Effect of Nepotism on Productivity among Public Servants in Nigeria


Authors : OKORO PRINCE NKEMAKOLAM; KEVIN FERNANDEZ

Volume/Issue : Volume 9 - 2024, Issue 11 - November


Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/9b2e5v4n

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/4ukp5ftu

DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14287308


Abstract : The study aimed to investigate the impact of nepotism on the productivity of public servants within Nigeria's public sector, with specific objectives including the examination of nepotism's effects on productivity, analysis of favouritism's influence on productivity, exploration of cronyism's impact on productivity, and assessment of the relationship between close network ties and effective teamwork in administrative policy. Employing a quantitative research design, data collection involved the administration of a questionnaire featuring closed-ended questions distributed via an online survey using Google Forms. Hypotheses were tested through Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. The findings indicated a positive correlation between nepotism and productivity, as well as between favouritism and productivity within Nigeria's public sector. Additionally, a weak positive correlation was observed between cronyism and productivity, alongside a similar correlation between close network ties and effective teamwork in administrative policy. The research concluded that nepotism significantly influences public servants' productivity within Nigeria's public sector. Recommendations stemming from these findings include the establishment of transparent recruiting and promotion procedures grounded in merit and qualifications, the provision of comprehensive training and development opportunities for all employees, and promotion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace to mitigate nepotism and foster fairness.

References :

  1. Abdalla, F. H., Maghrabi, S. & Raggad, G. B. (1998). ‘‘Assessing the Effect of Nepotism on Human Resource Managers Toward Nepotism: A Cross-Cultural Study’’, International Journal of Manpower, 19(8), 554-70.
  2. Abubakar, A.M., Namin, B.H., Harazneh, I., Arasli, H., & Tunç, T. (2017). Does gender moderate the relationship between favouritism/nepotism, supervisor incivility, cynicism and workplace withdrawal: A neural network and SEM approach. Tour. Manag. Perspect., 23, 129–139.
  3. Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental and social psychology. Academic Press.
  4. Alabi A., & Sakariyau, R. T. (2013). Democracy and politics of godfatherism in Nigeria:  The effects and way forward, International Journal of Politics and Good Governance, 4(2), 1-21
  5. Albalawi, A. S., Naughton, S., Elayan, M. B., & Sleimi, M. T. (2019). Perceived organizational support, alternative job opportunity, organizational commitment, job satisfaction and turnover intention: A moderated-mediated model. Organizacija, 52(4). https://doi.org/10.2478/ orga-2019-0019
  6. Aldossari, M. A., & Bourne, D. J. (2016). Nepotism and turnover intentions amongst knowledge workers in Saudi Arabia. In The Laws of the Knowledge Workplace. Routledge. https://doi. org/10.4324/9781315556215
  7. Aliaga, M., & Gunderson, B. (2000). Interactive Statistics. Saddle River, pp.3-15
  8. Aligica, P. D., & Tarko, V. (2014). Crony capitalism: Rent-seeking, institutions and ideology. Kyklos, 67(2), 156-176. doi: 10.1111/kykl.12048
  9. Allen, N.J., & Meyer, J.P. (1990). The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 63, 18-38.
  10. Arasli, H., Bavik, A. & Ekiz, H. (2006). The effects of nepotism on human resource management: the case of three, four and five-star hotels in Northern Cyprus. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 26(7), 295-308
  11. Armenakis, A. A., & Bedeian, A. G. (1999). Organizational change: A review of theory and research in the 1990s. Journal of Management, 25(3), 293-315. https://doi. org/10.1177/014920639902500303
  12. Barbosa, L. (2014). Meritocracy and Brazilian Society, RAE-Revista de Administração de Empresas, 54(1), 80-85.
  13. Bassey, M. (1995). Creating Education through Research: A Global Perspective of Educational Research in the 21st Century. Moor Press
  14. Bing, G. (2002). Selecting Your Employer: A Guide to an Informed Pursuit of the Best Career for You. Butterworth-Heinemann.
  15. Boadi, G. E. (2000). Conflict of interest, nepotism and cronyism. Source Book, 5, 195-204. Available at https://www.academia.edu/65918278/Effect_of_Nepotism_on_Employee_Emotional_Engagement_Interplay_of_Organisational_Politics?from_sitemaps=true&version=2
  16. Breuer, K., P., Nieken, & Sliwka, D. (2010). Social ties and subjective performance evaluations: An empirical investigation. IZA DP, 4913.
  17. Bute, M. (2011). The effects of nepotism and favouritism on employee behaviours and human resources practices: research on Turkish public banks. Today's Review of Public Administration, 5(1), 185-208.
  18. Büte, M. (2011). Perceive nepotism and its relation to job satisfaction, negative word of mouth and intention to quit. Electronic Journal of Social Sciences, 10(36), 187-203.
  19. Büte, M. & Tekaslan, M., (2010). Nepotizm'in Çalışanlar Üzerine Etkileri: Aile İşletmelerine Yönelik Bir Saha Araştırması, Ekonomik ve Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, Bahar 2010, Cilt:6, Yıl:6, Sayı:145(1), 1-21.
  20. Carrell, M. R., & Dittrich, J. E. (1978). Equity theory: The recent literature, methodological considerations, and new directions. Academy of Management Review, 3, 202- 210.
  21. Cohen, L., Manion, L. & Morrison, (2000). Research Methods in Education (5th Ed.) Routledge Falmer
  22. Creswell, J. W. (2003). Qualitative, Quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 2nd Edition. SAGE Publications
  23. Crotty, M. (1998). The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process. Allen and Unwin
  24. Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., & Lowe, A. (2002). Management research: An introduction. Sage Publications.
  25. Elbaz, A. M., & Haddoud, M. Y. (2017). The role of wisdom leadership in increasing job performance: Evidence from the Egyptian tourism sector. Tourism Management, 63, 66-76.
  26. Elbaz, A.  M., Haddoud, M.  Y., & Shehawy, Y.  M.  (2018).  Nepotism, employees’ competencies and firm performance in the tourism sector: A     dual multivariate and qualitative comparative analysis approach. Tourism Management, 67, 3-16
  27. Ferlazzo, F., & Sdoia, S. (2012. Measuring nepotism through shared last names: Are we moving from opinions to facts? PLOS ONE, 7(8), e43574.
  28. Firfiray, S., Cruz, C., Neacsu, I., & Gomez-Mejia, L. R. (2018).  Is nepotism so bad for family firms?  A socioemotional wealth approach. Human Resource Management Review, 28(1), 83-97
  29. Fisman, R. (2017). Corruption: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press.
  30. Gaskin, J. & Lim, J. (2016). Model Fit Measures. Google Scholar. 2016. Available online: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Gaskin%2C+J.+%26+Lim%2C+J.+%282016%29%2C+%22Model+Fit+Measures&btnG= (accessed on 29 March 2023).
  31. Gjinovci, A.   (2016).   The impact of nepotism and corruption in the economy. Knowledge Horizons Economics, 8(2), 133.
  32. Graafland, J. J. (2007). Economics, ethics, and the market: introduction and applications. Taylor & Francis.
  33. Gul, e. (2022). Leaders’ style and employees’ performance: is organizational cronyism a missing link? Administrative and Management Sciences Journal, 1. 87-93. 10.59365/amsj.1(1).2022.36.
  34. Haber, S. H. (2002). Crony capitalism and economic growth in Latin America: theory and evidence. Hoover Press.
  35. Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. (2011). Organisational behaviour, southwestern. (13th ed.).  Mason, Ohio Thomson, USA: Cengage Learning.
  36. Hussein, N. & Jaafar, A. (2023). The Effect of Nepotism and Knowledge Sharing on the Performance of Academic Staff in Jordan: The Mediating Role of Trust. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 12, 337. 10.36941/ajis-2023-0053.
  37. Ignatowski, G., Sułkowski, Ł., Stopczyński, B. (2020). The perception of organisational nepotism depending on the membership in selected Christian churches, Religions, 11(1), 47. https://doi. org/10.3390/rel11010047
  38. Imbroscio, D. (2016). Urban Policy as Meritocracy: A Critique, Journal of Urban Affairs, 38(1), 79-104.
  39. Iqbal, Q., & Ahmad, N.H. (2020). Workplace spirituality and nepotism-favouritism in selected ASEAN countries: The role of gender as moderator. J. Asia Bus. Stud., 14, 31–49
  40. James, L. (2018). Management systems and performance frameworks for sustainability: A roadmap for sustainably managed enterprises. Routledge
  41. Jones, R. G., & Stout, T. (2015). Policing nepotism and cronyism without losing the value of social connection. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 8, 2–12
  42. Kerse, G., & Babadag, M. (2018). I’m Out If Nepotism is in: The Relationship Between Nepotism, Job Standardization and Turnover Intention. Ege Academic Review, 18(4), 631-644. https://doi.org /10.21121/ eab.2018442992
  43. Khatri, N., Tsang, E. W. K., & Begley, T. M. (2006). Cronyism: a cross-cultural analysis. Journal of International Business Studies, 37(1), 61-75. doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400171
  44. Kim, S. (2003). Research paradigms in organisational learning and performance: Competing modes of inquiry. Information Technology, Learning, and Performance Journal, 21(1), 9-18.
  45. Kumar, C. R. (2008). Research Methodology. APH Publishing Corporation
  46. Kwon, I. (2006). Endogenous Favoritism in Organizations. Topics in Theoretical Economics, 6(1), 01-24.
  47. Labrague, L. J., McEnroe‐Petitte, D. M., Gloe, D., Tsaras, K., Arteche, D. L., & Maldia, F. (2017). Organizational politics, nurses’ stress, burnout levels, turnover intention and job satisfaction. International Nursing Review, 64(1), 109-116. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12347
  48. Nadeem, M., Ahmad, R., Ahmad, N., Batool, S. R., & Shafique, N. (2015). Favouritism, Nepotism and Cronyism as Predictors of Job Satisfaction: Evidence from Pakistan. Journal of Business and Management Research, 8, 224-228.
  49. Neuman, W., L. (2003). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. (5th ed.). Allyn and Bacon
  50. Nyukorong, R.  (2014).  Corruption, nepotism or the “Whom You Know” factor and how it affects recruitment in the Banking Sector of Ghana. Developing Countries Studies, 4(24), 38-53
  51. Oláh, J., Kovács, S., Virglerova, Z., Lakner, Z., Kovacova, M., Popp, J. (2019a). Analysis and comparison of economic and financial risk sources in SMEs of the Visegrad group and Serbia. Sustainability, 11(7), 1853, 1-19. https://doi. org/10.3390/su11071853
  52. Oláh, J., Virglerova, Z., Popp, J., Kliestikova, J., & Kovács, S. (2019b). The assessment of non-financial risk sources of SMEs in the V4 countries and Serbia. Sustainability, 11(17), 4806, https://doi. org/10.3390/su11071853
  53. Olusoji Damaro, A., & K.O., E. (2022). Effects of Workplace Harassment and Favouritism on Staff Performance in Nigeria. International journal of scientific research and management, 10(09), 3851–3860. https://doi.org/10.18535/ijsrm/v10i9.em04
  54. Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2003). Expanding the framework of internal and external validity in quantitative research. Research in the Schools, 10(1), 71-90.
  55. Ozler, H., & Gümüştekin, G. E. (2007). Aile Işletmelerinde Nepotizmin Gelişim Evreleri Ve Kurumsallaşma. Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 1(17), 437-450.
  56. Paais, M., & Pattiruhu, J. R. (2020). Effect of motivation, leadership, and organizational culture on satisfaction and employee performance. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics, and Business, 7(8), 577–588. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no8.577
  57. Park, S., Grosser, T., Roebuck, A. & Mathieu, J. (2020). Understanding Work Teams from a Network Perspective: A Review and Future Research Directions. Journal of Management. 46. 014920632090157. 10.1177/0149206320901573.’’’
  58. Pearce, J. L. (2015). Cronyism and nepotism are bad for everyone: The research evidence. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 8(1), 41-44. DOI: 10.1017/ iop.2014.10.
  59. Poocharoen, O. & Brillantes, A. (2013). Meritocracy in Asia Pacific: Status, Issues, and Challenges. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 33(2), 140-163.
  60. Pooja, B. (2019). Types of sampling in research. Journal of the Practice of Cardiovascular Sciences, 3(5), 157-163.
  61. Rijkers, B., Caroline Freund, & Antonio Nucifora (2014). "The Perils of Industrial Policy: Evidence from Tunisia." mimeo, the World Bank.
  62. Rimvydas Ragauskas, I. V. (2020). Nepotism, political competition and over-employment. Political Research Exchange, 2(1). doi:10.1080/2474736X.2020.1781542
  63. S´liwa, M., & Johansson, M. (2014). The Discourse of Meritocracy Contested/Reproduced: Foreign Women Academics in UK Business Schools. Organization, 21(6), 821-843.
  64. Sealy, R. (2010). Changing Perceptions of Meritocracy in Senior Women's Careers, Gender in Management. An International Journal, 25(3), 184-197.
  65. Shabbir, B. & Siddique, H. (2017) Impact of Nepotism, Cronyism, and Favoritism on Organizational Performance with a Strong Moderator of Religiosity. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 8(4), 299-309. Available at https://www.ijser.org/researchpaper/Impact-of-Nepotism-Cronyism-and-Favoritism-on-Organizational-Performance-with-a-Strong-Moderator-of-Religiosity.pdf
  66. Smith, D. J., & Sutter, D. S. (2012). Gauging the perception of cronyism in the United States.
  67. So, B. W. Y. (2015), Exam-centred Meritocracy in Taiwan: Hiring by Merit or Examination? Australian Journal of Public Administration, 74(3), 312-323.
  68. Trevor, C. O. (2001). Interactions among actual ease of-movement determinants and job satisfaction in the prediction of voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 44(4), 621-638. https://doi. org/10.5465/3069407
  69. Uche, C., Akaighe, G., Oni, O. & Asekun, A. (2019). Effects of nepotism on the ethical competence and performance of public institutions in Nigeria. Unilag Business Journal, 5(2), 110-120. Available at http://ujb.unilag.edu.ng/article/view/1080/860
  70. Vveinhardt, J., & Sroka, W. (2020). Nepotism and favouritism in Polish and Lithuanian enterprises: the context of organizational microclimate. Sustainability, 12(4), 1425; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041425
  71. Wiederkehr, V., Bonnot, V., Krauth-Gruber, S., & Darnon, C. (2015). Belief in School Meritocracy as a System-Justifying Tool for Low-Status Students, Frontiers in Psychology, 6(1) 1053.
  72. Yanchus, N. J., Periard, D., & Osatuke, K. (2017). Further examination of predictors of turnover intention among mental health professionals. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 24(1), 41-56. https://doi. org/10.1111/jpm.12354
  73. Yasir, R., Hafiz, Z., Zafar, H., Muhammad, M. & Amir, K. (2013). Impact of organizational politics and favouritism on employees’ job satisfaction. Elixir Management Arts, 64, 19328-19332
  74. Zhang, Z. (2015). Crowding Out Meritocracy? – Cultural Constraints in Chinese Public Human Resource Management, Australian Journal of Public Administration, 74(3), 270-282.

The study aimed to investigate the impact of nepotism on the productivity of public servants within Nigeria's public sector, with specific objectives including the examination of nepotism's effects on productivity, analysis of favouritism's influence on productivity, exploration of cronyism's impact on productivity, and assessment of the relationship between close network ties and effective teamwork in administrative policy. Employing a quantitative research design, data collection involved the administration of a questionnaire featuring closed-ended questions distributed via an online survey using Google Forms. Hypotheses were tested through Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. The findings indicated a positive correlation between nepotism and productivity, as well as between favouritism and productivity within Nigeria's public sector. Additionally, a weak positive correlation was observed between cronyism and productivity, alongside a similar correlation between close network ties and effective teamwork in administrative policy. The research concluded that nepotism significantly influences public servants' productivity within Nigeria's public sector. Recommendations stemming from these findings include the establishment of transparent recruiting and promotion procedures grounded in merit and qualifications, the provision of comprehensive training and development opportunities for all employees, and promotion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace to mitigate nepotism and foster fairness.

Never miss an update from Papermashup

Get notified about the latest tutorials and downloads.

Subscribe by Email

Get alerts directly into your inbox after each post and stay updated.
Subscribe
OR

Subscribe by RSS

Add our RSS to your feedreader to get regular updates from us.
Subscribe