HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SKILLS REQUIRED FOR PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN ENUGU STATE

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to determine the human resource management skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State. Four research questions were answered using the mean statistic along with four hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance using the t-test statistic. The population consisted of  250  administrative staff  from five  government owned tertiary institutions in Enugu State. However, only 213 administrative staff completed the questionnaire correctly. Descriptive survey design was used for the study. Structured questionnaire titled Human Resource Management Skills Questionnaire  was  used  to  generate  data  for  the  study.  The  instrument  was validated by three experts from the Department of Vocational Teacher Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and one Administrative Staff from Personnel Services, Registrar’s Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The Cronbach Alpha reliability technique was used to estimate the internal consistency of the items in the  instrument and administered to  human resource administrators in tertiary institutions in Anambra State. This yielded an average coefficient of 0.91. The findings showed that the four human resource management skills comprising basic skills, interpersonal (social/human relations) skills, problem solving skills and  industrial relations  skills  were  highly  required  for  effective  and  efficient personnel administration in tertiary institution; that human resource administrator who  exhibit  these  skills  are  better  equipped  to  handle  the  enormous  and challenging work carried out  in tertiary institutions. It  was recommended that human resource administrators in tertiary institution should exhibit abilities in activities that are related to basic knowledge when handling a given job; adapt new approaches of handling employees, provide opportunities for employee training, basic elements involved in interpersonal relationship should be imbibed and improve productivity through peace, welfare and industrial harmony in tertiary institutions.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Effective personnel administration in tertiary institution is necessary not only for the provision of required human capital for national development but for the smooth running of the institutions.  According to Price (2007), a radically new approach to managing people which demarcated sharply from traditional personnel management has emerged. This new approach has opportunities for good personnel administration  where  human  resource  administrators  who  are  in  charge  of personnel (also called human resource) in any organization are expected to treat human resources as valuable asset because they are accountable for an organisation’s success.  Such administrators are required to be proactive looking at people in economic terms either as assets or costs to be actively managed, strategically tying people management to tertiary institution’s objectives and attempting to manage employees in the long-term interest of the institutions.  A coherent programme linking all aspects of people management is expected to be integrated within an organized framework with sufficient learning opportunities so that necessary competencies and skills are developed in employees.

Skill is defined by O’shea (2011) as a specific ability developed by an

individual through training and experience.   Its essence is to acquire competencies

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that  would  help  an  employee deliver quality service  to  the  organisation it  is serving.   However, Obeki, (2012) stated that in view of the enormous work at ensuring the effective and efficient running of the operations in tertiary institutions and the high rate at which the workplace is changing in terms of new techniques and technologies, globalisation and soaring competition, the present day human resource administrators are faced with greater responsibility and challenges.  Such responsibility and challenge require that the human resource administrator acquires human resource management skills required for personnel administration which must  be  seen  from  an  employees’  educational  qualification,  competencies, abilities, talents and general experiences.   Dessler (2008) stated that in practice human resource administrators organise competencies required for jobs into two or three clusters namely: general, leadership and technical competencies and that its exhibition requires certain knowledge and skills that can be measured.   Deseler explained that O*NET organised various skills into six groups which are accessible online at http://online.onecenter.org/skills/.  The six skills groups are basic skills, interpersonal (social/human relation) skills, problem solving skills, resource management skills,  systems  skills  and  technical skills.    Three  of  these  skills namely: basic skills, interpersonal (social/human relations) skills, problem solving skills will be adapted for this study.   Another skill group adopted for the study is industrial  relations  skills  which  is  necessary  to  equip  the  human  resource

administrator with the abilities to coordinate relationship among employees in the work place.   Effiom (2012) stated that a university or tertiary institution’s administrator is expected to manage available human resources for optimal results, ensure effective utilization of material resources, maintain and sustain regular flow of information among stakeholders, enhance, protect and project positive image of the institution, interpret, apply and enforce rules and regulations for the well-being of the institution and manage crisis.  To be effective in fulfilling these functions, the human resource administrator must acquire skills that will make such administrator humane but  fair,  firm and  fearless, focused and  mission driven, purposeful and inspiring and ready to try out new ideas and methods.     It is expected that an administrator who acquire these skills will be equipped to provide inspiring and transparent leadership, reconcile employee difference, accommodate the different cultures and interest as well as reduce areas of conflict among workers in the tertiary institutions for a productive end, avoid discrimination among employees  and  things  that  affect  relationship  and  hamper  productivity  in  the tertiary institutions.

Statement of the Problem

Effective personnel administration in tertiary institutions is necessary not only for the provision of required human capital for national development but for the smooth running of the institutions.   According to Price (2007), a radically new

approach to managing people which demarcated sharply from the traditional personnel management has emerged.   This new approach has opportunities for good personnel administration as the administrators are expected to treat human resources as valuable asset for organisational success.

However, Obeki (2012) stated that in view of the enormous work at ensuring the effective and efficient running of tertiary institutions and the high rate at which the workplace is changing in terms of new techniques and technologies, globalisation and soaring competition the present day human resource administrators in  tertiary  institutions are  faced  with  greater responsibility and challenges.   Such responsibility and challenge require that the human resource administrator be equipped with human resource management skills such as basic skills,  interpersonal (social/human relations) skills,  problem solving  skills  and industrial relations skills.  Acquisition of such skills will help the administrator to provide inspiring and transparent leadership, reconcile employee differences, accommodate the different cultures and interest as well as reduce areas of conflict among workers in tertiary institutions for a productive end.

Moreover, there is a growing emphasis on knowledge and expert workers with basic skills to handle communication in tertiary institutions.  Administrators with human resource management skills who can efficiently organise and coordinate human resources are needed in these institutions.  In addition, efficient

and enthusiastic personnel determine the growth and performance of an organisation even in the face of inadequate plans and modern equipment. This is because such human resource can help the administrator who is supposed to work as partners with top management in tertiary institutions to handle information as well as solve challenges arising from new techniques and technologies, globalisation and soaring competition.

Administrators with human resource management skills will also help the tertiary institutions actualize the desire to become “world-class” institutions.  This is   possible   when  such   administrators  bring   the   required   human  resource management skills to bear on the way functions and operations are carried out in the tertiary institutions where they work. In the  light of these challenges and responsibilities, the researcher seeks to determine the human resource management skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State. Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of this study is to determine the human resource management skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State. Specifically, the study will:

1.       determine the  basic skills required for personnel administration for tertiary institutions in Enugu State;

2.       determine the     interpersonal (social/human relations) skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State;

3.       determine the problem solving skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State; and

4.       determine   the       industrial   relations   skills   required   for   personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State.

Significance of the Study

The findings from this study would be useful to personnel officers also called human resource administrators, staff and students of tertiary institutions, Ministry of Education, regulating bodies like National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and Nigeria nation as a whole.

Personnel officers also called human resource administrators in the tertiary institutions will benefit from the study because the understanding of human resource management skills required for personnel administration will enable them appreciate the ethics, attributes and skills required of an administrator as well as to be equipped with the necessary abilities and competencies required for the job. Such competences include analytical competence, interpersonal competence and emotional  competence.  This  would  result  to  valuable  management  and  good

subordinate   relationship,   employee   satisfaction   and   commitment   because opportunities for advancement and growth would be provided.

Staff and students of tertiary institutions would also benefit because human resource management skills required for personnel administration if fully identified and harnessed for the overall objective of the institution will be actualized.  The staff and students would be fully accommodated for their respective activities with adequate human relationships.  This would also lead to higher performance as staff and students achieve the mission and vision of the university.

The Ministry of Education as the body responsible for the management of tertiary institutions will benefit when human resource management skills required for personnel administration are identified and practiced in the tertiary institutions because employees will be equipped for improved performance.   This will enable the ministry to manage tertiary institutions more efficiently without much supervision and so provide enabling environment and facilities for functions and operations in tertiary institution.

The regulating bodies such as   National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NABTEB) and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) will benefit as the task of moderating these institutions would be easier and the whole system work in tandem with the stated objectives.

Nigeria as a nation will equally benefit because human capital required for national development will be provided thereby causing the nation to transform from a developing to a developed nation.

Research Questions

The study will answer the following research questions:

1.       what are the basic skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State?

2.    what are the interpersonal (social/human relations) skills required by human resource administrators for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State?

3.       what are the problem-solving skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State? and

4.     what are the industrial relations skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses will be tested at 0.05 levels of significance:

H01:  There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of administrators in universities and administrators of other tertiary institutions on the basic skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State.

H02:  There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of administrators of Universities and other tertiary institutions in Enugu state on the interpersonal (social/human relations) skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State.

H03:  There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of administrators of Universities and administrators of other tertiary institutions in Enugu State on the problem- solving skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State.

H04:  There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of administrators of Universities and administrators of other tertiary institutions in Enugu State on the industrial relations skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State.

Delimitation of the Study

The study focuses on human resource management skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State.      The study is specifically  focused  on  the  basic  skills,  interpersonal (social/human relations) skills, problem solving skills and industrial relations skills required for personnel administration in tertiary institutions in Enugu State.  The study is further delimited to the government owned tertiary institutions in Enugu State. The government tertiary institutions are University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State University of

Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu, Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, Federal College of Education Eha-Amufu (FCEE) and Enugu State College of Education (Technical), (ESCE(T), Enugu.   These institutions operate personnel  units  under  the  Registry  Department  where  administrative  staff  of various ranks serve as personnel officers and co-ordinate personnel matters in different administrative units and academic departments.

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