Organizational effectiveness in higher education: a case study of selected polytechnics in Nigeria

Abstract

This study compares perceived organisational effectiveness within polytechnic higher education in Nigeria. A qualitative methodology and an exploratory case study (Yin, 2003) enable an in-depth understanding of the term effectiveness as it affects polytechnic education in Nigeria. A comparative theoretical framework is applied, examining three polytechnic institutions representing Federal, State and Private structures under a variety of conditions. Data was based on triangulation comprising fifty-two (52) semi-structured interviews, one focus group, and documentary evidence.

The participants in the study were the dominant coalition in the institutions comprising top-academic leaders, lecturers, non-academic staff, and students. Every campus was visited during the fieldwork, which was conducted over a period of more than eighteen months.

The study combines prescribed and derived goal approaches for understanding organisational effectiveness and the Competing Values Model (CVM) was used as a theoretical framework, and ten effectiveness criteria were evaluated comprising; staff training and development, remuneration, campus human relations, ability to acquire resources, physical infrastructure and equipment, accreditation, strategic planning, accountability, internal resource allocation, and information communication technology. The study showed eighteen similarities and twenty-seven differences between the criteria, as evaluated under the prescribed goal approach.

Under the derived goal approach, the study revealed that for effectiveness to triumph in polytechnic higher education institutions in Nigeria, the five goals derived from the participants’ interviews and focus group, which are of societal benefits require government intervention on policies: involving upgrading polytechnic institutions to university status as was done in the United Kingdom (UK) several years ago; eliminating the level of corruption in the country; offering a lasting solution to the inadequate and irregular supply of electricity that affects the general populace; the establishment of a single higher education Funding Council to run the affairs of higher education in the country; and an end to discrimination against polytechnic graduates in the labour market.

The study is of great importance to the dominant coalition as the effectiveness of polytechnic institutions would bring satisfaction to their role as major stakeholders, and immensely contribute to the economic growth and development, which will in turn affect the whole of Nigerian society.

The study concludes with a number of recommendations to the system’s stakeholders: academic leaders, employers of labour, students, and policymakers working in polytechnic higher education in Nigeria.

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