HUMAN CAPITAL
MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL GOAL ATTAINMENT IN AKWA IBOM STATE CIVIL SERVICE
COMMISSION
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the study
Employees are major assets of any organization.
The active role they play towards an organizational success cannot be
underestimated. As a result, equipping these unique assets through effective human
capital management becomes imperative in order to maximize the job performance,
attain organizational goals and also position them to take on the challenges of
today’s global competitive business climate.However, in recent times, many
organizations employee human capital as much as possible but are unable to meet
organizational goals and objectives. The case of educational system in Nigeria
is worth discussing. Majority are going into the teaching line yet the performance
of the sector is going down. In the banking sector for instance, human capitals
are being employed frequently and in large numbers, yet most banks cannot meet
their targets and their deposits and profits are depreciating in amounts.
Human capital is considered as one of the core components of
intellectual capital and is a critical resource in anorganization.Accordingto
Bontis, Koew and Richardson (2000), it is not enough for organizations to hire
and promote the brightest individuals they find but they should nurture and
support them into developing and sharing their potentials through training and
learning to positively affect and increase the organizational performance.Nations,
organizations and individuals increasingly recognize that training, high levels
of skill and competence are essential to future security and success. It is
obvious that as individuals are appraised, acquire more skills and training
during a lifetime, performanceandefficiency as well as creativityareachieved.Apparently,
there is an established linkage between human capital elements and
organizational goal attainment but the economic value of human capital cannot
be questioned. According to Starbuck (1992, Hassen 1995), an important concern
among scholars is what type and how much human capital is required to create a
competitive advantage for organizations.
Improving the quality
and relevance of human capital management would enable organizations to better understand their
overall “people-related” strengths
and weaknesses and identifying areas for improvement. When organizationshavemuchbetterskilledandcreativeemployeesitcaneasilyavoidwastefulinvestmentandimproveitsefficiencyandperformance. Training,then becomesthemostimportantpartofhumancapitalmanagementfunctionforeffectiveuse ofhumanresource.
Today, everyoneadmitsthevalueoftrainingasamajorinfluenceonsuccessoftheorganization.Trainingenhances
knowledgeandinformationaboutacertainfieldandalsoaddsadvantagetonetworkingforefficiencyandperformanceofemployees.Humancapital element isthemostvaluableassetineveryorganization;
as withthemachines,materialsandthemoney,
absolutelynothinggetsdonewithoutemployees.Trainingtherefore,isreallyahumancapitaldevelopmentinwhichknowledge, skillsandbehaviorarerequiredbyemployeestoperformadequatelyonanassignedtaskorjob.Trainingcantakeplaceinnumerousways,onthejoboroffthejob;intheorganizationoroutsideorganization.
1.2 Brief History of Akwa Ibom State Civil Service
Commission
TheAkwa
Ibom State Civil ServiceCommissionis an agency of Government established under the
1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under Section 197 and part
IIA of the Third Schedule.The Commission’s history could be traced to December
1987 shortly after the State was created from the Cross Rivers State with Chief
Nyong U. Usen as a pioneer Chairman.
The
functions of the commission are spelt out in the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. Apparently, the Commission’s statutory functions and powers
include appointment, promotion and discipline of civil servants in the State
Civil Service.As an appellate body, the commission meets every Thursday of the
week to consider petitions/complaints emanating from Ministries and
Extra-ministerial Departments. In addition, members of the commission serve as
observers in senior staff management committee meetings in
Ministries/Extra-ministerial Departments.
Other
areas of the Commission’s activities cover responsibility for: (i) Advancement
(ii) Contract appointments (iii) Transfer of service/secondment (iv) Serving as
an appellate body for all petitions from the service (v) Maintaining
comprehensive and up- to- date personnel records (vi) Regulating the operations
of the Civil Service through provision of service guidelines and circulars and
(vi) Monitoring the activities of ministries and extra-ministerial Departments
in order to ensure maintenance of standards, uniformity and adherence to
guidelines in the State.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
InNigeria, organizationsarefacinglotsofproblems of high rate of staff turnoverandemployees’ ineffective performance.
This isnot unconnectedtolackofmotivationandlowemployees’ appraisal
and satisfaction
level. Itisagreedbyanumber ofauthorsthatatrainingneedoccurswhen
there isashortfallinoverallperformance
of organization(Okanya,2008). Moreover,
organizationsworkwith variety
ofstaffmembersnotonlyforimprovementconnectedwithstaffmembersbutwithorganization’s effectiveness as well. It is obvious that human resource programs enhance the employees’ performance and organizational goal attainment.
Many organizations in Nigeria, for
instance, Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission is faced with a myriad of
challenges relating to poor human capital management. The challenges range from
defectiverecruitmentmethods, recruitment of wrong personnel to certain
positions of responsibilities, assignment of the right jobs to wrong and
unqualified/nonprofessionals in such areas of assignment thereby putting a
round peg in a square hole, thus wasting both financial and non-financial
resources of the organization.
Another problem of human capital
management and how it affects organizational performance is poor management of
personnel.Wherethehumancapitalisnot wellmanaged,organizations are likelyconfrontedwiththedifficultyinthedevelopmentandtrainingofhighlytalented personnel.This will subsequently lead to inefficiency and
ineffectiveness in organization’s productivity.
Otherproblemsaretheinabilitytoproviderealisticstaffing
projections
andtheinabilitytoutilizeresourceseffectivelyandefficiently.This
is evident in publicsectorwhereinefficiencyandineffectivenessaboundandtheerraticsupplyofbasicsocialamenitiesseemstoimplytheabsenceofproperhumancapital
management processes.On
the basis of the aforementioned, this work was designed to examine how human
capital management could lead to organizational goal attainment ty.ectiveness in organization’toor management
of personnel.ibilities , assignment of the right jobs to wrong and unqin Akwa Ibom State Civil Service
Commission.
1.3 Objectives of the
Study
The
main objectiveof this study is to examine howhuman
capital management could lead to organizational goal attainment ty.ectiveness in organization’toor management
of personnel.ibilities , assignment of the right jobs to wrong and unqin Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission. Other
Specific objective includes:
i.
To identify the nature
and concept of human capital management in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service
Commission.
ii.
There is no significant
relationship between training and employees’ productivity/ efficiency in Akwa
Ibom State Civil Service Commission.
iii.
To established the relationship between human
capital management and productivity in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission.
iv.
Is there any
relationship between the employees years of experience and productivity in Akwa
Ibom State Civil Service Commission
v.
Is there any
relationship between the employees’ educational qualification and productivity
in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission?
vi. To make recommendations on how to improve
human capital management so as to enhance organizational performance.
1.4
Research Questions
The following research
questions were formulated to guide the study:
i.
What is the nature and
concept of human capital management in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service
Commission?
ii.
There is no significant
relationship between training and employees’ productivity/ efficiency in Akwa
Ibom State Civil Service Commission.
iii.
Is there any
relationship between human capital management and productivity in Akwa Ibom
State Civil Service Commission?
iv.
Is there any
relationship between the employees years of experience and productivity in Akwa
Ibom State Civil Service Commission
1.5 Research Hypotheses
From the objectives of
the study, the following hypotheses were formulated for this study:
i.
There is no significant
relationship between training and employees’ productivity/ efficiency in Akwa
Ibom State Civil Service Commission.
ii.