Browsing by Author "Nwokeiwu, Johnson."

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Analysis of gender role socialisation influence on perception of leadership style of males and females.
(2009) Nwokeiwu, Johnson.; Gani, Abdul Sattar.; Perumal, Sadhasivan.
Many women have taken up higher positions in their companies in recent times both in South Africa and all over the world. Many more women are taking professional courses and will definitely find a place in the leadership position in the big companies (Sekaran, et al. 1992). As a result there is big change and there will be more changes in the demography of labour force. These changes make it essential that leaders understand how to capture the synergy for the emerging diverse group of employees. The best and brightest workers, whom we all seek, are coming out of a labour pool that is increasingly made of women. The aspirations of women have been changing dramatically as a result of civil rights movement and women movements and South Africa is a good example of the countries in the world where women have better opportunities of leading big organisations (Watson, et al. 2004). The inclusion of women in the leadership position of many companies has aroused the interest to investigate if there is a difference in the way women and men lead. This is important because the role of leadership and the style of leadership have been identified as the primary factors in determining organisational performance and competitiveness (Rechardson, et al. 2008). A major part of this study discussed and analysed the leadership style differences of men and women leaders. The study also took into cognisance of the importance of agents of socialisation such as the family (husband and wife), the media, religion and education on gender role in the society. We discussed the gender role ascribed to male and female in the society and how this has influenced the perception of their leadership styles. Males and females received different orientation from the media, religion, schools and colleges on how men and women suppose to behave. And how these orientations influence perception, interaction, and ultimately the leadership styles is an interesting area of study and somewhat more difficult to define (Rechardson, et al. 2008). A review of such differences serves as a starting point in the study of gender differences in behaviour and in the leadership styles; and why women may offer unique strengths essential to healthy growth and operation in an organization. The results of this study did not show much difference in the leadership styles of men and women leaders but there are a few differences in the leadership dimensions of the transformational and transactional leadership style. The Asian female leaders score higher in charisma than their male counterpart. Within positions female frontline (supervisors) scored higher on motivation (idealised influence), while the male middle managers scored higher on task oriented leadership behaviour. However insignificant the differences may be, it is wise to mention that women scored slightly higher than men in the leadership styles traditionally ascribed to women. For example, the results of table 26 show women leaders scored slightly higher than men in the participative/democratic and transformational leadership styles and they equally scored slightly higher in some dimensions of transformational leadership, intellectually stimulating, charisma, and motivation. Men scored slightly higher in autocratic, transactional and delegate leadership styles. Men also scored slightly higher in other dimensions like management by exemption and task oriented behaviours.
Training, development and performance in a public corporation : case study of the Nigerian railway corporation.
(2013) Nwokeiwu, Johnson.; Fields, Ziska.; Chitakunye, Pepukayi.
Rail transport in Nigeria confronts the challenge of providing more efficient services to serve the needs of the economy. Past neglect of the corporation has led to poor performance, contributing less than .5% to GDP. A much reduced, ill-motivated and inefficient workforce and management neglect have resulted in the NRC‘s current dilapidated and degraded state. Moribund traffic and diminishing capacity to serve its customers have resulted in a huge loss in income for the corporation. Management has taken up the challenge to restore the corporation to its former glory, by providing efficient services to cargo owners and improved safety and operational performance to the numerous commuters. The NRC has adopted T&D as a core strategy to cope with ever-increasing competitive pressure and demands for efficient and improved services, as well as a better manpower base. This study focuses on analysing Training and Development (T&D), and performance in a public corporation in Nigeria. The primary aim was to analyse the perceived impact of T&D on performance as well as workers‘ perceptions of the organisation‘s effectiveness in managing the factors that hinder or promote training transfer. The relationship between the impact of T&D and performance in a government-owned corporation has not received adequate attention in Nigeria; only occasional references are made to a connection between these concepts. The evidence suggests that the impact of T&D on performance is subject to debate and many organisations do not measure it. However, organisations are increasingly considering human capital (i.e. the people who make up an organisation) a source of competitive advantage; such advantage is sustained mainly through human resource development initiatives. Therefore, investing in human capital has become a critical strategic option for contemporary organisations because the ability of any firm to compete successfully is a function of the availability of skills and knowledge and how they are managed. Furthermore, despite the numerous benefits of T&D to organisations, the influence of T&D in the public sector has not received serious attention and is traditionally not evaluated. This is due to leadership changes when one regime replaces another as politicians‘ lack of awareness of T&D‘s impact on organisations and the economy. There is a dearth of effective instruments to measure changes in performance directly or indirectly related to T&D activities. Furthermore, the bulk of the studies on the influence of T&D initiatives on individual and organisational performance have been conducted in the manufacturing sector. It is not known whether similar results will be obtained in other sectors. This study was carried out among 297 employees of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC). A questionnaire was administered to employees and personal interviews were held with the Directors, as well as technical and administrative staff. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted and the results were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, e.g. Pearson correlation, Chi Square multiple regression etc. The analysis was largely descriptive and regression-based and the investigation was a co-relational study in a public sector organisation. Through a literature review, interviews and a questionnaire survey, the study explored the formulation, implementation and evaluation of T&D initiatives in a public corporation and how these are perceived to influence individual and organisational performance. Training and development was found to impact positively on employees‘ skills, knowledge and ability, irrespective of their position and function. This influenced overall organisational performance. Training and development was found to be responsible for approximately 23% of the improvement in job performance. Motivation to transfer, performance self-efficacy, transfer design and personal capacity were the only factors found to significantly influence transfer of learning on the job; this implies that the influence of transfer factors is contextual or situational, i.e. factors that influence learning transfer in one organisation may not do so in another. This study contributes to knowledge by presenting a framework for essential practices for T&D which was formulated from the findings of the literature review. It further contributes to knowledge by adding value to the on-going debate on the impact of T&D and training transfer on job performance in a typical government organisation, and by presenting a possible framework for the future study and management of T&D programmes. Finally, the study contributes to knowledge as it was carried out in a unique context – the NRC in Africa. The majority of previous studies were conducted in developed countries focusing on commercial organisations, and never on the transport sector.