ABSTRACT
This
study attempted to find out the impact of Worker's Participation in Decision
Making and Productivity in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The
sample consisted of collected and analysis of data which was carried out at the
council, through the use of Primary and Secondary data sources. The objective
have made us to find out if the involvement of worker's in decision making in
Shomolu local government, has affected the productivity positively. That is not
to say that there are no shortcoming, because some of the employees feels that
their involvement in decision making is not only issue affecting productivity
in the organization.
In
order wards base on the findings, there are some recommendation that were made;
That there should be increment in salaries and better conditions of worker's
and equality between the superior and subordinates. Again there should be
balance and sharing of ideas on how the organization can best be managed
between management and workers.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1.1
Introduction and Background of the
Study
1.2
Statement of the Problem
1.3
Objectives of the Study
1.4
Statement of Research Questions
1.5
Statement of Research Hypothesis
1.6
Theoretical Framework
1.7
Significance of Study
1.8
Scope of the Study
1.9
Limitation of Study
1.10
Literature Review
1.11
Methodology
1.12
Definition/Classification of Terms
CHAPTER
TWO
Review of Relevant Literature
2.1 Concepts
and Definitional Characteristics of workers participation
in
management
2.2
Theories of workers participation in
management
2.3
Workers Participation in management
2.4
The impact of recession on workers
2.5
The Hierarchy of Decisions
CHAPTER
THREE
3.1
Research Design
3.2
Re statement of Research Hypothesis
3.3
Data Collection Procedure
3.4
Data Analysis Procedure
3.5
Selection of Population Sample
3.6
The questionnaire
3.7
Personal Interview
CHAPTER
FOUR
Data Presentation and Analysis
4.1
Introduction
4.2 Data Presentation and Analysis
4.3
Interpretation
References
CHAPTER
FIVE
Summary Conclusion and
Recommendations
5.1 Introduction
5.2
Summary
5.3
Conclusion
5.4
Recommendation & Suggestion for further research
purposes
References
Bibliography
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The entrepreneur, as a factor of production is said to
possess capital and other factors of production for effective utilization.
Infact, the factor which puts a crown on the head of the entrepreneur is his
possession or ownership of capital. It is this ownership that makes the entrepreneur
the chief organizer of the organization.
As a result of this ownership of capital, he therefore
enjoys the monopoly of the right to "management prerogative". That
is, the right to manager an organization to the whims and caprices of the owner
the right to decide what kind of business to embark upon, the right to decide
the location, the right to decide who to employ and the right to establish
managerial philosophies, mission, policies, programmes and procedure.
The ultimate goal of an entrepreneur is to maximize profit
from his investment. Labour (employees) and their unions on the other hand
strive to benefit as much as possible from the profit which accrues to the
entrepreneur (employer) upon their labour and as more and more profits that are
made, the more the agitation on the part of the workers to have a share of the
profit.
However, workers have thus stepped on their own that unless
they (employees) participate in decision making, their future in the
organization will only diminish and it might lead to low productivity. In the
face of these, employees and organization have had to counter-balance the
struggle so as not to put one side on a serious disadvantaged position. To do
this, employees and their union need to pressurize the management to
democratize the workers place so that they can participate in management
decision -making. After all,
"management is a process of subordinate relationships which involves
setting goals and striving to achieve those goals" through the same
subordinates (Drucker, 1954). Thus, workers participation in management
decision making is as
old as trade unionism and trade agitation for better conditions of living (as
old as 19th century). To that extent, the level of production or
productivity depends on the level of participation of workers (employees) in
decision-making in an organization. Due to this experiment, the level of
participation of employees in decision making is almost a matter of convention
as well as legality.
In Australia, the Federal government set up in June 1978 a
tripartite committee of experts to advice on participation as a means of allowing
workers and employers to work out their own arrangements.
In Japan, various studies, publications and experiments who
a strong interest in workers participation in decision-making, saying it has
led to high productivity. In Yugoslavia, which established since 1950 an
elaborate system of self-management, workers participation in the solution of
problems at the level of production or productivity. In Ireland the focus on
employee participation and involvement has been sharpened by positive
government policies and initiative.
In 1977 'the worker participation (state enterprise) Act'
was enacted laying down procedures for the election of employees to the board
of seven major commercial state enterprises.
It is important to state that in the field of
participation, change is constant and often rapid. The word
"participation" itself, therefore covers very different situations, interpreted differently by different categories of people
in different times. Participation according to dictionary, "it to take
part in or become involved in an activity or event. It is also good to note
that, there are various factors that inf1uence employee productivity: ability,
lack of technological know-how or skill, lack of physiological drive,
managerial ability and attitude and technology employed.
Having said all these so far, the main message is that the factors involved
in motivating employees (workers) for higher productivity is numerous, but we
should focus on the participation of workers in decision-making as a measure
for higher productivity. The objective of this study is to examine the extent
to which Shomolu Local Government Area, Lagos State employees (workers)
participate in decision-making.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
Give the management have carved for themselves the absolute
right to enjoy the prerogative of the ownership of capital, and given that
workers have through their unions constitute themselves into powerful
"pressure group" to counter-balance the overbearing power of capital.
The problem is, "to what extent have workers participation in decision
been able to increase productivity?
Nevertheless, this study believes that there is rarely any
human or organizational level without its share of productivity problem and
this problem is mainly attributed to workers participation in decision that
affect their well-being. It is true that since the recessionary period, the economy
has not it any iota of way gained some improvement, and the problems which
investors, employers and management have had to content with have been
inflicted on the workers more than anyone else. Thus, the central problem which
the researchers seeks' to investigate is to ascertain the extent to which
both parties have been able to impact on each other in the period of recession.
1.3 OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY
Obviously,
the industrial organization like states in the global system are speaking and pressurizing
for the democratization of the work place. Thus, management in work
organization have tended to support some strategies at democratizing the work
place through "Employees" participation in management as a result of productivity. The objectives of this
study among other things are:
i.
To ascertain whether worker's
participation in management actually exist.
ii. If
it exists, to ascertain what extent has employees really participated in
management in an organization.
iii. To
examine the mechanisms, if any, which both management and the government have
put on ground to allow workers participation in management.
iv. To
ascertain whether worker's participation indecision making has made any
meaningful impact in productivity.
v. To
find solution to the problem of productivity in relation to workers
participation in decision-making.
1.4 STATEMENT
OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The
tentative research questions are as follows:-
Is
there any relationship between worker's participation in decision-making
between worker's participation indecision-making and productivity?
i. Does
workers participation in decision making have any effect on productivity?
ii.
What is the prospect of management
decision-making in Nigeria?
iii.
To what extend does workers actually
participate in management?
1.5 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
A hypothesis is a tentative statement that is subject to
verification. Aghayere and Ojo (1997) posits that hypothesis is a statement of
possible relationship between variable in form situation for empirical test;
and usually expressed in both dependent and independent variables. Thus, in
order to validate or invalidate this research project, the under listed
hypothesis will be verified,
Ho: Employees participation in management
decision-making has increase workers productivity.
Hi: Worker's participation in management
decision making does not exist and does not affect productivity.
Ho: There is no
relationship between worker's decision-making and productivity.
Hi: There is relationship between worker's
decision making and the level of productivity.
Ho: The level of worker's productivity will not
be determined by the involvement of workers in management decision-making.
Hi: The level of worker's productivity will be
determined by the involvement of workers in management decision making.
1.6 THEORETICAL
FRAMEWORK
The theories often cited as providing supportive framework
for workers participation in management decision-making are the Human Relation
model, theory U, as well as the industrial democracy theory.
The human relations school as propounded by Elton Mayo et
all. Sought the solution of how workers can be part of management by
prescribing or arriving at a conclusion that
management should regard the enterprises as a social system and develop
informal organization by which workers would achieve a sense of belonging and
high productivity. Workers to some extent, have found this answer in trade
unionism and trade unions objectives which gave rise to the need to be part of
management (Banjoko 1996).
Theory Y on the one hand has also prescribed management by
objective (1970) which tries to share management work between higher and lower
management through joint planning exercise to determine the overall
organizational focus, objectives, programmes and procedures. Yet another theory
which provides substances to workers' participation in management
decision-making is the industrial democracy theory. The industrial democracy
theory was propounded by Sidney and Beatrice Webbs in 1987 in their book
"Industrial Democracy". According to the Webbs, the work place is
characterized by conflict between owners of capital and those who sells their
labour input to earn a living (the workers). Thus through the principle of rule
of law and social justice which provides basis for labour-management relation.
The theorist content that since capital and the whole
exercise of production cannot do without labour, even in the face of rising
technological advancement, there is the need of workers of business to have a
share in making decisions on the place where most of their lifetime experience
is share.
1.7 SIGNIFICANCE
OF STUDY
The quest for democratizing the society and the economy has
also led to the quest for democratizing the industrial sector. One way of
achieving this is not only to allow workers to acquire some percentages of the
share of their companies, but to allow workers to have a say in
management decision making which will led to high productivity.
Thus,
it is believed that they study will be significant in so far as:
1.
It is able to establish the level of
workers participation in management
2. In
so far as it is able to establish whether such degree or level of participation
is responsible for high level of production.
3. It
is able to identify the best way to make workers participate in management
decision-making and seek their co-operation.
4. It
is able to establish the best way to encourage management to grant
opportunities to workers involvement in organizational management.
1.8 SCOPE OF
THE STUDY
The
study is intended to examine and evaluate the degree of worker's participation
in management decision-making in the public sector and its relationship to workers’
productivity. Since it was claimed that the government have done much to evolve
strategies at democratizing the workplace, arguments have also cropped up as to
what is the level or degree or workers participation in decision-making in
response to workers’ productivity. This, this study is limited only to the
evaluation of workers participation in Shomolu Local Government Area in terms
of decision-making and productivity.
1.9 LIMITATION
OF STUDY
There
are various limitations to this study or research project, which include time factor, data collection, finance and
materials. Time factors was one major limitation of this research due to the
right office schedule. Data collection also posed another limitation to this research. A research of this
nature requires huge financial commitment in order to move about extensively to
gather sufficient research materials. In the case of ~his study, finance was a
major constraint as a result, the research was restricted.
1.10 LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature Review of workers participation in decision-making
is not only vast but only confine to a particular discipline.
According to Okeke (1985), literature review shows the
summary of previous research works which are related to a researcher's present
study.
Topics to be reviewed; workers participation in
decision-making in relation to workers’ productivity in the public sector researchers
- Akpula (1987) in his study workers participation in management as a process
in an enterprise.
Armstrong (1996) in his research among workers argued that
workers participation in management decision making aviary according to the
level it takes.
Theories of workers participation in management criterion
of participation decision making. Berridge J. (1992) define communication as a process of transmitting
information of interest to employees and employers.
In Germany - since (1952), workers participation in
management decision-making has led to spontaneous increase in accountability
and productivity.
In Nigeria, Obisi (1995) identified five variables which
determine workers participation in management decision-making.
1.11 METHODOLOGY
The research methods to be adopted in this investigation
are well-known research design procedures in social science inquiries.
Finally, the collection data will involve both primary and
secondary data sources. Data collection is the process of assembling primary
data and is different from the process of compiling 'statistics (i.e secondary
data) from published sources. To quote Crum, Patton and Tebbutt,
"Collection means the assembling, for the purpose of a particular
investigation, of entirely new data, not already available in published
sources".
Methods of collecting primary data are as follows:
i. Direct
personal interviews
ii. Indirect,
oral interviews
iii. Information
from correspondents
iv. Mailed
questionnaire method
v. Schedules
send through enumerators
The administration of questionnaires and personal interview
to the supervisors and managers of the Local government. The administration of
the questionnaires will also be given to various workers so as to find out
their own view.
Methods of collecting secondary data are as follows:- In
most of the study, investigators finds it impracticable to collect firsthand
information.
The sources of secondary data are divided into two: Published
sources end unpublished sources.
i. Published sources include; Report and
Official publications, semi-official publication of various local bodies such
as local government, and private publication e.g. financial and economic
journals et.c.
ii. Unpublished sources: Unpublished data such
as records as maintained by various government and private offices, studies
made by research institutions, scholars e.t.c.
The data analysis procedure; the analysis of data will be
done step-by-step basis using the simple percentile response procedure. Thus calculation
are done to count which of the variables in the fable received greater response
and acceptance to the subject participant who constitutes the respondents.
Results of counting are tabulated and brief explanations given below each table
to provide assumption for the weighted value of the response.
1.12 DEFINITION/CLARIFICATION
OF
TERMS
a. Labour/Staff/Employee/Worker:
They all refer to officers chiefly responsible for internal
execution of an institution or business (webster's ninth collegiate dictionary,
1983)
b. Compensation/Remuneration
This refers to as the assessed reward to an employee for
his contributions to the organization in the achievement of its goals.
c. Salary / Wage:
Fixed compensation paid regularly for services rendered.
(webster's Ninth collegiate Dictionary, 1983)
d. Administration:
The activities that are done in order to plan, organize and
run a business, school or other institution. (Oxford Advanced Learner's
Dictionary 6th edition).
e. Employee Involvement:
A range of processes designed to engage the support,
understanding and optimum contribution of all employees in an organization and
their commitment to its objectives,
f. Employee Participation:
A process of employee involvement designed to provide employees
with the opportunity to influence and, where appropriate, take part in decision
making on matters which affect them.
g. Direct Participation:
Structured methods which provide opportunity for each
employee to influence or contribute to the decisions on the task he or she is
performing and on its relationship to the organizational structure.
h. Joint regulation:
A process whereby management and employees arrive at agreed
decisions. The most common form of joint regulation in this country is
collective bargaining.
i. The rate at
which a worker, a company or a country produces goods, and the amount produced,
compared with how much time, work and money is need to produce them. (Oxford
Advanced Learners Dictionary).
j. Trade Union
Any combination or workers or employers, whether temporary
or permanent, the purpose of which is to regulate the terms and conditions of
employments of workers. (Nigeria's Trade Union act; (1975).
Click “DOWNLOAD NOW” below to get the complete Projects
FOR QUICK HELP CHAT WITH US NOW!
+(234) 0814 780 1594
Login To Comment