African Journal of Leadership and Development

The Effect of Performance Management system on Employees’ Performance: The Case of Selected Public Sectors of Addis Ababa City Administration

Hirut Gebremedhin — 2023-12-20

Performance Management System is among the New Public Management (NPM) reform initiatives that has been adopted and implemented in Ethiopia, aiming to bring performance improvement in the public sectors and improving individuals' performance. The study examined the effects of Performance Management System on Employees’ Performance in the selected public sectors of Addis Ababa city Administration. A quantitative research approach and descriptive-explanatory design were employed; and primary data were collected from employees, process owners and leaders in the selected sectors. Both descriptive statistics (Mean and Standard deviation) and inferential statistics (regression analysis) were used to see the relationship and predicting ability of performance management system on employees’ Performance. The result revealed that the existence of positive and moderate relationship between components of Performance Management system and Employees’ Performance in the selected sector. Moreover, Performance Management System can explain 26.9% of the change in employees’ Performance (P=0.000< α =0.01). Hence, the sectors should strive to effectively implement Performance Management system to enhance its’ contribution in improving employees’ performance.

Professional Commitment of Teachers in Public Universities in Addis Ababa

Zewdie Zakie — 2023-12-20

Previous studies have confirmed that teachers’ commitment is one of the vital elements determining the success of any educational system. However, there was a paucity of research that measured teachers' professional commitment using occupation-specific scale; and also linked it to demographic factors. The purpose of this study was to measure teachers' professional commitment using occupation occupation-specific scale comprising five dimensions, namely commitment to students, to the profession, to society, to achieving excellence, and to basic human values. The study examined teachers’ professional commitment in terms of their gender, teaching experience, and education level in public universities in Addis Ababa. To this end, 590 teachers were recruited from four universities through a proportionate random sampling technique. A standardized questionnaire with forty-five items was used for quantitative data collection. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis. For descriptive analysis frequency, mean and standard deviations were employed while independent t-tests and ANOVA tests were employed for inferential statistics. The results indicated that the overall professional commitment level in four universities was found to be at a moderate level. The results further demonstrated that teachers’ professional commitment was found to be significantly different among teachers in terms of gender, teaching experience, and education level. Based on the findings, it is recommended that to ensure a high level of teachers' professional commitment, public universities need to explore issues related to demographic factors; and improve work conditions to retain satisfied and committed teachers.

Person-work Environment Fit Perceptions on employee performance in Civil Service Sector employees in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa

Tibebu Getiye — 2023-12-20

Scholars of organizational behaviour have long been interested in understanding the interactions between employees and their environments, and how these interactions can influence employee work engagement and performance. This study aims to explore factors affecting work engagement and job performance based on person-environment (PE) theory and to examine the extent how PE fit in civil service sectors. The study analysed the responses from 942 sample employees of the two city administrations (Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa) and the collected data was analysed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, correlation and structural equation analysis. The finding of this study shows that mean perceived score of all the PE fit dimensions -person-job fit (PJ), person-organization (PO) fit, person-group (PG) fit and person-supervisor (PS) fit are above the average score for the seven-point Likert scale measurement. The spearman correlation result shows the all the PE fit dimensions have a significant (p-value<0.05) and positive relationship with employee work engagement and job performance. The Structural Equation Model analysis shows that employees with a higher person-job fit, Person-group fit and Person-supervisor fit have a higher work engagement and higher job performance and it is significant (p-value<0.05). The study suggests that leaders should retort when important issues arise, made decisions, prompt responding to urgent questions and they should avail when needed. Civil service sector managers should take actions to effectively promote employee’s PJ fit, PG fit and PS fit to improve their work engagement and job performance.

Information Literacy Practices and Challenges of Academic staff in Ethiopian Selected Public Research Universities

Amelework Melike — 2023-12-20

This study aims to explore the Information Literacy Practices and Challenges faced by academic staff in selected Ethiopian Public Research Universities. The study population comprises 8074 academic staff members from four prominent research universities, accounting for 45% of the total. Specifically, this research will focus on universities located in Addis Ababa, Gonder, Haromaya, and Hawasa, encompassing a total of eight public research universities. A sample of 367 academic staff members will be considered for this study. To achieve this objective, a descriptive cross-sectional research design will be employed. Data will be collected through the use of questionnaires, focus group discussions, and relevant documents pertaining to the subject matter. The ultimate goal of this research is to formulate effective strategies that can be implemented by higher education institutions in Ethiopia. These strategies aim to enhance existing practices or introduce and cultivate Information Literacy (IL) programs that empower instructors with the knowledge and skills essential for navigating the modern information landscape and promoting lifelong learning. Given the absence of a comprehensive study addressing the nature and scope of library instruction and information literacy programs in Ethiopian universities, this study endeavors to bridge this gap. It will critically examine the status and implementation of information literacy, serving as a foundation for advancing quality education and cultivating skills conducive to effective teaching and learning in Ethiopian universities. Data collected will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including measures such as mean, standard deviation, and one-way ANOVA. Finally, the study's key findings will be summarized, leading to conclusive remarks and the formulation of potential solutions based on these findings.

The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty. Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, and Karen Dillon, Harper Business, 2019, 282 PP, ISBN 9780062851826

Adbaru Tesfaye — 2023-12-20

The book "The Prosperity Paradox" by Clayton M. Christensen and his co-authors emphasizes the significance of innovation in creating prosperity and combating poverty. The authors focus on market-creating innovation, which has worked well in regions such as Japan, South Korea, Nigeria, Rwanda, India, Argentina, and Mexico. The book describes the failures of typical development aid efforts to fight poverty and the effectiveness of market-creating innovations. The authors provide recommendations for innovators, entrepreneurs, government, and business leaders on how to combat poverty and solve prevalent corruption and infrastructure miseries. The book is well-structured into four sections, providing a comprehensive analysis of the prosperity paradox. The authors share their firsthand experience and participant observations to closely observe and analyze why some countries succeed while others suffer in deep poverty. The book is written for those working to rid the world of poverty, investors, innovators, entrepreneurs, policy-makers, and anyone interested in understanding the causal interactions between prosperity and innovation.