Planning and Its Effects on Employee’s Performance in the University of Bamenda

This paper aimed to examining the effect of planning on employee’s performance in the University of Bamenda. To accomplish this task, Descriptive design was adopted and data collection was through a questionnaire. The research targeted 806 staffs working in The University of Bamenda from the level of top management to security guards. A total of 260 respondents was sampled using stratified random sampling techniques. To determine the reliability of the actual data collected, pilot testing was carried out by the researcher in two State Universities that was not part of the research. The researcher made used of the Split-half technique base on Spearman Brown prophesy formula to determine the reliability coefficient. The result of the questionnaire was 0.78 of the correlation coefficients. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyzed quantitative data with the used of SPSS software version 23.0 and the summaries were presented and linear model fitted on the panel data. After surveilling, it was seen that planning, monitoring and evaluation had significant effect on employee’s performance.

Most institutions depend on employee’s performance in order to prosper and not just to survive. Most institutions desire better performance from their workers because it is generally used as one indicator for effectiveness and is a fundamental concern of many practicing human resources top management [1]. Employees’ performance can be seen in terms of behaviours. Looking at institutions use employee’s performance evaluation to verify if their employees are contributing to the growth and success of the institution [2]. As far as the employees and sustainability of the institution is concern, planning is an inevitable process in the management and performance of the employees as it ensures that the desire goals of an institution are successfully implemented. Planning helps an institution with specifics decisions, directions and proves a pathway to attained competitive advantage over others. The emergence of many institutions producing similar services, the constantly changing of the business world and the uncertain has made planning the most essential aspect of the existence in an organization. According to Planning shows the working conditions where top management and their employees together strives to set and monitor the goals of the organization for a specific period [3].

The implementation of performance management model in public universities can help in improving the levels of motivation in the institution. There is scanty information on planning in Cameroon with studies mainly looking at aspects of motivation while studying performance management. None of these studies sought to examine the effect of planning on employee’s performance specifically in the University of Bamenda. Base on this background, this article aims to examine the effect of planning on employee’s performance in the University of Bamenda and to provide answers to these questions;

• What are the effects of planning on employees’ performance in The University of Bamenda?
• What are the effects of monitoring on employees’ performance in The University of Bamenda?
• What are the effects of evaluation on employees’ performance in The University of Bamenda.?
  

Theoretical reviewed

This study is premised on the following theories.

The universalistic theory by Dewar and Werbel, 1979

Universality theory holds that, there are certain Human resources Strategy practices that had been tested and it produce same result in different organization. Such strategic practices should be adopted by other organization to produce higher organizational performance. This view had been supported by Pfeffer (1995) and Osternman (1994).

Resilience theory and business continuity planning

Resilience theory, which has its roots in child psychology, holds that having one or more protective factors can help individuals survive adversity with less harm. In business, resilience theory helped give rise to business continuity planning, which seeks to make companies more resistant to failure. According to researcher Patrice Buzzanell, resilience theory outlines five elements that businesses can cultivate to strengthen their ability to bounce back: crafting normality, affirming identity anchors, making use of communication networks, putting alternative logic to work, and emphasizing positive feelings while downplaying negative ones.

Barbarians at the gate: A critical appraisal of the effect of economics on the field and practice of HRM [4]. According to Spencer, prior knowledge of employees that their individual work will be appraised gives them motivation to work more in order to achieve better performance. When the employees know that the reward that she/he is going to win will be as a result of her/his work, she/he will use all her/his capacity to complete work successfully. They also maintained that use of performance appraisal improved efficiency of employees. Therefore, individual employee’s performance evaluation and clear results definition and identification contributes more than all the other activities of planning method in improving employees’ effectiveness in an organization. Impact of Management by Objectives on the Employee Productivity in Vodafone Ghana. The study on investigation of the impact of Management by Objectives on the Employee Productivity in Vodafone Ghana indicated that the employees were involved in planning stage through setting organization objectives cascading the objectives to employees so that workers are aware of their responsibilities. The results also indicated that planning resulted in employee commitment which was attained via discussion with employees. This resulted in improved employee output [5]. Management by objectives as an instrument for organisational performance: A case study of First Bank Plc [6]. Performance Appraisal-Management by Objective and Assessment Centre. A review on performance appraisal-management by objective and assessment centre, indicated that employees are appraised for several reasons, the most important of which is to realize the best use of human resources and to plan for future needs; reward and punishment are secondary [7]. Effect of performance appraisal on employee performance in commercial banks in Kenya. Aimed to identify the impact of monitoring and evaluation on performance management. This studies established that performance monitoring and evaluation, were positively and significantly related to the implementation of strategic plan in insurance industry in Kenya. Similarly, in, it was established that performance monitoring and evaluation had significant effect of employee productivity in Kenya Forestry Research Institute [8]. On the other hand, was on the general performance appraisal systems and found that there is a sufficient connection between performance appraisal and worker’s performance in Commercial Banks in Trans Nzoia Public University.

None of these studies were, however, conducted within the context of Public Universities in Cameroon. In The University of Bamenda, the above empirical studies do not show any evidence of a study that has been conducted on the effect of planning on employee’s performance in the University of Bamenda.

Research design

This study adopted a descriptive designed where the researcher described the effects of planning on employees’ performance in The University of Bamenda. A population of about 806 employees working in The University of Bamenda from the level of director to security guards were targeted.

Sample and sampling technique

The study used the Creative Research Systems sample size calculator to determine the sample size. Computation from the calculator indicated 260 sample size as seen in the Cochran’s categorical data sample size formula below. 

????0 = (????)² × ????????

(????)²

Where t = value for selected alpha level of 0.025 in each tail = 1.96. Where (p)(q) = estimate of variance = 0.25 = 0.5 x 0.5.

Where d = accepTable margin of error for proportion being estimated = 0.05   Therefore,

????0 =1.96²(0.5)(0.5) = 384

(0.05)²    

Therefore, for a population of 806, the required sample size was 384.

However, since this sample size exceeds 5% of the population (806*0.05=40), Cochran’s (1977) correction formula was used to calculate the final sample size. These calculations are as follows:

????1=              ????0

1+????0/????????????????????????????????????????

????1

????0 = 384 = 260

       (1+384/8)         

Data collection procedure

A survey was done where data was collected through the respondents by filling the questionnaires.

Pilot test study

Prior to the actual data collection process, the researcher carried out piloting of the instruments in two States Universities not party to the research (Buea and Soa). To determine the reliability, the Split-half technique base on Spearman Brown prophesy formula was used to have reliability coefficient. A correlation coefficient of 0.78 for the questionnaire was obtained by the researcher.

Data analysis and presentation

Quantitative data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Simple linear models to evaluate how each predictor added to employee performance were carried. The total of multiple regression analysis model was also done to establish joint responses. This is illustrated below

The model is given by ???????? = ????0 + ????1????1 + ????2????2 + ????3????3 + ????????

Where

????????= Employee Performance

????1 ????=1,2,3 = Coefficients of the model

Xi, i=1, 2, 3 are the predictor; planning, monitoring and evaluation

???????? = Stochastic term (error)

It should be noted that although majority of the employees agreed with the assertion, 24.9% (51) of them were undecided. This could be an indicator that about a quarter of the employees are unlikely to be innovative or creative while carrying out their duties. This could impact negatively on employee performance especially if such employees are tasked with very of essential services within the Public University. The study also found out that 44.9% (92) of the respondents strongly agreed and 37.6% (77) of them agreed that they strictly adhere to policy when carrying out their duties. This implies that majority of the employees within The University of Bamenda are guided by the prevailing work policies when carrying out their duties. This could help improve efficiency and hence resulting in improved employee performance. The results also showed that 27.8% (57) of the respondents strongly agreed and 9.8% (20) of them agreed with the assertion that if they got a better job they could resign from the position held. This is an indicator that over a third of the employees within The University of Bamenda were not satisfied with their positions. This could impact negatively on their work output and hence reduce the entire of employee performance. The low job satisfaction could be a result of poor remuneration or lack of efficient rewards system. This assertion is supported by 37.6% (77) of the respondents who strongly agreed and 17.1% (35) of them who agreed that lack of rewards for goals attained are so demotivating for their positions. The data also showed that 47.8% (98) of the respondents’ disagreed and 37.1% of (76) them strongly disagreed that they only go to work just to meet their daily needs. This implies that there are other motivating factors that compel the employees to go to work. This could enhance the entire of employee performance. The results also indicated that 46.8% (96) of the respondents strongly agreed and 40% (82) agreed that they are always punctual. This indicates that the employees within The University of Bamenda are committed to their duties and hence this could contribute to their entire of employee performance positively. The commitment could be a result of positive workplace environment. This assertion is augmented by the finding that 32.2% (66) of the respondents disagreed and 47.3% (97) of them strongly disagreed that their supervisor sometimes criticizes the quality of their work. This is an indicator that majority of the employees are committed to having quality service delivery. However, it was apparent from the results that the respondents work output was not optimal since 52.2% (107) of the respondents strongly agreed and 40% (82) of them agreed that they believed they could perform better than they were performing then. From the results it was also apparent that majority of the respondents liked team work since 59.5% (122) of them disagreed and 22.4% (46) strongly disagreed with the assertion they liked working alone most of the time. Working in team work could help the employees improve their entire of job performance. The study also ascertained that 57.1% (117) of the respondents strongly agreed and 42.9% (88) of them agreed that they often consult their immediate bosses whenever they were faced with a problem. Consultative work place could improve quality of service delivery and hence the general employee performance. Thus, given that all the respondents agreed that they often consult, it is likely that their entire of performance is greatly enhanced. The results indicated that 47.3% (97) of the respondents agreed that they often respond to situations once they happen rather than controlling them. This implies that about half of the respondents would rather react to situations than control them. This could be impacting negatively on the entire of employee performance since much time would be wasted in responding to situations rather than performing their duties. It should however be noted that 42% (86) of the respondents strongly disagreed and 5.4% (11) of them disagreed with the assertion that they often respond to situations once they happen rather than controlling them. This implies that a significant number of employees within The University of Bamenda enforce preventive measures rather than responding to situations when they arise. This could enhance the general employee performance. The study also found out that 32.2% (66) of the respondents disagreed and 20% (41) strongly disagreed with the statement that they dislike people who criticize them. This implies that over half of the employees take criticism positively and hence this could help improve their level of performing their duties and hence enhance their entire of job performance. It was established that 37.6 % (77) of the respondents disagreed and 27.8 % (57) of them strongly disagreed that they do not like adjusting to changing priorities. This implies that majority of the respondents do not resist change and hence takes it (change) positively. This is important towards adoption of new technologies that could enhance the general service delivery. Since majority of the respondents take change positively, this could enhance their entire of employee performance. It should however, be noted that 34.6 % of the respondents agreed that they do not like adjusting to changing priorities. This implies that some employees within The University of Bamenda resist change and this could negatively impact on the entire of employee performance.

The study sought to determine the effects of planning on employees’ performance in The University of Bamenda.  First, the level of planning was ascertained. The results are shown in (Table 6). The results indicated that 44.9% (92) of the respondents agreed and 15.1 % (31) strongly agreed that they often sit with their top management from time to time to set goals. This is an indication that planning within The University of Bamenda is a consultative process which could enhance the attainment of what is planned for. The results also showed that 52.7% (108) of the respondents agreed and 12.7% (26) of them strongly agreed that their supervisor usually stipulates clearly what is expected of them from time to time. This implies that clear goals are set during planning period. This could ensure that employees have a clear understanding of what is planned and hence enhance the attainment of the duties.

Communication is an essential attribute of planning. In this study it was established that 60% (123) of the respondents agreed and 7.3% (15) of them strongly agreed that their top management ensures that they (top management) communicate the set objectives to employees. This implies that the set objectives are often communicated to the employees and hence allows the employees to focus on attaining these objectives. The study also established that 50.3 % (108) of the respondents agreed and 22.4% (46) of them strongly agreed that their top management ensures that they understand clearly the goals of the firm. This implies that majority of the employees within The University of Bamenda understands what is expected of them during the planning stage. It was further established that 52.7 % (108) of the respondents agreed that their immediate bosses maps out how they expect them to achieve the set goals. This implies that top management are involved in planning on how the employees are supposed to attain the set goals. It was also found that 58 % (119) of the respondents agreed that their supervisor usually defines for them clearly the results expected of them when carrying out my duties. This implies that the desired outcomes are set out clearly during the planning stage and could act as guidelines for carrying out various duties. It should however be noted that 45.4 % (93) of the respondents disagreed and 7.3% (15) of them strongly disagreed with the assertion that their supervisor usually sets for them control points to ensure they attain the set goals successful. This implies that control points are not set during the planning stage and this could negatively impact the entire of employee performance.

A regression analysis was carried out to establish the significance of factors contributing to planning. The model summary is shown in (Tables 7). From the results, the adjusted R square for the regression of The University of Bamenda immediate bosses’ consultation, guidance, communication, immediate bosses’ explanation, target put and expectation on planning in The University of Bamenda was 0.58. This means that immediate boss consultation, guidance, communication, immediate boss’ explanation, target put and expectation 58% of the planning in The University of Bamenda. The result shows that all the factors have significant effects on planning. This in extension indicates that issues on planning have significant positive contribution to employee performance. This is in agreement with the work of who indicated that if employees were involved in planning stage through setting organization objectives cascading the objectives to employees so that workers are aware of their responsibilities. Their results also indicated that planning resulted in employee commitment which was attained via discussion with employees.

The second objective sought to establish effects of monitoring on employees’ performance in The University of Bamenda. The results are summarized in (Tables 8,9). The data indicated that 64.4 (132) of the respondents strongly disagreed and 17.6% (36) disagreed that the Public University organizes retreats for them. This is an indication that monitoring at Public University level is compromised and might impact negatively on employee performance. The results also indicated that 46.8% (96) of the respondents disagreed and 7.3 % (15) of them strongly disagreed that the goals set for them are usually too many at a time. This implies that more than 50 % of the employees within The University of Bamenda get allocated duties that they can handle within the specified time. Nonetheless, 21% of the respondents agreed and 21% of them strongly agreed that the goals set for them are usually too many at a time. This implies that to some extent some employees are overwhelmed by the duties allocated to them. The study further noted that 37.1 % (76) of the respondents strongly agreed and 22.9 % (47) of them agreed that their supervisor gives them freedom to carry out their duties unsupervised. This implies that there is some independence to execute duties. Nonetheless, there seems to be a significant number of respondents who felt that they are not allowed to execute their duties autonomously. The study further indicated that 35.1 % (72) disagreed and 32.2 % (66) strongly disagreed that their supervisor did not allow them to carry out my duties independently. This augments the argument that majority of respondents are allowed to execute their duties independently. The study also indicated that 44.9 % (92) strongly disagreed and 30.2 % (62) strongly disagreed that their supervisor rarely communicates with them concerning their duties. This implies that immediate bosses regularly communicate with the employees concerning their duties.

A regression analysis was carried out to establish the significance of factors contributing to monitoring. From the results, the adjusted R square for the regression of Public University retreats, goals, flexible working environment, teamwork and low supervision on monitoring in The University of Bamenda was 0.77. This means that Public University retreats, goals, flexible working environment, teamwork and low supervision explain 77% of the monitoring in The University of Bamenda. The outcomes shows that all the factors have significant effects on monitoring except supervision. Therefore, from this result are significant in explaining the monitoring. This in extension proves that monitoring positively and significantly affect employee performance. This is in agreement with the study in who reported that when staff are courageous to admit where they are not behaving in the most effective way, taking active steps by staff in supporting their own development which are manifest in all day-to-day activities is essential for improving performance of employees.

Evaluation

The third aim scrutinized the effects of evaluation on employees’ performance in The University of Bamenda. The data indicated that 45.4% (93) of the respondents agreed and 14.6% (30) strongly agreed that they are fit to complete their set goals on time efficiently. This is an indication that planning is vital during implementation and evaluation of duties carried out by the employees which contributes to employee performance. The results also indicated that 37.6% (77) of the respondents disagreed that they were fit to successfully complete their tasks because there was sufficient time to do so. This implies that a significant number of employees within The University of Bamenda were unfit to complete their tasks on time. It should, however, be noted that 38% (78) of the respondents agreed and 17.1% (35) of them strongly agreed with the assertion that they were fit to successfully complete their tasks because there was sufficient time to do so. This implies that about 55% of the employees within The University of Bamenda were fit to complete their tasks on time. The study also established that 57.1% (117) of respondents strongly disagreed and 35.6% (73) disagreed that they often rewarded by management whenever they successfully achieved their goals. This implies that The University of Bamenda rarely reward their employees whenever they complete their tasks successful. This could have a negative impact on the employee performance. Given that majority of the employees are not rewarded, it is unlikely that their motivation results from anticipation of being rewarded. This assertion is supported by 57.1% (117) of respondents who strongly disagreed and 29.8% (61) who disagreed that the rewards that they receive on successful achievement of their set goals encourage them to perform better. The study further indicated that 58% (119) of the respondents disagreed and 34.6% (71) strongly disagreed that all employees within the ministry they work with had a thorough understanding of the goals of the Public University. This implies that a significant number of the employees have no idea about the goals of the Public University. This could hamper the entire of performance of the Public University. The data also indicated that 32.2 % (66) of the respondents strongly disagreed and 30.2% (62) disagreed that the management review the process from time to time for improvements. This implies that the Public University rarely seeks to improve service delivery process and hence may deter employees from optimizing their potential. It was also noted that 47.3% (97) of the respondents strongly disagreed and 32.2% (66) of them disagreed with the statement that they are not satisfied with the way they are evaluated by their immediate bosses. This implies that a majority of employees within The University of Bamenda are satisfied by the way they are

Effects of factors adding to evaluation

A regression analysis was carried out to establish the significance of factors adding to Evaluation. The adjusted R-squared for this model is 61%. Therefore, from these results the factors contributing to Evaluation accounts for 61% of the evaluation. This means that these are factors that affect evaluation. From the analysis therefore, evaluation is key to employee performance. Working environment, ample time, rewards, goals and evaluation affect the evaluation at 0.05 level of significance. From the analysis therefore, evaluation is key to employee performance. This is in support to the work in which indicated that the evaluation of individual employees’ performance and a clear definition of results are the hugest parameters from all the other activities of Employees Performance.

A regression analysis was carried out to establish the contribution of planning, monitoring and evaluation on employee performance. From the R computed (0.528), there was a positive correlation between the independent varifits (entire of evaluation, Entire of planning and entire of monitoring) and the dependent varifit (employee performance). From the r square computed (0.279) the model explains 27.9% of the data. This implies a combination of planning, monitoring and evaluation only contributes 27.9% towards the performance of the employee. Therefore, apart from these factors, there are other factors which enhance employee performance. ANOVA was run to check the significance of the model. The results indicated the model was significant (p-value = .000). In determining the contribution of the independent varifits, the regression coefficients were determined from the model. From (Tables 10-17), entire of planning on employees’ performance was positively significant (?= 0.094, p= 0.000). This means, if the better the planning process is undertaken, the likely that the employees will perform better. On the effect of entire of monitoring (?= 0.191, p= 0.000), employee performance was significant and its coefficient was positive indicating that the better the monitoring process is done, the more likely the employees’ performance will be better. The results indicate evaluation on employee performance was insignificant. (?= 0.006, p= 0.897) This indicates the evaluation process in The University of Bamenda does not significantly contribute to the employee performance.

In this research, the effects of planning on employees’ performance in The University of Bamenda was carried out. It was seen that most of the respondents often discuss with their boss in setting clear goals during planning period. Also, the set objectives are often communicated to the employees. Further it was found that most of the employees of The University of Bamenda are aware of what is expected of them during the planning stage. The study reviewed that      top management are involved in planning on how the employees are supposed to attain the set goals. The study also indicates that desired outcomes are set during the planning stage and guide employees on various duties. From the study finding, it is cleared that well set planning is undertaken by The University of Bamenda. From the regression model, the effect of entire of planning on employee performance was positively significant implying that the better the planning process will likely improve the employees’ performance. The impacts of monitoring on employees’ performance in The University of Bamenda was also studied. It was established that majority of employees within The University of Bamenda get allocated duties that they can handle within the specified time. Significant number of respondents felt they are allowed to execute their duties autonomously and immediate bosses regularly communicated with them concerning their duties. This concludes that there is some monitoring being undertaken in The University of Bamenda. From the regression analysis, effect of entire of monitoring on employee performance was positively significant that when monitoring process is efficiently undertaken, the employees will perform better. The third objective examined the effects of evaluation on employees’ performance in The University of Bamenda. It was established that evaluation is important during implementation. Evaluation of duties carried out by the employees contributes to their performance. The study noted that most of the employees complete their tasks on time. Nonetheless, the study noted that The University of Bamenda rarely reward their employees whenever they successfully complete their tasks. Thus, motivation of employees does not emanate from anticipation of being rewarded. The study also reviewed that a significant number of the employees have no idea about the entire of goals of the Public University. The study established that there is laxity by the Public University top management in improving service delivery process and this hinders the employees to optimize their potential. Therefore, it can be asserted that evaluation is rarely undertaken in The University of Bamenda. The regression model indicates the effect of total evaluation on employee performance is insignificant.

From the outcome, the research recommends that The University of Bamenda should emphasize on continuously improving planning process to improve employee’s performance. Secondly, The University of Bamenda should emphasize and continuously improve the monitoring process to enhance employees’ performance. Third, The University of Bamenda need to adapt and implement best evaluation strategies that will raise its employees’ morale leading to improvement in their performance.

This research was conducted in a single Public University and evaluation was seen to have insignificant impact on employee’s performance. The study therefore recommends a longitudinal study where various Public Universities can be sampled to know if evaluation strategies are implemented and if those strategies have impact on employees’ performance in Public Universities in Cameroon.

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