DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTENANCE SECRETARIAT EFFICIENCY IN AN ORGANIZATION

DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTENANCE SECRETARIAT EFFICIENCY IN AN ORGANIZATION

ABSTRACT 

          The greatest resource of an organization is the human resource. It coordinates other resources for the optimum realization of organizational goals. It is therefore, necessary for the workers to be efficient and effective in carrying out their duties. Management function is to combine human and material resources to make a productive enterprise. For organizational effectiveness, management has to train and develop a motivated work force. The organization can use training to overcome deficiencies in employees and improve productivities. To this extent, it is imperative for management to ensure that employees are adequately trained and develop to perform tasks in order to realize their full potentials at work and at same time ensure the continued survival of the organization.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0    INTRODUCTION

          As the economic crisis deepens in Nigeria, employee training and development in organization is being adversely affected. Old industries and projects could not be sustained, while new ones are difficult to established.

          A planned training programme is expected to return to organization in form of increased productivity and organizational stability. The training function is viewed differently in each organization and this is a primary factors in it structure, Ubeku (1975), observed that investment on man power training and development is money well spent. He asserted that those employees who have not received adequate training before being assigned responsibilities usually lack the necessary confidence with which to carry out the job.

          From the above, it becomes clear and obvious that any organization remains an absolute requirement for it’s staff to depend on. Hence, to organize training and development in any organization is very essential so as to meet specific and all organizational activities directed towards the attainment of the goals.

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY   

          The greatest resource of an organization is the human resource. It co-ordinates other resources for the optimum realization of organizational goals. It is therefore necessary for the workers to be efficient and effective in discharging their duties, since management function is to combine human and material resources to make a productive enterprise. In view of this, for organization effectiveness, management has to develop and maintain a motivated work force. The organization can use development to over come deficiencies in employees and improve productivity. To this extent, it’s imperative for management to ensure that employees are adequately developed and sustained to perform tasks in order to realize their full potential at confirmed survival of the organization.

          However, since developing and sustaining secretarial efficiency in an organization is very important, there are several factors, which propelled the researcher to choose the topic. One of the interests is the inability of some organization to be innovative. As we all know, we are in the dispensation of modern technology and it’s application to carry out certain duties. So these forms still depend on manual equipments without seeing the need to invent modern technological equipments due to one reason or the other. Thus, they would not want to waste resources in purchasing these equipments, which will definitely make them to send their secretaries for further training and development thereby sustaining them as well, has improved efficiency in an organization.

          Against this background, it is of isolate the improvement of organization personnel resulting from careful and objective employee training and development as imperative for increased productivity.

          Accordingly, employee training and development in organizations should be given priority attention to enable organization meet with the growing demands in the ever-changing business environment and competition. Management therefore, should take pertinent interest in the employee training and development agenda in their organization. In this regard, employees are viewed as being central whenever we take training and development as essential for organizational effectiveness. This is true not only because it ensures improved organizational productivity but also for redressing the deepening economic depression afflicting business organization in Nigeria. Thus, employee training and development will be more efficacious when it is conducted.

          In conclusion, it is crystal clear that ,developing and sustaining secretarial efficiency in an organization cannot exist in isolation because when this purpose is achieved, it will make an organization to be out standing in the labour market. It will enable them to ensure optimum output as well as competing favourably with other companies world wide.

1.3     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM  

          Despite the value attached to the “Developing and sustaining of secretarial efficiency in an organization” most organizations still neglect the training and development of their secretaries and in this case they find themselves not productive.

          Ignoring the training and development of secretaries in an organization, will course low productivity as well as low output in an organization.

          The secretary will lack creativity and innovation du to the introduction of modern technology.

          The stated goals and objectives will not be effectively achieved. Without training and development the secretary will not be competent and proficient in discharging his/her secretarial duties.

1.4     PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

          This study is generally concerned with the way secretarial efficiency is developed and sustained in an organization. However, the specific purpose of this is to:-

1.                 To determine the performance and efficiency of secretaries in an organization.

2.                 To ascertain the effectiveness of secretaries in an organization.

3.                 To identify the sustenance and development of secretary’s efficiency in an organization.

4.                 To prescribe training and development as a tool for increased efficiency in an organization.

1.5     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

          The researcher work on “developing and sustaining secretarial efficiency in an organization” will be great benefit to the management of Kogi State Polytechnic, because it will enlighten them on the need of training their staff to enhance efficiency in job performance.

          The staff of Kogi State Polytechnic will be beneficiaries of this project work, in the sense that it will motivate them to embrace innovations through training and development.

          This project work will be of immense value to the students of the Kogi State Polytechnic, particularly the department of office technology and management, in that it will educate them on the importance of training and development and the efficiency in an organization. In addition, it will serve as a tool to motivate them in entrancing innovations as to be able to compete favourably with their counterpart in the labour market.

1.6     RESEARCH QUESTION

1.           To what extent is the performance and efficiency of secretaries in an organization?

2.           To what extent is the effectiveness of secretaries in an organization?

3.           How do we identify the sustenance and development of secretary’s efficiency in an organization?

4.           How do we prescribe training as a tool to increased efficiency in an organization?

1.7     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

          This project work is restricted to the “developing and sustaining secretarial efficiency in an organization” in Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja alone.

1.8     LIMITATIONS  

          There are factors militating against this research work on the “developing and sustaining secretarial efficiency in an organization”.

          One of the factors is lack of quality textbooks and materials related to the topic under discussion. This hinders the gathering of secondary data for this project work.

          Another factors is that the research work was done under a serious stress because of other academic activities which must be carried out.

          Finally, the researcher faces the challenges of bias mind of the respondents towards the filling of the questionnaire items distributed to them, as a result of their bias mind some of the questionnaire items were returned without being ticked. Therefore, the gathering of secondary data was few.

1.9     DEFINITIONS OF KEY CONCEPTS

          Development-Nwachukwu (1999) sees development as dealing with the activities under taken to expose on employee to perform additional duties and assume position of importance in the organization hierarchy.

          Training-Armsrong (1999) defined training as the systematic development of knowledge, skills and attitude require by an individual to perform adequately a given task or job.

          Secretary-Hanna (1974) defined a secretary as an assistant to an executive, possessing mastery of office skills and ability to assume responsibility without direct supervision, who display initiative, exercise judgment and make decision within the scope of her authority.

          Sustaining: Is the ability to manage the already acquired skill to the best advantage of the organization.

          Employer: A person, organization, or corporation that make use of services of workers in its establishment.

          Efficiency: The quality of doing things well with no waste of time or money.

          Effectiveness: Doing things in the way that is wanted, and in the way that products successful useful.