EFFECTS OF TRAINING ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY ON AIRTEL NETWORKS LIMITED, ABUJA

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ABSTRACT

Robust training of employees will enable organizations to maintain the right set of workers with the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitude. It will also ensure that plans are put in place to meet the challenges of skills deficiency, for industries in the future. This research study reviews the effects of training on employee performance in a telecommunications company – Airtel Networks Limited, Abuja. The survey research methodology using a questionnaire was employed in this study to enable the researcher to successfully gain insight on the subject. The findings of this study show that for organizations to see improvements in employee performance, there is the need to develop training programs and ensure employees who are of course the most vital assets of an organization are consistently trained. This study concludes that the selection procedure, training design, and training delivery style affects the outcomes of training programs and ultimately the performance of the employees.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page Certification Declaration Approval Page Dedication Acknowledgment Abstract

Table of Contents List of Tables

List of Figures

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS, FINDING AND DISCUSSION

  • Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………. 24
    • Findings of the Study……………………………………………………… 34

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

References…………………………………………………………………………. 40

Appendix A…………………………………………………………………………. 44

Appendix B…………………………………………………………………………. 49

List of Tables

Table 1………………………………………………………………………………. 25

Table 2………………………………………………………………………………. 27

Table 3……………………………………………………………………………… 29

Table 4……………………………………………………………………………… 32

Table 5……………………………………………………………………………… 32

Table 6……………………………………………………………………………… 33

List of Figures

Figure 2.1…………………………………………………………………………… 8

Figure 4.1………………………………………………………………………….. 25

Figure 4.2………………………………………………………………………….. 28

Figure 4.3………………………………………………………………………….. 31

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

  • Background of the Study

Due to significant changes in the corporate world, organizations – including Airtel Networks Limited, understand that maintaining a competitive edge in the market requires investment, employees should be equipped with the right skills which acquired through intensive training.

Training is the achievement of relevant skills or provision of necessary knowledge for employees to perform specific tasks to achieve a common goal (Olaniyan, 2008). It yields definite outcomes which include improved staff competency and capacity for performance. An organization may find it challenging to maintain competent staff in its payroll if training of its workforce is not made available or considered a priority. This will ultimately hinder the achievement of organisational goals.

Organizations around the world including Airtel Networks Limited, Nigeria require their employees to have the capacity to accomplish goals that justify their wages. If the organization does not obtain the desired or expected output from its employees, they will employ individuals who meet those expectations or implement strategies that ensure poorly performing employees meet performance expectations. In cases were strategies are employed to improve performance, training is the preferred solution (Onasanya, 1999).

Employees gain knowledge, skills, and abilities to change their behaviour and attitudes during training which can producing high quality results for the organisation (Ahmed & Yohanna, 2014).

This individual improvement seen in employees also translates to improved organisational performance (Al-Mzary, Al-Rifai, & Al-Momany, 2015, Okechukwu, 2017). Training can also ensure that the workforce can adapt seamlessly to new technology increasing the efficiency and productivity of individuals and organizations (Khan, Abbasi, Waseem, Ayaz, & Ijaz, 2016).

In this age of technological advancement, change is a reoccurring and persistent factor. As a result, organizations must ensure training is consistent in order to tackle the challenges that arise from political, financial, societal and pioneering changes in the environment (Buckley & Capel, 2009). For organizations to survive, grow and develop, they must, therefore, increase their capacity to adjust to the external and internal needs that occur as a result of these changes.

Furthermore, customer service, efficiency, quality, employee retention and development are some of the reasons that drive the implementation of training programs in organizations as a means to influence performance (Noe, 2008). To claim the top spot in a specific industry, organisations must compete. This competitiveness serves as motivation to improve an organization’s capacity to possess and sustain market share in a specific industry. As a result, a large number of organizations have been driven to build training centres to ensure they have a superior stance in the market (Noe 2008).

Organizations are now experiencing significant changes as a result of innovations, rapid evolution of knowledge, globalization of business, and escalation of e-commerce. Therefore, it is relevant for organizations to figure out ways to attract, maintain, and encourage their skilled workforce for improved performance. This is because “the human factor” plays an important role in reaching organizational goals (Gberevbie, 2010 p.61).

Training allows employees to gain knowledge on the best way to utilize emerging and new technologies. It also provides insight on ways to function effectively in new work designs and environments such as virtual groups, liaising and communicating with customers and other stakeholders from various backgrounds for efficient services (Noe, 2008).

Due to the increase in global competition, organizations must find ways to reduce their expenses, while improving quality, delivery speed, and adaptability. In this new age, it is also essential that improvements not only focus on output and feasibility of technical processes but also on the employees who execute them. It has therefore become increasingly important for employees to adapt to change quickly, while staying competent and motivated (Bokhorst & Slomp, 2007).

“Airtel Networks Limited is a foremost telecommunications provider in Nigeria with its headquarters in Lagos Nigeria. Airtel with a customer base of more than 39.8 million is amongst the top four mobile service providers in terms of subscribers. Airtels product offerings include 2G, 3G, and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, and enterprise services”

(Airtel, 2020). Airtel Nigeria stated that its most important assets are its people. As a result, they constantly strive to hire passionate people who have energy and a can-do spirit looking to influence their communities positively (Airtel, 2020).

To maintain a workforce that can effectively manage a diverse customer base of over 30 million and ever-changing technology in the industry, training becomes a necessity. This research seeks to find out if training is a culture imbibed in Airtel Nigeria and its effect on employees and overall employee performance.

                Statement of the Problem

Training is currently in a state of crisis around the world mostly due to the harsh economic climate. As a result, organizations such as Airtel Networks are forced to cut down on training budgets as one of the first line of items to reduce expenses. This means that the lofty ideas about continuous learning and professional development of employees have to give way to concrete justification with convincing evidence that they will deliver bottom-line results and contribute to the achievement of organizational objectives (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016).

The current economic challenges and crisis in the training world can result in low-level productivity of employees. Some organizations incur many losses inform of wastage arising from mistakes made by workers who lack the specific skills needed to perform their jobs effectively. Another major problem faced by Airtel Networks Limited, Abuja, resulting from the non-existence of training and development plans is job dissatisfaction.

                Research Questions

Based on the objectives, the research questions were composed for this study. These objectives are listed below:

  • The  degree  of   influence  the   selection  procedure  of employees for training affect employee performance?
    • The degree of influence training design affect employee performance?
    • The  degree  of   influence  training  delivery  style  affect employee performance?
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