Workforce Diversity, Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Performance in the Kwara State Public Service
[Thesis]
Ajeigbe, Mahmud Babatunde
Abdulraheem, Issa
Kwara State University (Nigeria)
2019
199
Ph.D.
Kwara State University (Nigeria)
2019
In contemporary times, there is the need for the public service to synchronise its selection formalities and affirmative action across the states and local governments; this brings about complexities in management and diversity dilemmas. Studies have shown that what is essentially missing in most diversity management studies is the understanding of emotional intelligence (EI). Poor management of workplace diversity may hamper service efficiency and the lack of systemic measurement of the influence of workforce diversity on innovative excellence has been a major issue in the workplace. The declination in service effectiveness and coupled with the effects of a diversified workforce can also affect functional efficiency of public servants. The specific objectives of the study was to; measure the relationship between workforce diversity and service efficiency, innovative capacity and operational effectiveness and to examine the extent to which emotional intelligence affects public service delivery in the Kwara state. Primary data sourced from a population of 7,386 and sample size of 600 was determined using Krecjie and Morgan, (1970). The study adopted a mixed method approach administering six hundred copies of structured questionnaires and conducting eight in-depth interviews. Multiple regression and correlation analysis were employed to analyse the quantitative data and thematic analysis using Nvivo10 for the qualitative data. The study found that most of the explanatory variables have positive relationship with service efficiency, innovative capacity, operational effectiveness and emotional intelligence in the public service in Kwara State. The correlation coefficients of religious affiliation, ethnicity, language and level of education are 0.270, 0.135, 0.217 and 0.427 respectively show a positive relationship with service efficiency. The qualitative results also revealed specialization, communication, gender impediment, improve services and polarization as sub themes influencing service efficiency. Furthermore, ethnicity, religious affiliation and level of education with coefficients 0.181, 0.035 and 0.093 respectively have positive effect on innovative capacity within the public service of Kwara State while language with coefficient value of -0.018 has negative impact on innovative capacity within the public service of Kwara state. The result from the study also shows that ethnicity, religious affiliation, language and level of education with coefficients 0.031, 0.007, 0.038 and 0.149 respectively have positive effects on operational effectiveness in the public service of Kwara State. The emerged sub-themes from the qualitative analysis affecting operational effectiveness included; enhances service delivery, nepotism, team building, religious differences, achieving the desired results and staff welfare. The results also show that emotional intelligence has a positive effect on public service delivery in the Kwara State public service. In relation to this, the perceptions of the informants established the relationship between emotional intelligence and service delivery in the following sub sub themes: relationship with others, use of native intelligence, emotion balance, proper decision-making, diversity in thoughts and empathy for staff. The research concluded that Kwara State public service efficiency is conditioned by the level of education of the personnel and that emotional intelligence is a factor affecting service delivery in the sense that emotionally stable people are able to think more rationally and effectively. Furthermore, that diversity in workforce with particular attention to age helps the public service in improving the innovative capability and work efficiency. The study recommends that the public service encourage recruitment of employees with diverse educational background, consider diversity trainings and target the recruitment of young people because of their physical resilience and willingness to learn new things. Finally, the public service should conduct emotional intelligence tests to determine levels of employee EI and assist the service with placement and necessary trainings to compliment employee emotional intelligence (EI) levels.