ABSTRACT

This research work explored the impact of organizational culture on employee's performance using Covenant University, Canaan land, Ota as a case study. Despite the various culture and norms put in place to bring about increase or improvement on employees performance, the existence of employee's behaviour towards culture is questionable. Culture which is a necessity for any organization is embedded in the fact that human interest, needs and aspiration differs from one individual to another. It is this variation in the interest and aspiration and desire of different individual that leads to clash of interest. As a result of this, culture is put in place so that the culture of the organization can be known and adhered to and which directly impact on the performance of the employees in the organization.

Questionnaire which was the primary source of data in the study was used and the questions contained therein assisted us in answering the research questions and hypotheses stated in chapter one, while secondary data was sourced from journal articles, textbooks, internet material and unpublished B.Sc. and M.Sc. theses from the data gathered, majority of the staff agreed that they are strongly affected (put to here Sir) by the culture of the university and that it has improved their performances and others areas of their life's. They agree that they actually benefit from the culture of the university. We thus recommend that:

1)    Management should ensure that the culture is effective and should be easy to comply with.

2)    Management should note that when implementing the culture, the staffs are put in mind and that it benefits everyone which will invariably impact on their performance.

3)    Also, appropriate disciplinary action should be taken against official who do not adhere to the culture of the university.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Culture as a concept has had a long checked red history. It has been used by the layman as a word to indicate sophistication, as when we say that someone is very "cultural". It has been used b~ anthropologist to refer to the customs and rituals that society develops over their course of history. In the last several decades it has been used by some researchers and managers to refer to climate and practices that organizations develop around their handling of people. Or to the espoused values and credo of an organization.

Michael Armstrong, (2006) Defined Organizational or Corporate culture as the set of values, norms" beliefs, attitude and assumptions that may not have been articulated but shaped the ways in which people behave and things get done. Values refer to what is believed to be important about how people and the organization behave. Norms are unwritten rules of behaviour.

The definition emphasizes that organizational culture is concerned with the abstractions such as values and norms which parades the whole or part of an organization. They may not be defined, discussed or even be noticed. Put another culture can be regarded as a code word for the subjective side of organizational life. Myerson and Martin, (1987). Nevertheless, culture can have a significant influence on people behaviour. Below are some definitions of Culture:

The culture of an organization refers to the unique configuration of norms, values, beliefs and ways of behaving that characterize the manner in which group and individual combine to get things done. Eldridge and Crombie, (1974).

Culture is a system of informal rules that spell out how people are to behave most of the time. Deal and Kennedy, (1982).

Culture is the commonly held beliefs, attitudes and values that exist in an organization. Put more simply, culture is the way we do things around here Furnham and Gunter. (1993)

Considering the above definitions of culture Farnham and Gunter list, amongst others, the following areas of agreement on the concept: It is difficult to define (often a pointless exercise).

It is multi- dimensional, with many different components at different levels. It is not particularly dynamic and ever changing (been relatively stable over short period of time).

It takes time to establish and therefore time to change a corporate culture. Farnham and Gunter refer to a number of problems with the concept including: How to categorize culture (what terminology to used); When and why corporate culture should be changed and how this takes place what is the healthiest, most optimal or desirable culture

1.2     ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE AND CULTURE.

The term organizational climate is sometimes confused with organizational culture and there has been much debate on what distinguishes the concept of climate from that of culture. In his analysis of this issue, Denison (1996). Believes that culture refers to a deep structure of organizations, which is rooted in value, 'beliefs, and assumptions held by organizational members. In contrast, climate refers to that aspect of the environment that is consciously perceived by organizational members.

Rousseau, (1988). Stated that climate is a perception and a descriptive. Perceptions are sensations or realizations experienced by an individual. Descriptions are what a person reports of these sensations.

The debate about the meaning of these terms can become academic. Is easiest to regard organizational climate as how people perceived (see and feel about), the culture existing in their organization. As defined by French et al (1985), it is 'the relative persistent set of perceptions held by the organizational members concerning the characteristic and quality of organizational culture they distinguish between the actual situations (i e culture) and the perception of it (climate).

In another context, organizational culture is “the set of shared, taken for granted implicit assumptions that a group holds and that determines how it perceives, thinks about and reacts to its various environments. Kreitner and Kinicki (2004). This definition highlights three important characteristics of organizational culture. First, organizational culture is passed on to new employees through the process of socialization. Secondly, organizational culture influences our behaviour at work. Finally, organizational culture operates at different levels.

Organizational culture that lack positive values may result in employees who are unproductive and indifferent and have poor attitudes which will be reflected externally to customers. The key to success in organizations is satisfying customers. An efficient organizational structure and matching culture should help an organization do just that.

Finally, organizational culture is an approach to plan change and it's a long-term more encompassing change approach meant to move the entire organization to a higher level of functioning, while greatly improving the performance and satisfaction of organizational members.

1.4     STATEMENT OF RESEAR¢H PROBLEM                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Statement of the problem is a basic step in a research project that will provide the needed information in the study.

The concern for every organization has always been that the accomplishing the stated organizational objectives so that it survive and prospers. To attain these objectives, organization used strategies, adopt programme plans (cultures, norms and values) that they feel would enable them realize their missions and achieve their goals. With the changes that occur in external: environment of organizations and the impact of such changes on the organization, then interest of the research is stimulated to investigate into organizational culture and norms as they affect organizational performance either positively or negatively as a route to achieving these organizational objectives.

Organizations faced such problems as lack of adequate financial resources, lack of skill workers, inability to adapt to or adhere to the culture of the organizations, interest, and low level of motivation, an orthodox cultures and norms etc. These can be addressed by organizational culture and norms

1.5     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Any research work must have an objective which it seeks to achieve;

The objectives of this research till be to:

1.     Examine the factors that Necessitate organizational culture to bring about changes in the organization.

2.              Examine the impact of organizational cultures and norms on performance.

3.              Examine the impact of organizational cultures and norms on performance.

4.       Examine the elements organizational culture.

5.       Examine the type of orgazational cultures that are there in organizations.

1.6     RESEACH QUESTIONS

The essence of this paper is to the relevance of culture and norms to organizationalPerformance. Therefore such questions can be asked as follows:

i.                Does covenant University recognize the need for culture and norms and take steps to provide necessary procedures for success?

ii.              Has culture and norms brought bout improvement in Covenant University?

iii.           Are the cultures implemented beneficial to Covenant University and its employees?

iv.           Should professionals (culture experts) be called upon to assist in ensuring good effective and efficient performance in Covenant University?

1. 7   SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

Since the start of the century, thousands of new products have appeared and lots of Changes have occurred. In most situations, these changes are initiated from conditions or Factors present in the external environment.

Organizational culture and n norms interventions such as rules, mission statements, Visions, reward systems are a w of the techniques which the manager has at his or her disposal tom achieve stated organizational goals given that organization cultures and norms has the potential to me significance impact on the ideals, principles and behaviour of leadership and management in an organization.

Thus the significance of this res arch is that it would:

1.    Examine the factors that necessitate organizational culture to bring about changes in the organization

2.    Examine the impact of organizational culture on performance.

3.    Examine the problem, c used by organizational culture in organizations.

4.    Examine the elements 0 organizational culture.

5.    Examine the type of organizational culture that are there in organizations.

1.8     SEARCH HYPOTHESIS

HYPOTHESIS ONE

Ho:    Culture and does not enhance organizational performance.

HI:     Culture enhances organizational performance.

HYPOTHESIS TWO

Ho:    Culture is not beneficial to employees.

Hi:     Culture is beneficial to employees.

1.9     SCOPE AND LIMITATIO OF THE STUDY

For the purpose of this study, emphasis will be on formal organizations that provide services to their customers or client and offer career opportunities to their members. This study will Centre around change efforts aimed at the people in the organization in particular, we shall emphasize on organizational culture and norms which its primary focus is on changing people and the nature and quality of their working relationships.

This research project has not been without some constraints which have made the execution of the project extremely difficult. These constrains are the limitations in terms of finance, failure of respondents to return questionnaires, illiteracy on the part of the respondents and time constraint

1.10   BACKGROUND OF COVENANT UNIVERSITY

Covenant University is a product of the Liberation Mandate God gave to his Servant Bishop David O. Oyedepo in an ay 1981 vision- encounter. The drive to embark on the process of founding C U came bout October of 1999, one month after the dedication of Faith Tabernacle, the largest church auditorium in the world, built in one year with only local resources. As with all segments of the main vision, Bishop Oyedepo immediately kindled the fire for accomplishment of the new task. By November 27, 1999, an in-house consortium on the take-off of e University was inaugurated and by December 1999 then application form for a private University operating license was collected from the National Universities Commission (NUC).

As the activities of the consortium wound up early in 2001, an advisory council was inaugurated on February 17, 2001 to develop appropriate structures for the take-off of the University. By July 15 2001, verification team of NUC came for final inspection of facilities and programme. The outcome of that visit was the Federal Government's approval of C U on January 16 2002. This approval was sealed with the presentation of the operating license to C U on February 12, 2002, by which C U, Ota, Ogun State, was authorized to operate as a private university in Nigeria. Not only was this approval the fastest in the history of the 16 plication’s for establishment of private universities filed with the NUC (7 years being the next duration), but Covenant University's assessment score was also the highest.

The foundation stone of the permanent site was laid on Sunday, January 27, 2002 and construction began diligently in March of the same year. The first phase of development was completed eight months 1 term while the first batch of about 1500 students was ushered into an ultra-modem university campus after an early morning inauguration on October 2002.

All over Africa, particularly in Nigeria, a great significant is attached to names. Names carry meanings and important Messages. They reflect circumstances of birth or events that occur in the environment f that birth. The word “Covenant " was chosen to express the University's commitment and vow to perform its best in the process of making the total Man of all her students. It reflect the intention of the proprietors of the University to uphold the agreement with her students to facilitates the fulfilment of their desire for excellence and care r exploits by offering them the best in educational development and, thereby, offering their parents and guardians the best value for their investment in their children. It a so common knowledge that every covenant is ratified by blood and, as a mission-sponsored university, we consider the blood of Jesus Christ, which is the blood of the everlasting covenant, as our stronghold for the fulfilment of this awesome obligation. Covenant University vows to transform her products, that is, her graduate as, into expert thinker’s unusual managers, and hyper-resourceful technocrats in all field of human endeavor.  University is bound by an oath to achieve the highest standards of educational service in the world. Our commitment to creating the Total Man is a direct result of this vow d agreement between students and the proprietors of Covenant University.

Excerpt from the speech of r David Oyedepo, Chancellor, and Covenant University at the inauguration of the Advisory Council on February 17, 2000. The University vision statement is "To be Leaders in all fields of human endeavor". In other to be able to achieve this the University mission statement is ''to create knowledge and restore the dignity of the black man via a human Development Total Man Concept driven curriculum employing innovative, Leading edge teaching and learning methods, research and professional services that promote integrated, life- applicable, life- transforming education, relevant to the context of Science, technology and Human capacity Building"

1.11   GLOSSARY OF 0 ERATIONAL TERMS

MANAGEMENT

The act of getting things done through others

EFFICIENCY

The ability to minimize the use of resources in achieving organizational objectives, "Doing things right".

MANAGER

A person who plans, organizes, co-ordinate and controls the human financial, physical and informational, physical and informational resources of an organization.

ORGANIZATIONAL CULT

The basic pattern of shared assumptions, values and beliefs governing the way employees within an organization think about d act on problems and opportunities.

VALUES

Enduring beliefs in mode of conduct or end state

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