ABSTRACT
Employee participation in decision making is crucial to the sustainability of any business and so requires significant consideration in order to change this mindset and ensure harmony in the employer-employee relationship. As evidenced by the literature, there may be arguments against participatory management or employee decision-making, but the odds are in favor of employees as long as the dynamic forces of change continue to define and enhance company processes in the future.The study examined examine the effect of employee's participation in decision making on work performance in Nile University of Nigeria. The survey research was used in this study to sample the opinion of respondents. This method involved random selection of respondents who were administered with questionnaires. Relevant conceptual, theoretical and empirical literature was reviewed. The target population of the study comprised selected residents from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Three hundred (300) respondents constitute the sample size for this study. The descriptive and analytical approach was adopted using Chi-square to test and analyze the hypotheses earlier stated. Findings revealed that the prevailing opinion of people has no significant importance on education for the girl-child among different sexes in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Findings revealed that employee participation in decision making has a significant effect on organisational productivity in Nile University of Nigeria. Findings of the study also reveals that there are factors hindering the contribution of employees in decisionmaking in the study organisation in Nile University of Nigeria. Findings of the study also reveals that informal participation, consultative participation, representative participation, and short-term participation jointly predict organisational performance in Nile University of Nigeria. Finally, findings of the study further reveals that employee participation in decision-making has a significant relationship with organisational performance in Nile University of Nigeria. It was therefore concluded that employee's participation in decision making significantly affect work performance in Nile University of Nigeria. It was suggested that Government and its agencies should continue to encourage and incentivize public and private sector organizations that prioritize employee voice or involved HRM. This will motivate other companies who have yet to adopt this culture to do so.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
There has been an unprecedented change occurring around the world over the past thirty years or more, including the dominance of service industries over heavy manufacturing, the deregulation of labor and product markets, increased penetration, adoption of software and hardware technologies, and fierce competition in the markets for goods and services in the majority of industries (Valeri, Matondang and Siahaan, 2020; Zhi, Abba and Hamid, 2020). Due to the dominating effects of consumers' increased quality demands on the service and product markets, organizations are pushed to look for more adaptable and effective manufacturing methods and strategies (Summers and Hyman, 2005; Litwin and Eaton, 2016). Similar to individuals, organizations—profit or nonprofit (such as the government)—are similarly pressured to adapt as part of their survival or success strategies in fiercely competitive and completely dynamic settings. This is true whether they are for-profit or nonprofit (Chukwuemeka, 2020).
Organizations are starting to realize or rediscover that their employees are crucially their most valuable resource as one of the solutions to surviving and succeeding in their various industries which is why many of them now commit to hiring the best and most qualified professionals to lead their organizations and working diligently to retain these human resources or assets for the accomplishment of their stated corporate goals or targets (Mohsen and Sharif, 2020).Is it surprising then that the majority of management positions are held by extremely competent, informed, skilled, and qualified individuals who were selected primarily for these traits to provide their companies a competitive advantage in the marketplace? Organizations have now realized that their employees can contribute new ideas for enhancing business strategy, business processes, and a better working environment, as well as new perspectives, perceptions, problem-solving skills, creative thinking, and internal abilities, all of which can help them navigate the challenging business environment and outcompete their competitors (Ngonyama & Ruggunan, 2015; Malinah, 2016; Daniel, 2019).
For instance, before his passing, Steve Jobs, Apple's former co-founder and CEO, said, "We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do. It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do" (OLuwatayo et al., 2017). With that famous quote from one of the most brilliant minds in technology, Rabha makes the case that organizations must also take into account the experience, knowledge, expertise, and skills of their staff members in order to foster a collaborative culture that will bring out the best in all of them.The fact that Apple still values having one of the best cultures makes it one of the most prosperous technological firms in the world. Similar to Yahoo!, Google demonstrated this quality from the moment it was founded (in 1996), which is why, rather than being constrained by Yahoo!'s success, it developed strategic distinction in the browser market.In addition to prioritizing the needs of its customers, Google also made a commitment to its employees' happiness by giving them a voice in how the business is run and providing them with a pleasant working environment that sparked an emotional bond with the company (University of Minnesota, 2021). Google is one of the top worldwide digital companies influencing human society in 2021. Because it fully understands that encouraging employee involvement in its business processes is necessary to sustain the rapid innovation that its industry demands, Facebook has also emerged as a leading technology company by embracing the idea that its employees are its most valuable and important assets (Sullivan, 2013). Elon Musk, the co-founder of SpaceX, the Boring Company, and other companies and currently the richest man in the world, is committed to the idea that in order to keep his finest talent and, by extension, his employees, he must give them a sense of belonging to a grand vision to transform the world(Umoh, 2017). He explained to his managers in an interview with Glassdoor that their teams are not there to serve them, but rather that they (the managers) were placed in these positions to make it simple for their team members to do a fantastic job for the firm (Uma, 2015). The final illustration is Starbucks, which has likewise achieved great success. The success of the business is due to its dedication to both customer and employee happiness as well as the high quality of its coffee, tea, and other products (Tedla, 2016). Starbucks has consistently valued its employees' opinions and listened to them, which has led to a lower percentage of employee and manager turnover than its rivals (Tikson & Hamid, 2017).
This is not to argue that the concept of employee involvement in decision-making in contemporary organizations is without controversy. For instance, some academics have argued that allowing employees to participate in decision-making would reduce management's effectiveness and jeopardize managerial authority (Ezennaya, 2011). Some managers view participation as a ploy they can employ whenever they see fit to persuade workers to perform their duties while believing their voices have been heard, while participation is viewed and treated as a threat to another group of managers' authority and status within the organization, which is why they oppose it (Gifford et al., 2005).
Singh (2019) highlights further justifications offered in the literature opposing involvement. He claims that some of them should be contingent upon circumstances because participation is not always desired. In other words, even while specific circumstances could call for employees' varied viewpoints, expertise, and knowledge, employees shouldn't be encouraged to believe that their contributions, ideas, or involvement in decision-making is required unless it is really necessary. According to Singh (2019), participation can also delay the implementation of a project, and in cases where a sycophantic employee is involved, contributions made may only be in line with the manager's or supervisor's own, wasting the time that the organization set aside to gather these ideas in the first place.
In order to contribute to the literature on this explosive subject, this research thus seeks to investigate the impact of employee participation in decision-making on organisational performance in Nile University of Nigeria.
Researchers in the literature have focused on the topic of employee decision-making and its effects on output or organizational performance. For instance, Senevirathna (2018), Nassim (2019), Daniel (2019), Dede (2019), Chimaobi, and Chikamnele (2020) all looked at employee involvement in decision-making and its effects on organizational performance in various organizations both inside and outside of Nigeria.They used a survey method for their descriptive research, together with statistical analysis. The impact of employee involvement in decision-making on organizational productivity or performance at Nile University of Nigeria has not generally been studied, despite studies on public and private organizations (banking, retail, and others) having been conducted. This is crucial.Understanding how the staff of the multinational organization perceives employee engagement in decision-making and whether this has an impact on the performance or productivity of the organization will be valuable both theoretically and practically from such a study. The research will also open a window into understanding the key elements that may be impeding employees' ability to contribute to organizational decision-making.
Additionally, research on how much informal participation, consultative participation, representative participation, and short-term participation influence organizational performance has only been done in Pakistan (Bhatti, 2013), Ghana (Abdulai and Shafiwu, 2014), Belgium (Uma, 2015), and Kenya (Kuria, 2017), with very few studies focusing on Nigeria and none on Nile University of Nigeria This is another gap that the current research will investigate, i.e., how informal participation, consultative participation, representative participation, and short-term participation jointly predict organisational performance in Nile University of Nigeria.
The main objectives of this study is to examine the effect of employee's participation in decision making on work performance in Nile University of Nigeria.
The following questions will guide the study;
The following were hypothesized;
H01:Employee participation in decision making has no significant effect on organisational productivity in Nile University of Nigeria.
H02:There are no factors hindering the contribution of employees in decisionmaking in the study organisation in Nile University of Nigeria.
H03:Informal participation, consultative participation, representative participation, and short-term participation will not jointly predict organisational performance in Nile University of Nigeria
H04:Employee participation in decision-making has no significant relationship with organisational performance in Nile University of Nigeria
This study will be important both conceptually and practically. In theory, the researcher will use a cross-sectional research design and statistical analysis to provide meanings/outcomes that differ from what is found in the literature.Furthermore, using the Empowerment Theory of Leadership may provide some theoretical merit or flavor to the overall study endeavor.
Similarly, the current investigation's findings can enable future research prospects for duplication in similar industries/industries (particularly, manufacturing or cement) or in another industry or developing market area. Researchers can additionally distinguish their study by using a mixed-method research approach.
In practice, this research will provide managerial implications that may be used to establish, change, or reinforce the organizational culture of the study organization and other similar organizations in the cement or manufacturing industries.
The research can also help practitioners understand how to treat the modern employee in order to get the best results out of him or her while also achieving high financial and non-financial organizational performance.
Government and policymakers can be more informed about the regulations that should be implemented to improve workplace democracy, safeguard employees who are the weaker side in the employment relationship, and still advance management's objectives and ambitions.
Overall, the findings of this current study will broaden our understanding of organizational behavior, notably in the area of employee participation in decision-making in relation to organizational performance.
The scope of this study is limted to examining the effect of employee's participation in decision making on work performance in Nile University of Nigeria. The participants from this will be limited to lecturer in the study setting.
In the process of carrying out this project work, the researcher was confronted with many challenges and limitations which are as follows:
Time:There was a time constraint for the research project, and during that time frame, the typical professor was also in session, so the researcher was under a lot of stress juggling the study work with her personal matters and dashing from one lecture to the next. This effort had the consequence of limiting the time the researcher was intended to spend on results and data gathering, preventing more quality work.
Finance:The researcher was also confronted with financial difficulties. Researcher labor is exhausting since it demands running from one location to another in search of information, books, and other resources. Journals, papers, and reports must be consulted, but they are not always available inside; certain materials required trip, which cost money. In addition, the researcher printed questionnaires that were given to the workers at Nile University in Nigeria, which cost money.
Quality of Information:The data analysis in Chapter 4 is based on information provided by Nile University faculty. Following the distribution of questionnaires, it was assumed that the information required would be submitted by both senior and junior company personnel. The younger workers were hesitant to disclose some critical information. This is because such information is highly classified, and it is referred to as industrial espionage. This difficulty also had an impact on the quality of information provided for the research findings.
This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding. Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study.
1.10. Operational Definition of Terms
Decision Making: The selection from among alternative a course of action.
Management: Management can be defined as an art of science of achieving the objective of a business in the most efficient way. It is made up of top and middle level management.
Performance: A measure of how well resources are brought together in organization and utilized for accomplishing a set of result
Public Sector: This is an organization that is owned and managed by Government.
Employees Participation: This is creating an environment in which people have an impact on decisions and actions that affect their jobs in the organization.
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