 2003).

A major method tertiary institutions employ to improve their work­ers productivity is the use of incentive schemes. Results of researches on the use of these schemes indicated they have induced increased productivity in workers in different proportions, (Aina, 2000; Fagbenle, 2003; Wahab, 1984 &Ameh 2013). While these stud­ies have been instructive, they have however, concentrated on either finan­cial or non-financial incentives.

Job enrichment is a way to motivate workers by giving them opportunity to use a range of their abilities, this is done by giving them more responsi­bilities and varieties in their job. The purpose of job enrichment is to reverse the negative effects of repetitive tasks requiring autonomy, and having effects such as boredom, lack of flexibility and employees dissatisfaction. An enriched job will contain (a) a range of tasks and challenges of varying toughness (b) a complete unit of work and (c) feedback, encouragement and communication mechanisms. (Leach & Wall, 2004).

The earliest efforts on job enrich­ment were by Herzberg and later by Hackman and Oldham who designed a job characteristics model. Kotila (2001) reported that the model assumed that if five core job characteristics are present (skill variety, task identify, task sig­nificance, autonomy, feedback). Three psychological states critical to motiva­tion will be produced in the worker, namely; meaningfulness of work, responsibilities for work outcomes and knowledge of results. Then there would be five positive job outcomes, namely; internal work motivation, job satisfaction, growth satisfaction low absenteeism and high quality perfor­mance. The three groups of advantages were (a) renewal consisting of reduction of boredom, making new contacts, thinking about new career options and change in view point (b) exploration, made up of the follow­ing: trying new skills, developing new relationships, testing management and administrative skills and (c) special­ization, also consisting; re-education, in-depth exploration using special skills and meeting a need that were under­served. These multifaceted advantages suggest that job enrichment has poten­tials for increasing workers produc­tivity in general, perhaps also in the educational institutions such as universities.

Earliest consideration of job enrich­ment in educational institutions witnessed low patronage and rejection by researchers. For example Borcherding and Oglesby, (1974) believed that satisfaction in university work is inherent in the work itself and therefore, efforts to improve job satisfaction and productivity lie in well planned, smooth work flow rather than in job enrichment as advocated by organizational behaviourists for industrial sector jobs.

Similarly, Hazeltine (1976) also believed that effective motivation of university workers will be best achieved by developing satisfactions inherent in the university work itself. He further maintained that job enrich­ment programmes used in educational work are not applicable to the universities and that authorities should capitalize on the existing motivation potentials of the institutional work. However, Maloney (1997) saw evidence of the use of job enrichment tools in the tertiary institutions, and saw the simi­larities between job enrichment and self managing work teams in the institutions.

In further accep­tance of job enrichment Ruthankoon and Ogunlana (2003) prescribed job enrichment as a tool for increasing job satisfaction and performance. Doloi (2007) also recommended job enrich­ment techniques for addressing long term needs of university workers. Against the background of the two foregoing and opposing thoughts of on the one side; the usefulness of job enrichment in general management as espoused by Mione, (2006), Kotila, (2001) and others and on the other side; the irrelevance of job enrichment in university setting supported by Oglesby, (1994), Hazeltine, ( 1996) and others. It is necessary to under­stand the features of the job enrich­ment schemes being used in Nigeria construction industry. To ascertain whether it has effects on university goals by fostering it or it is just a wild goose chase.

To this send, this research was designed to determine the effect of job enrichment techniques on employee performance, but with a particular consideration of Cross River University Technology, Calabar.

1.2. Statement of the problem

Job enrichment means that additional motivators are added to the job so that it is more rewarding. The purpose of job enrichment is to relieve the boredom of the workers which flows from exces­sive specialization in mass production industries so that the job itself may be a source of self-satisfaction. Job enrichment allows workers participa­tion because they offer freedom and scope to them to use their judgment (Aswathappa, 2005). But at times university workers maintain negative attitudes towards services even when there is effective job enrichment.

According to Akrani (2011) job enrichment embraces some distinct features for effectiveness namely (a) the nature of the jobs are such that require higher-level knowledge, skills and responsibilities (b) the objective of an enriched job is such that the job is more lively and challenging, thus becoming a source of motivation to the staff (c) the enriched job is pack­aged to give positive results, because the workers are given opportunities to use their initiative and innovate while working and (d) an enriched job encour­ages self-discipline, it reduces external direction and control. In cases like this, a university might show all features of enriched job only on the surface to allure outsiders, but in reality the features were far from being practiced in the university.

There are numerous job enrich­ment techniques that are to be used in general man­agement of academic settings. Some of these techniques are more effective and realizable than the others. But universities sometimes adopt ineffective techniques which yield no positive result. This seems to demoralize the workers and therefore perform poorly. 

1.3. Objectives of the Study

The main objectives of this study are:

i.              To determine whether job training and development has an impact on employee performance.

ii.             To examine the effect of work-life balance on employee performance.

iii.            To study the effect of job autonomy on employee performance.

iv.           To determine effect of job incentive on employee performance.

TOPIC: EFFECT OF JOB ENRICHMENT TECHNIQUES ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE

Format: MS Word

Chapters: 1 - 5
Delivery: Email

Number of Pages: 75

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