ORGANIZATIONAL SELECTION SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACT ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF STAFF

1.1 Introduction

Staff selection is a screening device designed to scrutinize among those who have applied and who best fits the post so advertised. An effective employee selection process can ensure that an institution hires the right candidate for a particular job or role. However, research has consistently indicated that human resource practitioners do not follow their institution's recruitment and selection processes in the appropriate manner (Aswathappa, 2007). The process of selection entails picking the candidates who are most qualified for a given position inside an organization from a pool of applications. The ability to match the appropriate individual with the right task at the right moment is the key to effective selection (Mondy, 2010). Productivity can be enhanced by a suitable work environment. It can also be a product of effective recruitment and selection process (Catano et al., 2010).

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Selection is a vital process for every successful organization because having the right staff improves and sustains organizational performance. The effectiveness of an organization's selection system influence bottom-line business outcomes, such as productivity and financial performance a dream for any organization like NNPC.

Recruiting is seen as a “positive process of generating a pool of candidates by reaching the ‘right' audience, suitable to fill the vacancy” (Leopold, 2002), On the other hand, he stated that once these candidates are identified, the process of selecting appropriate employees for employment can begin. This means collecting, measuring, and evaluating information about candidates' qualifications for specified positions. Selection therefore, is a process that involves the series of steps by which the candidates are screened for choosing the most suitable persons for vacant posts.

Recruitment of candidates is the function preceding the selection, which helps create a pool of prospective employees for the organization so that management can select the right candidate for the right job from this pool. The main objective of the recruitment process is to expedite the selection process. Therefore, organizations use these practices to increase the likelihood of hiring individuals who have the right skills and abilities to be successful in the target job, and better recruitment and selection strategies result in improved organizational outcomes.

According to Winston (2008), the development of certain qualities in an organization influences the relationship between effective leadership and organizational success. When the right people are selected in a transparent manner it is a success tool for organizational performance. The development of certain qualities in an organization by a leader influences his employees to perform effectively and that contributes to organizational success (Winston, 2008).

As much as selection is the first step towards creating the competitive strength the organization, NNPC doesn't accord it the attention it deserves. Since selection process involves a systematic procedure from sourcing the candidates to arranging and conducting the interviews, at Spedag Uganda is always done irregularly. Instead of first identifying vacancy, preparing job description and person specification, advertising the vacancy, managing the response, short-listing, arranging interviews, and conducting interview and decision making as it would be, the practice at NNPC is different. What normally happens at NNPC is that you only see people hired in positions without going through the formal selection procedures.

The basic purpose of selection is to create a talent pool of candidates to enable the selection of best candidates for the organisation, by attracting more and more employees to apply in the organisation as well as to choose the right candidate to fill the various positions in the organization which process must be based on merit or technical knowhow but at NNPC the practice is technical know who.

Those who are well known to the bosses are the main beneficiaries in this recruitment and selection process. Also to the fact that most of them don't go through the proper recruitment and selection procedures, the hired are not always the best suited for most jobs at NNPC, which has created a number of cost implications for the company and negatively affected its effectiveness and profitability.

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Organizational Selection System and its Impact on the Productivity of Staff.

1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that the effectiveness of an organization's selection system influence bottom-line business outcomes, such as productivity and general performance however this remains like a dream at NNPC because of hiring process being done haphazardly. It is a common practice at NNPC of not to follow a proper recruitment and selection procedure overshadowed by the principle of technical know-who – the well connected. Consequently, this has led human resources' problems and cost implications for NNPC like ineffective staff performance, employees' low morale and lost business opportunities because of the incompetent staff and corruption.

Also, there is conflicts and corruption among NNPC staff is a common practise as well as higher levels of labour turnover rates that has seen oil production declining steadily, a trend that must urgently be reversed.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to examine the Organizational Selection System and its Impact on the Productivity of Staff. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To discover most policies that pose problem in the operations of the employment process;
2. To examine the effects of selection process on organizational effectiveness;
3. To investigate if employee performance is as a result of selection process;
4. To know the impact of Selection practice on staff productivity; and
5. To establish the need for proper placing of employees in the right position at the right time.

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Does selection practice of employees affect the productivity of staff?
• Does selection practice of employees determine the effectiveness of an organization?
• How is the selection process of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation?
• What is the selection policy of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)?

1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: Staff selection practice does not affect the productivity of Employees in an organization
• H1: Staff Selection practice affects the productivity of Employees in an organization

1.7 Significance of Study

This study is intended to throw more light on the controversial issue of whether organizational selection system can influence the productivity of staff. These effects can be deduced from knowing the various policies on selection process, sources of applicant’s developments, methods of selection, evaluation of selection, problems associated with selection exercise selection process, steps in selection process and properly placement.

This study will also help firm managers, scholars and the like, to add to their existing knowledge the positive and negative reactions of the subject matter on the employees and organization.

Moreso, this study will help us to be conversant with the impact of some employment policies. This will help in circumventing some hurdles at the initial stage. This is true because, there are no apparent devices to disclose the traits of am employee. But to achieve a predicted success in personnel department, we can only use our accumulated knowledge based on the study of the impacts of recruitment selection and placement to attain our targeted objectives.

Therefore, this study will help in developing the intellectual vigour of the researcher and as well add more personnel knowledge to the existing one. It will also enlighten any reader who picks on this work and will aid the readers understanding on how organizational selection system can influence the productivity of staff.

1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Organizational Selection System and its Impact on the Productivity of Staff using NNPC in Port-Harcourt as a case study.

1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

1.10 Definition of Terms

Selection: This is a screening device designed to scrutinize among those who have applied and who best fits the post so advertised.

Placement: this involves matching accurately the different job vacancies with the employee, which centers primarily on placement policy.

Staff: All the workers employed in an organization considered as a group.

Productivity: The rate at which a worker, a company or a country produces goods, and the amount produced, compared with how much time, work and money is needed to produce them.