ABSTRACT

Human Resource Management is one of the factors that determine organisation’s performance and it is used by quite a large number of organisations to increase the productivity of employees which also increases the organisation’s total productivity and enhances the organisation’s efficiency and effectiveness. The study examined the impact of human resource management on organisation’s performance. To achieve this, a public survey was adopted and data were obtained through the distribution of rate scale questionnaire and oral interviews. The sample for this study comprises of employees from

MTN Nigeria, Access Bank, Fidelity Bank, Wema Bank, Forte Oil Plc and African Petroleum

Oilfield Services Limited (a subsidiary of Forte Oil Plc) and also from Mutual House Insurance company. Frequency Tables and charts were used to represent the bio data and responses from respondent, Regression was used in testing the hypotheses. The results therefore, reveal that there is a significant relationship between human resource management and organisation’s performance as human resource management was divided into human resource policies, employee welfare, employee participation and employee training and satisfaction. This study concludes that four major factors are responsible for the success of human resource management in improving organisation’s performance which includes the implementation of human resource policies, inclusion of the investment and value of employee’s remuneration in the organisation’s culture, employee participation and employee training and satisfaction. The study recommends that organisations should try as much as possible to implement human resource policies put in place by them and there should be a periodic review and assessments (performance appraisal) for employees in the organisation.                                                       

            CHAPTER ONE

          INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

 In today‟s increasingly competitive business environment, organisations keep evolving ways of ensuring their continued survival and improving organisational performance on a sustained basis.  Human resources are considered the most important asset of an organization, but very few organizations are able to fully harness its potential. Pfeffer (1994) argued that human capital has long been held to be a critical resource in most firms.  Lado and Wilson (1994, p.

701) define a human resource system “. . . as a set of distinct but interrelated activities, functions, and processes that are directed at attracting, developing, and maintaining (or disposing of) a firm‟s human resources. Companies are now trying to add value with their human resources and human resource (HR) department has been set up in order to manage their human capital, where as organisation in last decade, managed their human capital through personnel department which is only a small division of the company. The process of managing the human capital is called human resource management (HRM).  Traditionally, management of this system has gained more attention from service organizations than from manufacturing organizations. However, to enhance operational performance, effectively managing this system is equally important in both types of organizations. Needless to say, sophisticated technologies and innovative manufacturing practices alone can do very little to enhance operational performance unless the requisite human resource management (HRM) practices are in place to form a consistent socio-technical system. For this reason, manufacturing organizations need to carefully evaluate their existing HRM practices and modify them, if needed, so that employees can effectively contribute to operational performance improvement. This lack of attention is surprising when one considers human resources‟ critical role in achieving superior performance in competitive priorities, such as low cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, and innovation.

Nigerian organizations have started realising the importance of HRM. Cheah et al. (2003) stated that Nigerian managers realised that HRM had to be effective to bring about organisational stability and harmony. Besides, they also stated that the diversity of the composition of the modern workforce in Nigeria requires more appropriate and imaginative HRM solutions. As several scholars have noted that managing people is more difficult than managing technology and capital (Barney, 1991; Lado & Wilson, 1994), principally, in a country like Nigeria which is a developing country with more labour than capital, failure in managing human capital and maintaining the harmony within an organisation will create fatal problems to the organisations.

Nigerian government has envisioned as a developed nation by 2020. Government has also recognised that human resource management can play an important role for the said vision. Managing human resources has become critical to the success at all companies, large and small, regardless of industry (Ulrich, 1997). Stavrou-Costea (2005) also argued that the effective human resource management can be the main factor for the success of a firm. Today the most of the companies believed that without efficient HRM programmes and activities companies would not achieved and sustained effectively (Schuler, 2000). Consequently most of the organisations, domestic companies and multinational companies in Nigeria nowadays tend to focus more on HRM and also treated HRM as a key of success. In as much as the policies are there, the organisations still do not implement them.

 Considering the need for HRM practices, Effective Human Resources Management (HRM) provides a means, through which an organisation attracts, retain, develop, motivate and adequately compensate employees for a sustained growth and increased competitiveness. 

Thus, this research is expected to become, in an important part, a meaningful guideline for human resource management practitioners and other stakeholders to see the critical role of Human Resources Management in the success or failure of companies and ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of companies as against their competitors.

1.2  Statement Of The  Research Problem

The increasing competitive business environment has made every business to strive towards the improvement of organisational performance in all aspects, human resource management is one of them and in absence of it, problems could arise. 

The following are problems identified with this research work:

1.   Strategic human resource policies put in place and failure to implement these policies by the management has contributed to poor performance in companies in Nigeria.

2.   Weak organisational culture, disregard for the value of workers‟ remuneration and resistant to change the overall culture of the organisation by the management has led to poor performance in companies in Nigeria. 

3.   lack of involvement of the employees in decision making, quality circles and team work in organisations led to poor human resource management which also affects organisational performance in Nigeria.

4.   Negligence on the part of board of directors and laziness on the part of the human resource manager in the performance of their responsibilities to the organisation in selecting the right person for the right job, job training and job satisfaction has contributed to poor human resource management and ultimately poor performance in organisations in Nigeria.

1.3 Objectives Of The Study

Generally, this study seeks to explore the relationship between human resource management and organisational performance.

The specific objectives are set out as follows:

1.To examine the impact of different human resource policies on organisation‟s performance and find out why organisations hesitate to implement them in Nigeria .

2.To review organisation‟s culture and whether the investment and value of workers‟ remuneration are fitted into organisation‟s performance criteria in Nigeria.

3.                  To facilitate employee involvement and participation in decision making quality circles and team work all of which contributes to effective performance of organisations in Nigeria.

4.                  To examine the responsibilities of the board of directors and human resource managers in the areas of job selection, job training and job satisfaction which contributes to good human resource management and performance in organisations in Nigeria.

1.4 Research Questions

1.      Do human resource policies affect organisation‟s performance in Nigeria?

2.      To what extent is the investment and valve of employees‟ remuneration included in the organisation‟s culture and its impact on organisation‟s performance in Nigeria?

3.      Do employees actively participate in decision making, quality circles and team work in organisations to improve its performance in Nigeria?

4.      To what extent does the responsibility of the board of directors and human resource managers in the areas of job selection, job training and job satisfaction contribute to good human resource management and effective performance of organisations in

Nigeria?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The questions asked above lead to hypothesis, which will be tested on whether good human resource management leads to effective and efficient organisation‟s performance.

The hypotheses of the research are stated as follows:

Research hypothesis 1:

H0: Human resource policies do not affect organisation‟s performance in Nigeria?

H1: Human resource policies do affect organisation‟s performance in Nigeria?         

Research hypothesis 2:

H0: Inclusion of the investment and valve of employees‟ remuneration in the organisation‟s culture does not affect organisation‟s performance in Nigeria?

H1: Inclusion of the investment and valve of employees‟ remuneration in the organisation‟s culture affect organisation‟s performance in Nigeria?

Research hypothesis 3:

H0: Participation and involvement of employees in decision making, quality circles and team work does not affect organisation‟s performance in Nigeria?

H1: Participation and involvement of employees in decision making, quality circles and team work does affect organisation‟s performance in Nigeria?

Research hypothesis 4:

H0: Responsibilities of board of directors and human resource managers in the areas of job selection, job training and job satisfaction for good human resource management does not lead to effective organisational performance?.

H1: Responsibilities of board of directors and human resource managers in the areas of job selection, job training and job satisfaction for good human resource management leads to effective organisational performance?

1.6 Assumptions To The Study

The following are the general considerations in the working of the HR concept by organizations:

1.                  Only internal human organization (employees) are considered. External organizations like customers are not considered. 

2.                  All categories of employees are included. The value of employee potential services is considered (remuneration and other commissions).

3.Employees are classified according to age and pay scales under six categories i.e. executives, supervisors, supporting technical staff, skilled artisans, unskilled and semi-skilled workers and clerical staff.

4.  Future number of employees is worked out on the basis of general promotion policy.

5.  Employee considerations include direct and indirect benefits.

The medium and large scale companies in Nigeria except for developed countries like the United states of America and some parts of India reward employees in terms of increase in

Revenue, productivity and flexibility in skill development and so on. 

1.7 Significance of The Study

Human resource management has a very high significance not only for the management, but also for analyst and even for employees. This study focuses on the impact of human resource management on organisation‟s performance; therefore the study will be relevant to:

1.    Management: 

The study will help management in better utilization, planning and management of human resources (employees) in the organization. 

2.    Employees:

This study will help employees to know their value of remuneration and help them to relate with their managers to achieve an effective organisational performance.

3.    Financial Analysts:

 Even today, when a good deal of work has been done in this field, it is very much unfortunate that there is not only a set pattern or generally accepted method either for valuation of human resource or for their recording in books of accounts or for the disclosure of information by means of different statements. So as for analysts, this study will help them to find out a method of valuation of human resources for better management and effective organisation‟s performance.

4.Government:

This study will help improve an organisation‟s performance which in turn create employment, lead to a better society and a better tax system.

5.Other researchers:

 This study will help upcoming researchers to further their research on human resource management as it relates and affects organisation‟s performance.

1.8 Scope Of The Study

 This research work will focus attention on management of human resources in an organisation in relation to achieving an effective and efficient performance. The study will therefore stress on the human resource management‟s impact on organisation‟s performance. The scope of the issues that will be examined is limited to the overall objective of the research. As a result of non implementation of human resource policies in any organization, non inclusion of the valve of employees in the organisation‟s culture, lack of involvement of employees in decision making, quality circles and team work, the study is embarked upon.

Benefits of human resource management to organisational performance are the major scope that should be covered as it is the main topic of this study. However, the time coverage of this research is 2005-2014. 

1.9 Limitation to the Study

The limitation of this study is that there is restricted access to materials needed for the study as all the information are gathered from articles, accounting Journals and reference books and from questionnaire administered to various organisations.

1.10 Organisation of the Study

The research work is structured as a five- chapter work. Chapter one is the general introduction of the study, chapter two is literature review, chapter three is for research methodology, chapter four is devoted to data presentation and analysis and chapter five  is for conclusions, recommendations and suggestions for further studies.

1.11Definition of terms

i)                    Human resource(s):  is the set of individuals who make up the workforce of  an organisation.

ii)                  Human resource management (HRM): primarily concerned with how people are managed within organizations, focusing on policies and systems.

iii)                Quality circles: is a participatory management technique where a group of employees who do same or similar work, who meet regularly to consider ways of resolving problems and improving production in their organisation.