Assessment of Stakeholders’ and Universities’ Goal Congruence

Assessment of Stakeholders’ and Universities’ Goal Congruence

Dr. Adelokun, S. Adedapo*, Marquis, Oluwabusayo Racheal

Department of Educational Management Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.804030

Received: 11 March 2024; Accepted: 30 March 2024; Published: 29 April 2024

ABSTRACT

This study was with the view of providing information on goals integration that could mitigate the incidence of crises in the universities. It delineated the individual goals of the stakeholders and the institutional goals; also examined the relationship between the individual goals of the stakeholders and goals of public universities in Osun State.

The study adopted a correlational survey design. The population comprised students, academic staff members, non-teaching staff members and parents of public university in Osun State. Data collected were analysed using frequency count, percentages, graph and Spearman’s rank order correlation statistic. From the findings, the institutional goals were intellectual development, research among others. The individual goals of the stakeholders of the public universities in Osun State were earning for livelihood, production of independent minded citizens among others. The study showed that there was a moderate correlation between undergraduate education (university goal) and impartation of values into students (individual staff goal), (rs = 0.429**, n = 216, p < 0.05), besides 0.429 > 0.264, so the null hypothesis was rejected. There was also a moderate correlation between student scholarship and scientific research (university goal) and scholarship (individual student goal), (rs= 0.444**, n=2023, p < 0.05), besides 0.444 > 0.264, so the null hypothesis was rejected. The study concluded that aligning personal goals of the stakeholders with the goal of universities through creation of interactive atmosphere between stakeholders and the university management and creating peaceful environment for workers and students would boost industrial peace in universities.

Keywords: Goals, University Goals, Goal Congruence and Stakeholders.

INTRODUCTION

Universities are educational organizations responsible for finding solutions to global problems. Goal congruence is crucial for achieving these goals. However, the main challenge is identifying individual and institutional goals and integrating them. Goal congruence involves aligning individual goals with organizational goals, bringing together academic, non-academic, and student goals to achieve common objectives. In Nigeria, individual goal congruence refers to the consistency of individual objectives with university goals, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the organization’s objectives. Richman and Farmer (1976) emphasize the importance of academic institutions prioritizing goals that promote national development and should be prioritized in their educational institutions.

The role of university education in national development is crucial, as it not only builds human capital but also contributes to economic growth (Adelokun, 2015). Richman and Farmer’s goals in universities aim to maintain reputation and expand knowledge through teaching, research, and community service, categorized into programme, student impact, faculty, institution, and administrative objectives. These categories of university goals are further broken down into the following by Richman and Farmer (1976): Undergraduate education; graduate education; part-time and continuing education; research; athletics; intellectual development; student scholarship, scientific research and creative endeavor; jobs, careers and status; individual personal development; student activities and rights; cultural and religious assimilation; protect the faculty; faculty governance; faculty benefits and privileges; seek truth; admit students of high potential; social egalitarianism; innovation; high institutional prestige and pride, good facilities and a healthy climate; maintain high quality in a balanced way in all programmes; maintain top quality in most important programmes; effective and efficient staffing of managerial and support staff positions; income, perquisites, prestige and job protection for administrative personnel; democratic governance; operating efficiency; public service; serve as a major cultural and information centre for the community; social criticism and activism; outside validation of programmes; ensure desired funds and other resources from external sources; and accountability and goal attainment verification.

The university’s stakeholders have personal goals that drive its objectives, varying based on individual desires. Satisfaction in the organization is based on achieving aims and security, while staff members seek increased compensation, promotion, and peer recognition n.Motivation, from an organizational standpoint, is a process that inspires individuals to act in order to achieve organizational goals (Prasetiyani et al., 2021). According to Yang and Ai (2020), employee motivation has two sources, namely intrinsic and extrinsic. Extrinsic motivation can be attributed to factors in the workplace, whereas intrinsic motivation is an inner driving force that propels you to achieve more (Mazllami, 2020). However, these motivations often don’t align with the organization’s broader goals, leading to a lack of focus on the ultimate aim.

Statement of the Problem

Universities have legally prescribed goals pursued by stakeholders like workers, students, and parents. These goals aim to impact knowledge and broaden individual horizons. Strikes and unrest among workers in Nigerian universities have led to setbacks and student unrest, highlighting the need for collaboration and effective management. The rise in worker strikes and student unrest in public universities is a pressing issue that requires further investigation into the alignment between university objectives and stakeholder interests. This study examined the relationship between individual goals and institutional goals in Osun State public universities, considering the frequency of worker strikes and student unrests.

Research Question

What are the individual goals of the stakeholders (students, workers and parents) and the institutional goals of the public universities in Osun State?

Research Hypothesis

There is no significant relationship between the goals of stakeholders and institutional goals of public universities in Osun State.

METHODOLOGY

This study adopted a correlational survey design. This design was used to explain the connection between the university goals and the articulation of the goals by the stakeholders of these public universities. It permitted comparison and divergence in order to ascertain the relationship between specified variables. The population comprised 26,641 students, 1,334 and 2,646 academics and non-teaching staff members respectively and parents of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and 16,564 students, 345 and 385 academic and non-teaching staff members and parents of Osun State University, Osogbo.

Faculty members from two public universities in Osun State- Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and Osun State University (Uniosun), were selected as a sample for the study, comprising five percent of academic staff, five percent of non-teaching staff, and five percent of students. The stratified proportionate sampling technique was used to select 84 academic staff members, 151 non-teaching staff members, 1,332 students from O.A.U and Uniosun, and 50 parents from the two universities using accidental sampling technique. The study utilized research instruments such as the Staff Perception of University Goal Questionnaire (SPUGQ), University and Students’ Goal Congruence Questionnaire (USGCQ), and University Goals and Parents’ Opinion Guide (UGPOG) to gather data on perception.

The set of questionnaires was validated by experts in Higher Educational Administration to ensure face and content validity. While credibility of the interview guide was ensured through examination of previous research to frame questions. Using a test re-test approach, the reliability of the instruments was tested on staff and students of both the University of Lagos and Lagos State University. The reliability analysis scale (Alpha) gave results of 0.75, 0.78 and 0.73 demonstrating high reliability levels of the instruments.

Two hundred and thirty-five copies of questionnaire (SPUGQ) were administered on the university staff members of both Obafemi Awolowo University and Osun State University, but 216 questionnaire copies were retrieved and found useful. The research instruments, including 216 SPUGQ questionnaire copies administered to university staff and students, were retrieved and found useful. Interviews with 37 parents revealed 93.5% of the instruments were useful, with 74% of respondents responding well.

Data collected were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, graphs, Spearman Rank Order Correlation.

RESULTS

Research Question 1: What are the individual goals of the stakeholders (students, workers and parents) and the institutional goals of the public universities in Osun State?

Figure 1: University staff perception of university goals (source: Field survey)

Figure 1 shows that 69.4% of respondents (university staff) of public universities in Osun State are of the opinion that ‘athletics’ is important. This shows that university staff could identify athletics as one of the crucial goals of the university. Also, 91.9% respondents ranked ‘intellectual development’ as an important goal of the university goal, the figure above shows the extent of its importance to the respondents. ‘Jobs, careers and status’ is another ranked goal of the university; 80.8% of the respondents were of the opinion that it is one of the important goals of the university.

Respondents ranked undergraduate education, student scholarship, scientific research, and creative endeavour as important goals for the university. Staff emphasized the importance of part-time and continuing education, while research was deemed a crucial goal by 87.3% of respondents. These findings highlight the university’s commitment to achieving its important goals.

Respondents ranked cultural and religious assimilation, individual personal development, faculty benefits and privileges, and admitting students of high potential as important goals for the university. Among these, 79.1% deemed these goals crucial, while 82.1% and 81.3% deemed them important.

Respondents ranked cultural and religious assimilation as an important goal for universities, with 78.8% identifying it as important. High institutional prestige and pride were ranked 86%, while protecting faculty and achieving graduate education were ranked 81.7%.

Respondents ranked efficient staffing as an important goal for universities, with 79.5% identifying it as a crucial aspect. Other important goals included income, prestige, and job protection for administrative personnel, faculty governance, and maintaining top quality in important programmes, according to 80.9% of respondents.

The total respondents ranked the important goals of the university, including serving as a cultural and information center, ensuring external resources, focusing on innovation, and aiming for public service, with 81.7% identifying these as key objectives.

The ranked important goals of the total respondents, including maintaining high quality in all programmes and promoting democratic governance, signify the universities’ commitment to quality.

 Figure 2: Students’ perception of university goals (source: Field survey)

According to Figure 2, 69.7% of the total respondents (university students) ranked ‘athletics’ to be important; 24% said it is not important. ‘Intellectual development’ was also ranked by 86.7% of the total number of the student respondents to be an important goal. Not only that, 84.8% of the total respondents ranked ‘jobs, careers and status’ as three of the important goals of university. ‘Undergraduate education’ was ranked important by 88.1% of the total respondents.

Furthermore, 85.4% of the respondents ranked ‘student scholarship, scientific research and creative endeavour’ as an important goal of the university. ‘Part-time and continuing education’ is another ranked university goal, 82.3% of the total respondents ranked it to be an important university goal. Also, 83.3% of the respondents were of the opinion that ‘research’ is an important goal of the university. ‘Cultural and religious assimilation’ is another important university goal, as ranked by 80% of the respondents. ‘Individual personal development’ is also ranked by 82% of the respondents to be an important goal of the university.

‘Faculty benefits and privileges’ is another ranked goal of the university, 78.5% of the total respondents were of the opinion that this goal is one of the important goals of the university. Also, 79.6% of the total respondents were of the opinion that ‘admitting students of high potential’ is an important goal of the university. ‘Cultural and religious assimilation’ was ranked by 81.7% of the respondents to be important. Likewise, 82.5% of respondents (university students) were of the opinion that ‘high institutional prestige and pride’ is an important goal of the university.

However, 83.1% of the respondents ranked ‘graduate education’ as an important goal of the university. Similarly, 83.7% of the respondents ranked ‘effective and efficient staffing of managerial and support staff positions’ to be an important goal of the university. ‘Income, perquisites, prestige and job protection for administrative personnel’ is another considered goal: 81.3% ranked it to be an important university goal; ‘Faculty governance’ was also ranked to be an important goal by 81.6% of the total respondents. Also, 85.6% of the respondents ranked ‘maintaining top quality in most important programmes’ as one of the important goals of the university.

Moreover, university ‘serving as a major cultural and information centre for the community’ was ranked to be important by 80.8% of the respondents. To ‘ensure desired funds and other resources from external sources’ is another ranked goal by 82% of the total respondents to be an important university goal. Also, ‘innovation’ was ranked by 83.2% of the respondents to be one of the important goals of the university. ‘Public service’ was another ranked goal of the university by 79.3% of the respondents (university students) as an important goal of the university.

Furthermore, 81.6% of the respondents were of the opinion that ‘maintaining high quality in a balanced way in all programmes’ is an important goal of the university. ‘Democratic governance’ was also ranked to be important by 76.3% of the total respondents.

Figure 3: Perceived individual goals of university staff members

According to Figure 3, a very good number of staff members acknowledge the perceived goals as the goals they pursue in their institution as their individual goals. The perceived goals are: earning for livelihood, socialization, special allowances, peer recognition, institutional policy and administration, attending of seminars and conferences, prestige and honour as a university worker, job security, participation in the university politics, impartation of value into students, national and community development, creativity, maintenance of orderliness in place of work, personal intellectual development, maintenance of quality service and service improvement. Majority of the respondents agreed with the perceived goals, except for participation in the university policy and institution policy and administration that have lesser percentages of respondents in full agreement, though more than average.

Figure 4: Perceived goals of individual university students

Figure 4 shows that majority of the university students (respondents) acknowledged the perceived goals to be important goals to them. These goals are pursued as their individual goal in the university. The perceived goals are democratic governance, socialization, student activities and rights, peer recognition, social egalitarianism, social criticism and activism, prestige and honour as a university student, public service, participation in the university student politics, scholarship, national and community development, creativity, maintenance of orderliness on campus, intellectual development, and preservation of cultural heritage. However, the percentages of the level of agreement with the perceived goals of the university students were more than half (greater than 50%).

In an attempt to examine the goals of parents (university stakeholders), the responses of parents to the interview questions were analysed and summarized so as to derived clear and specific answers for the purpose of this study. Twenty one or 84% of the respondents (parents) of Obafemi Awolowo University reacted positively to the questions and 16 or 64% of respondents (parents) of Osun State University reacted positively to the interview questions. According to the data collected with UGPOG, very similar answers were given by the respondents of the two universities. Similar answers were given to the first question on their perceived goals of the university, which are: teaching, research and community development. Likewise, the second question on their goals and expectations from the university as a parent and stakeholder, was given similar answers to. In reference to the data collected, The primary goal of enrolling students in universities is to produce better individuals through knowledge acquisition and intellectual development. This includes producing independent-minded citizens, well-grounded graduates, skilled citizens, creative laborers, self-made citizens, informed citizens, and cultural values. Universities also provide national awareness, adequate solutions, and values to maintain society’s culture and values.

Parents agreed that they all had a responsibility to support universities in achieving their institutional goals. They suggested methods like timely payment of fees, donations, and involvement in university activities to enhance school-community relationships.

Test of hypothesis

The critical value for Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient would be used to determine the significance of the results. That is, 40 pairs of data and a value of 0.264 of 0.05 probability would be used indicate the significance level of correlation between the individual goals of the stakeholders and institutional goals of public universities in Osun State.

Hypothesis One

There is no significant relationship between the goals of stakeholders and institutional goals of public universities in Osun State.

Table 1 presents the correlation matrix of university goals and staff individual goals. It shows the significant Spearman correlation coefficient values between variables. The variables in Table 1 are represented with the following indices. University  goals:  Athletics-1, Intellectual development-2, Jobs, careers and status-3, Undergraduate education-4, Student scholarship, scientific research and creative endeavour-5, Part-time and continuing education-6, Research-7, Cultural and religious assimilation-8, Individual personal development-9, Faculty benefits and privileges-10, Admit students of high potential-11, Good facilities and healthy climate-12, High institutional prestige and pride-13, Protect the faculty-14, Graduate education-15, Effective and efficient staffing of managerial and support staff positions-16, Income, perquisites, prestige and job protection for administrative personnel-17, Faculty governance-18, Maintain top quality in most important programmes-19, Serve as a major cultural and information center for the community-20, Ensure desired funds and other resources from external sources-21, Innovation-22, Public service-23, Maintain high quality in a balanced way in all programmes-24, and Democratic governance-25. Staff individual goals: Earning for livelihood-1, Socialization-2, Special allowances-3, Peer recognition-4, Institutional policy and administration-5, Attending of seminars and conferences-6, Prestige and honour as a university worker-7, Job security-8, Participation in the university politics-9, Impartation of value into students-10, National and community development-11, Creativity-12, Maintenance of orderliness in place of work-13, Intellectual development-14, and Maintenance of quality service and service improvement-15.

Table 1: The relationship between university goals and individual goals of staff

Correlations                                       N=216

* Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

In reference to Table 1, the results of correlation coefficients between the university goals and staff individual goals showed the strength of relationship between these goals. However, the coefficient results that displayed r_s = -0.11 to 0.399** showed the relationship to be very weak, the results that displayed r_s = 0.400** to 0.599** showed the relationship to be moderate and the results that displayed r_s = 0.600** to 0.799** the relationship to be strong.

Likewise, Table 2 presents the correlation matrix of university goals and students’ individual goals. It shows the significant Spearman correlation coefficient values between variables. The variables in Table 2 are represented with the following indices. University  goals:  Athletics-1, Intellectual development-2, Jobs, careers and status-3, Undergraduate education-4, Student scholarship, scientific research and creative endeavour-5, Part-time and continuing education-6, Research-7, Cultural and religious assimilation-8, Individual personal development-9, Faculty benefits and privileges-10, Admit students of high potential-11, Good facilities and healthy climate-12, High institutional prestige and pride-13, Protect the faculty-14, Graduate education-15, Effective and efficient staffing of managerial and support staff positions-16, Income, perquisites, prestige and job protection for administrative personnel-17, Faculty governance-18, Maintain top quality in most important programmes-19, Serve as a major cultural and information center for the community-20, Ensure desired funds and other resources from external sources-21, Innovation-22, Public service-23, Maintain high quality in a balanced way in all programmes-24, and Democratic governance-25. Students’ individual goals: Democratic governance-1, Socialization-2, Student activities and rights-3, Peer recognition-4, Social egalitarianism-5, Social criticism and activism-6, Prestige and honour as a university student-7, Public service-8, Participation in the university student politics-9, Scholarship-10, National and community development-11, Creativity-12, Maintenance of orderliness on campus-13, Intellectual development-14 and Preservation of cultural heritage-15.

Table 2: The relationship between the university goals and students’ individual goals

Correlation                                        N=2023

* Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

According to Table 2, the results of correlation coefficients between the university goals and students’ individual goals showed the strength of relationship between these goals. Hence, the coefficient results that displayed r_s = -0.18 to 0.399** showed the relationship to be very weak, the results that displayed r_s = 0.400** to 0.599** showed the relationship to be moderate. It could therefore be deduced from the results presented in Table 2, that a very large percent of the correlation coefficient showed the relationship between institutional goals and students’ individual goals of the public universities in Osun State to be very weak, and very few of these results showed that there was a moderate relationship between institutional goals and students’ individual goals of public universities in Osun State.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 

The researchers critically examined literature and questionnaire responses to answer research question 1, confirming that the findings on university goals aligned with previous studies on the subject. This agreed with Richman and Farmer (1976), it could be deduced from Figures 1 and 2 that staff and students of these universities understand that the university goals, as stated by Richman and Farmer (1976) are very crucial and they are the main objectives of every university.

 Bradley and Foltz (2015) compared the goal congruence of software development teams with their efficiency and concluded that goal congruence had high positive correlation with team performance. In the current study therefore, it was expected that goal congruence would impact significantly on overall effectiveness in the universities in Osun State. It did.

In what they described as generic university goals, Tuckman and Chang (1988) observed two possibilities of university goals to ‘coincide’ and/or ‘conflict’.  These were also established by Adelokun and Marquis in this study. Lundin (2003) made a case for high goal congruence index and mutual trust which are siamese twins if organizations are to maximize the accomplishment of their goals. According to Lundin, these siamese twins are essential for ‘joint actions’ from staffers. Though, Adelokun and Marquis did not argue for mutual trust as a precondition for effectiveness and efficiency.

Ding, Dong, Liang and Zhu (2017) recommended the need for the sharing of resources within organizational units in such a form that goal achievement would be optimized. Adelokun (2004), in his application of objective maximization, suggested the application of appropriate budget system in multi-unit organizations using the tertiary education sector as an example. Adelokun identified six budget systems and zeroed in on the Planning Programming Budget System, Zero-base Budget System and Formula Budget System as ideals for maximizing the achievement of objectives of the higher institutions.

A study of parents of Osun State university students found that 74% of respondents believe universities aim to contribute to nation building through knowledge impartation. They believe universities instill knowledge and value in students, making them self-dependent and relevant for social, cultural, and economic development.

The research hypothesis tested using Table 1 revealed a weak relationship between institutional goals and staff individual goals in Osun State’s public universities, with moderate relationships and few strong relationships.

The correlation coefficient (rs) showed a moderate correlation between undergraduate education and impartation of values into students, income, perquisites, prestige, job protection for administrative personnel, and earning for livelihood. The relationship was also moderate between intellectual development and personal intellectual development, with a critical value of 0.264. The relationship between intellectual development and personal intellectual development was found to have a moderate correlation coefficient (rs = 0.500**, n = 216, p < 0.05), indicating a significant level of correlation.

The correlation coefficient reveals a weak relationship between institutional goals and students’ individual goals in Osun State’s public universities. However, a moderate correlation was observed between national/community development and individual personal development, with values greater than the critical value of 0.264. The significance of these correlation coefficients is justified by their significance.

The relationship between public service, high institutional prestige, and student scholarship values in 2023 was determined using Spearman’s correlation. The results showed a moderate correlation (rs = 0.406**, n = 2023, p < 0.05), with values exceeding the critical value. The correlation coefficients indicate a significant level of relationships between these values, indicating a positive correlation between public service, high institutional prestige, and student scholarship.

The table values indicate a strong relationship between university goals and university stakeholders, rejecting the null hypothesis due to the exceeding absolute values.

CONCLUSION

From the discussion so far, it could be deduced that a complex organisation, like a university, is a crucial phenomenon that promotes goal congruence, contributing to national development through education, scholarship, and community service. The significant role played by the university in the society makes it essential for the university administrators to work in consciousness of the fact that every stakeholder of the university has their individual goals, which is necessary the same with the university. Stakeholders tend to develop interest in joining institutions based on their motives. Therefore, the alignment of stakeholders’ individual goals and the university goals becomes a very important aspect in higher educational administration in order to achieve the aims and goals of university education.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Staff –university goal congruence relationship has exposed the reason for incessant industrial crises in the university system. The low goal-congruence index calls for renewed vigour towards education and communication of both latent and manifest university goals.

The strength of relationship between university goals and students individual goals which was high to be further heightened to guarantee improved academic performance of students in the universities and reduce the incidence of restiveness.

There is an urgent need to lay more emphasis on value creation among critical stakeholders too. This is because such values would have formed the basis for university goals and an understanding and acceptance of such values by the stakeholders would benefit the university communities and their environments.

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