Abstract: In many organizations, staff development is recognized as a key force or drive for performance and growth. This has caused an increase for demand of its implementation accompanied by a number of challenges. This research project was based on a case study at the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) in order to assess and find out the effects of staff development on organizational performance. The research project explained the researcher’s purpose of assessing staff development as one component of Human Resource Development geared towards improving both employee and organizational effectiveness through improvement of employees’ skills, attitudes and behavior. The study was a case study design with reference to Public Universities whose structures are homogeneous and the findings thereof were to be inferential. This study aimed on a population size of 250 employees with a sample size of 152 (61% of target population) of a stratified sample of both Academic and Non-Academic staff, Administrators, Directors and Human Resource Managers. The study adopted use of questionnaires as a tool for data collection whereas data analysis was done by use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 20.0) analysis software to aid in calculation of descriptive statistics. The analysis of quantitative data was done using descriptive statistics (mean scores and standard deviation) and regression analysis. The regression analysis was done using SPSS to examine the nature (positive or negative) and significance of the relationships between the variables in the study. The dependent variable was organizational performance while the independent variables were staff mentorship, career development and succession planning. The researcher finally put down a summary of the findings, made conclusions and recommendations on how staff development affects organizational performance. Based on the analysis, it was clear that staff mentorship provides employees with the support in identifying opportunities that help them define career goals and to create plans within the context of organizational realities. Career development allows the employee to develop their knowledge, skills and abilities required to enhance their current job and prepares them for future job opportunities. Succession planning on the other hand allows organization ensure that employees are recruited and developed to fill each key role within the University. With the dispensation of 21st Century, it is essential that organizations place a high value on staff development. This will allow employees to fulfill their career needs, and organizations will benefit by retaining a greater number of their competent and qualified employees. The study therefore emphasized on the purposeful development and utilization of people within the organization. It also underlined the perspective set forth throughout the text that an organization’s progress depends on the extent to which people are positively motivated and developed. The study further outlined major recommendation that organizations’ management need to put in place to realize effective performance. These included provision of formal mentoring structure in order to build a strong relationship between staff mentorship functions and staff development more so on informal mentoring as it helps to build personal relationships, which yield positive outcomes for the organization, mentee and mentor. A Career Development Policy be developed and implemented which encompasses all phases of training and lastly organizations to groom and develop their members of staff to ensure that they know what is expected to fill the vacant positions should a need arise.
Keywords: Staff mentorship, Career development, Succession planning and Organizational performance.
Title: EFFECT OF STAFF DEVELOPMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MOMBASA, KENYA
Author: DR. JEAN MUTINDI MZERA UZEL
International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations
ISSN 2348-7585 (Online)
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