Realistic Job Previews and Employee Adjustment: the Case of Public Secondary School Teachers Within Nairobi County
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REALISTIC JOB PREVIEWS AND EMPLOYEE ADJUSTMENT: THE CASE OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS WITHIN NAIROBI COUNTY ROSE NDUKU MAHAGA, ISAAC OLE SOPIA, MS DOREEN MUTEGI Vol. 4, Iss. 3 (1), pp 1 - 15, July 14, 2017, www.strategicjournals.com, ©strategic Journals REALISTIC JOB PREVIEWS AND EMPLOYEE ADJUSTMENT: THE CASE OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS WITHIN NAIROBI COUNTY Rose Nduku Mahaga*1, Isaac Ole Sopia2, Ms Doreen Mutegi3 1Kenya Methodist University (KEMU), Kenya 2Kenya Methodist University (KEMU), Kenya 3Kenya Methodist University (KEMU), Kenya Accepted: July 5, 2017 ABSTRACT There have been different findings as to whether realistic job previews influence employee adjustment. This study therefore sought to find out the relationship between realistic job previews and employee adjustment in public secondary schools’ teachers within Nairobi County. The population of interest was the 80 head teachers in the 80 public secondary schools within Nairobi County, and 560 departmental heads in the same schools. Every public secondary school had a minimum of seven head of departments based on the KCSE examinable subjects, therefore giving a total of 560 head of departments in the 80 public secondary schools within Nairobi County. Sample size was picked in accordance with Cochran’s sample size formula for categorical data which translated to 30 respondents; so 30 head of schools and 210 departmental heads from 30 schools were eligible for study. There were 9 districts within Nairobi County. Using quota sampling, the 80 schools were grouped according to the districts. The 30 schools whose head teachers and departmental heads were to be studied were then selected through purposive random sampling. Primary data was collected using close ended questionnaires that utilized the drop and pick method. Data was entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software Version 21; descriptive statistics; and inferential statistics. Results were presented in the form of tables and pie charts according to each question for ease of understanding. The study concluded that Realistic job previews positively and significantly influenced employee adjustment. Future studies looking to expand on the current research would also benefit from utilizing a different target population in order to detect statistical differences. Key Words: Realistic Job Previews, Employee Adjustment, Public Secondary Schools, Nairobi County - 1 - | The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management. ISSN 2312-9492(Online) 2414-8970(Print). www.strategicjournals.com INTRODUCTION responsibility is vested on the Head teachers and departmental heads in each respective school. A total of 25% of the entire working population undergoes career transitions each year (Bauer, According to Koech, Tikoko & Chemwei (2014), 2013). Organizations therefore have to hire new there are high rates of teacher turnover in public comers, promote and transfer employees to take secondary schools yet the reasons for this are not the place of the separated ones. The situation is clear. High turnover in an organization is aggravated by the fact that many employees join considered to be a sign of a problem in that the work floor with no idea of what they are organization because it brings about negative supposed to be doing. The entry process of a publicity and causes dissatisfaction amongst newcomer in an organization is one of uncertainty employees, resulting to reduced productivity and anxiety (Fang, 2013). They are strangers to (Armstrong, 2014). There is lack of formal policy the working environment, the people, the for induction and decisions on new teacher equipments and most times they have no idea induction are left to the discretion of head where/from whom to seek help. According to teachers (Lewin and Stuart, 2012). This results to Johns & Saks (2008), an organization will benefit if haphazard informal practices which are seldom the new comers take as little time as possible to beneficial (Indoshi, 2013). It’s within this context acquire the knowledge, behaviours and attitudes, that the researcher carried out the study to required in settling down and becoming examine the part played by realistic job previews productive. practices on employees’ adjustment in teachers within public secondary schools in Nairobi County. Realistic job previews is a balanced picture of the Statement of the Problem positive and negative aspects of work the new employee will be doing and the organizational There are high rates of teacher turnover in public climate, prior to the offer or taking up of a secondary schools yet the reasons for this are not position. They are supposed to provide clear (Koech, Tikoko & Chemwei, 2014). In 2011, recruits/job applicants with realistic (both positive Kenya lost 38.4 per cent of teachers through and some negative) information about the transitions (World Bank, 2011). Employees feel job/organization (Morse & Popovich, 2010). disoriented in their first day in the office Buha (2014), and some level of action needs to be Public Secondary Schools in Kenya are schools taken for the employee not to feel left out. that are financially supported and run by the Onboarding programs (organizational government (Sessional Paper No. 6 of 1988). socialization) are designed to help newly hired Teachers in public secondary schools are employees learn about the business and acquire employed by Teachers Service Commission (TSC). knowledge, attitude and behaviour, required to TSC is also responsible for disciplinary control over participate effectively in the organization (Van teachers and maintenance of teaching standards, Maanen & Schein, 1979); (Wanous, 1994). Extant (Article 237[1] of the Constitution of Kenya 2010). literature has alluded to proper onboarding Realistic job previews of new secondary school having possible influence on employee teachers does not take place at the HR adjustment. Successful socialization has shown to department in TSC since TSC does not have an HR relate to job satisfaction, organizational representative in the public secondary schools. It commitment, and decreased turnover intentions is supposed to happen at the specific school (Bauer, 2011). In contrast, inadequate where the teacher is posted hence the socialization of teachers results to counterproductive work behaviours, unmet - 2 - | The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management. ISSN 2312-9492(Online) 2414-8970(Print). www.strategicjournals.com expectations and higher levels of turnover (Buha, uncertainty typically causes discomfort that the 2014). If this problem remains unchecked, it may employee is motivated to reduce. To reduce this create an induction crisis in schools and uncertainty, the employee gathers information in consequently affect the performance of students. various domains and from various sources. The One of the ways of making this problem right is by information acquired then serves to make the relooking at the realistic job previews, an work place more understandable, predictable, onboarding practice among the teachers. Studies and controllable. It is through this process, as an on this field are still at an embryonic stage and employee gathers the necessary information to again, to the best of the researcher’s knowledge, comprehend and function in his/her new no study has looked at the effect of realistic job environment, that successful socialization takes preview practices to employee adjustment in place. public secondary schools within Nairobi County. This study that was done in public secondary The theory developed by Charles Berger and schools within Nairobi Country therefore sought Richard Calabrese (1975), is one of the most to establish if realistic job preview practices affect dominant theories in socialization research to the way teachers adjust in the workplace. Based date. It looks into the initial interaction between on the study findings, recommendations have people prior to the actual communication been made to alleviate the problem of employee process. URT proposes that when an employee adjustment within the teaching sector in Kenya. enters an organization or assumes a new position within an organization, s/he experiences high Purpose of the Study levels of uncertainty. This uncertainty typically The primary concern of this quantitative research causes discomfort that the employee is motivated was to look at employee adjustment to realistic to reduce. To reduce this uncertainty, the job preview in public secondary schools within employee gathers information in various domains Nairobi County. and from various sources. The information acquired then serves to make the work place LITERATURE REVIEW more understandable, predictable, and controllable. It is through this process, as an Theoretical Orientation employee gathers the necessary information to comprehend and function in his/her new Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) environment, that successful socialization takes New comers always face uncertainty when they place. enter a new organization or department. As a result, they use different mechanisms to try and The theory is relevant to the study as it focuses on gather information from various sources so as to realistic job preview and formal orientation. These be comfortable in their new surroundings. A good two variables create a person’s first impression in HRM practice that can step in to solve this an organization and first impressions are lasting problem is onboarding practices. When impressions. The theory suggests