Leadership

ABSTRACT:

 This study examines HRM and employee commitment in organizations with a case study of Innoson Nigerian Limited. Innoson Nig. Ltd. pride in African roads, has existed for 16 years and is now ready to take a giant step into electric cars. Considering the importance of human resource management (HRM) practices, especially training and development in an organization, the study investigated the HRM of Innoson Nigeria Ltd. to determine if her employees are committed to the new development ahead. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. A mixed-methods approach was adopted. A purposive sampling method was used to select 85 participants, consisting of 15 managers and 80 staff of Innoson Nig. Ltd. in Nnewi. A structured questionnaire and an in-depth interview Guide. The findings show that HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Limited to a Large Extent; The roles HRM play in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd. include Training and development opportunities to staff Making the training and development programs relevant to employees’ jobs, making them have confidence in performing beyond expectation;  motivates employees Making employees more organized; Enhancing creative thinking and performance beyond expectation; Helps employees reduce burnout and stress and be more committed to their jobs. The shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact the Normative Commitment of employees are: Hiring fast to avoid byproducts resulting in a shortage of qualified candidates; and attracting highly skilled staff that are expensive to maintain and retain. However, Innoson Nig. Ltd. overcomes the shortcomings through training and development opportunities and Using IM recruitment and selection methods, especially where specialized skills are concerned. No significant difference was found between Managers and Staff on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment; the roles HRM plays in influencing employee Continuance Commitment and the shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd. It was concluded that HRM largely impacts employee Commitment in organizations especially in Innoson Nig. Ltd, for achieving her lofty vision.  It was recommended that organizations should prioritize HRM practices, especially in training and development, encourage outsourcing to reduce cost, and hire fast. Also, they should use IM recruitment practices to attract highly skilled but inexpensive staff that can be maintained/ retained.

Key Words: Human Resource Management (HRM); Employee Commitment:  Affective Commitment; Continuance Commitment; Normative Commitment; Innosson Nigerian Limited.

INTRODUCTION:

Background of the Problem:

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, organizations aim at maintaining a competitive edge. One crucial factor to an organization’s success is the employeescommonly referred to as Human Resources (HR). Among all the factors of production, land, capital, and entrepreneurship HR is the most important because it is the engine that ignites the others into action. Human resources, as a term, originated in America and has since become a crucial department in all organizations (Tiwari, 2012). Human Resource Management (HRM) is the systematic arrangement and organization of the organization toward performance beyond expectation in the achievement of organizational goals, vision, and mission (Chiaha, Onu & Enyi (2016). HRM involves, rewarding, compensation, and performance measurement activities (Dinc, 2017), as well as training and development practices (Zaim, 2016) of the HR department.  This seems to stem from Sheppeck & Militello’s (2000) HRM practices, which are employment, skill development, work policies, supportive environment, and performance management. This study is interested in HRM’s recruitment, training, and development practices. Thus, HRM practices focus on increasing employee satisfaction for positive employee effectiveness and commitment (Ahmed and Top 2021).  This implies Human Resource Management (HRM) plays a vital role in fostering employee commitment, therefore, an organization seeking competitive advantage must enhance its employee commitment., by implementing practices that attract, retain, and motivate employees. 

Employee commitment is the zeal to be part of the organizational success. It connects employees with their organization and bonds workers’ performance with their organization (Mart, 2013). Employee commitment has three main dimensions; Affective Commitment, Continuance Commitment, and Normative Commitment

Affective Commitment deals with employees feeling that they like their jobs, which is in line with the values and goals of the organization; Continuance Commitment involves fear of losing their jobs. Normative Commitment is the sense of responsibility an employee feels pressure to continue. It can stem from company investment, which is money or time to train employees or give rewards in advance to keep skilled workers (Dinc, 2017; Yildiz, 2017). Therefore, employee commitment drives productivity, job satisfaction, and organizational performance. This study is interested in these three dimensions of employee commitment. Studies indicate some of the benefits of employee commitment as increased job satisfaction (Ahmed & Top 2021), decreased intention to leave, improved job performance, reduced employee turnover, and reduced absenteeism (Yildiz and Amin, 2020). Therefore, this study is an attempt to investigate HRM and employee commitment in Innoson Nigerian Limited.

 Statement of The Problem.

 Innoson Nigeria Ltd. is a Nigerian automobile founded in 2007 by Chief Innocent Chukwuma Nwala. The headquarters is at Nnewi, in Anambra State Nigeria, with other offices in different parts of Nigeria and at Mali, Sierra Leone, and Ghana Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing is nicknamed Pride of African Roads. According to the company, 70% of its car parts are produced locally,^[5] while the rest are sourced from Japan, China, and Germany.^[3] Among IVM’s vehicle models are the five-seater Fox (1.5-litre engine) and Umu (2-litre engine) as well as the mini-bus Uzo.^[6]  However, on 20 May 2022, Innoson presented its first “Keke”. Kekes are three-wheeled motor vehicles and the main means of transport in Nigeria, with a production capacity of 60,000 “Kekes” per year, to be increased by a new production plant in Owerri in Imo State. The domestic production of the ubiquitous trikes in Nigeria is expected to have a positive impact on Nigeria’s trade balance and labor market.^[8][9] In addition, On 11 September 2024, Innoson unveiled its first locally made electric vehicle, ^[10] claiming that Nigeria is ‘ready for the world of electric cars and IVM is ready and prepared for that change’. With these giant steps taken by Innoson, one wonders if her employees are committed enough to embark on these lofty goals. The question therefore is, how does the HRM of Innoson Nigeria Ltd. ensure that the employees are well committed to these new developments? This is the essence of this study. This study is interested in the employment, training, and development practices of HRM of Innoson Nig Ltd. The purpose of this paper is to examine HRM and employee commitment in Innoson Nigerian Limited.  Specifically, the study will:

1. Determine the extent human resource management (HRM) practices impact employee Affective Commitment at Innoson Nigerian Limited.
2. Explore roles of training and development in influencing employee Continuance Commitment at Innoson Nigerian Limited.
3. Identify the shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd.

Research Questions: The following research questions guided the study;

1. To what extent does the HRM influence employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Limited?
2. What roles does the HRM play in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Limited

 Hypotheses: The following hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance to guide the study.

HO₁:  There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the extent HRM 

            influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Ltd..

HO₂:  There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff in the roles HRM play 

           in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Limited.

HO₃:  There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the shortcomings

            in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative

            The commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd.

Significance: This study is significant in several ways – it contributes to the existing literature on HRM and employee commitment by providing insights into the specific mechanisms by which HRM practices influence employee commitment. The findings will inform organizational policymakers and HR practitioners especially in organizations such as Innosson Nig. Ltd., on effective strategies to enhance employee commitment, ultimately improving organizational performance. Specifically, the study is very significant to Innoson Nig Ltd which intends to expand its scope of production. The findings will be beneficial in providing an illuminative formative evaluation of the company’s ability to implement the proposed new development in her production, in that the company will become well informed of the level of commitment of her employees and the effectiveness of her HRM practices.

Scope:  This study has geographical and content scope. The geographical scope was limited to the headquarters of Innoson Nigeria Ltd. At Nnewi, while the content scope focuses on, the recruitment and selection, training and development practices of HRM practices as well as Affective Commitment, Continuance Commitment, and Normative Commitment; Role in influencing employee job satisfaction, and the shortcomings in recruitment and selection practices that may be negatively impacting employee job satisfaction.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE: Literature covers conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and review of empirical studies.

The conceptual Framework includes concepts of Human Resources, Human Resource Management, Employee Commitment, and Innoson Nigerian Limited.

• Concept of Human Resource: Human resources (HR) is a term first coined by John

         R. Commons, an American institutional economist, in his 1893 book “The Distribution of Wealth.” By the 20th century HR units otherwise known as Personnel departments, started to develop formally in public and private institutions (Tiwari, 2012). Human resources (HR) is responsible for finding, recruiting, screening, and training job applicants and administering employee benefit programs. The primary goal of HR is to support employee recruitment, retention, engagement, and overall productivity, which can vary between organizations and positions. The primary goal of the HR department is to maximize employee productivity while protecting the company from workforce-related issues through its various functions of, Managing compensation and benefits, Recruiting and retaining employees, Handling terminations, and Maintaining compliance with any laws that may affect the company and its employees.

• Concept of Human Resource Management:

           Human Resource Management (HRM) evolved as an American terminology (Tiwari, 2012), which has to do with the systematic arrangement of the concerns of all the human capital in the organization, for promoting their skills, well-being, and motivation. Ahmed, Jumana & Top, Cemil. (2021). It has been observed that HRM has a significant impact on employee commitment at organizations. HRM practices in organizations include training, rewarding, compensation, and performance measurement activities (Dinc, 2017). These practices create work conditions and environment that make employees highly committed to the organization (have a positive attitude) and do their best to accomplish the organization’s goals Cherif, (2020), thus encouraging employees’ satisfaction with their jobs (Mohammed et al., 2019), improve employees’ attitude (commitment) and subsequently their performance (Cai et al., 2019).  This study is interested in the training aspect of HRM as it gives employees the confidence to perform their tasks diligently for greater organizational effectiveness (Anwar & Shukur, 2015).

• Concept of and Employee Commitment:

            Employee Commitment is the determination of the employee to remain connected with the organization.  (Mart, 2013) refers to it as the bond that workers practice with their organization making them have a greater tendency for higher productivity innovation (Dinc, 2017). The pioneers of the commitment studies in the literature observed that employee commitment for organizational effectiveness helps to leverage employee capabilities and commitment within the company (Adam, 2020). Studies show that committed employees have increased motivation and performance in the company, which directly impacts organizational output (Mohammed et al., 2020; Budur and Poturak, 2021). Therefore, this study considers it important to investigate employee commitment in Innoson Nigeria Ltd. Employee commitment was divided into the following three dimensions by Meyer and Allen, (1991);  Affective Commitment- how employees feel about their work and the company; Continuance Commitment involves employees’ concern about retention in the organization, their worry about losing the job; Normative Commitment is the sense of responsibility that an employee feels pressure to continue to serve in the company, as a result of benefits and rewards (Dinc, 2017; Yildiz, 2017). Such benefits of organizational commitment include increased job satisfaction, decreased intention to leave, and increased job performance Ahmed, Jumana & Top, Cemil. (2021). This implies that employee commitment can result in increased sales (Yildiz, 2017), decreased employee turnover (Cohen, 1991), and decreased absenteeism (Yildiz and Amin, 2020).

          The relationship between HRM and employee commitment is therefore a central key for the internal and external effectiveness of organizations. HRM practices such as training and skill-development opportunities (Torlak, Demir, and Budur, 2021b), can enhance employee commitment and consequently greater organizational performance.  It therefore becomes imperative to investigate the HRM and employee commitment of Innosson Nigeria Ltd to determine their preparedness to embark on their new proposed venture.

Theoretical Framework: The research study made use of two theories the “mutual investment” model and the “effective wage model” (Tsui, et al, 1997). The maxim of the “mutual investment” model is that when the employer looks after her employees, her employees will look after the employer. When the employer signals that she takes care of the well-being of her employees, then the employees will react with more goodwill, commitment, and willingness to cooperate. On the existing “effective wage model” they argued that the employment relationship is not only made up of financial exchange, but a further layer involving social exchange, in which the employers and employees exchange goods that have not been previously agreed upon earlier on.  This implies that employers offer employees “social” goods by giving them opportunities for career enhancement. Thus, in the context of the mutual-investment model (Tsui et al, 1997 and Tsui and Wang, 2002) the internal and strategic fits within an organization are considered to be either job focused or organizational-focused. In a job-focused approach, the emphasis is on shared rewards and direct compensation, resulting in a series of short-term economic exchanges between the employer and the employee. In an organization-focused approach, the exchange is more on the long-term relationship. In that case, there is a greater emphasis on training, and employees are given more job security, resulting in a more stable exchange relationship between the employer and the employee. In this case, employees will show more cooperative behavior in response to the investments of the employer. In this context, a highly skilled, well-motivated, loyal, and dedicated workforce is formed for the organizations, ensuing employee commitment.  This study is interested in the organization-focused approach, on which this study is anchored.

Review of Empirical Studies:  Studies reviewed include: Studies on Human Resource Management; Studies on Employee Commitment and Studies on Innoson Nigerian Limited.

• Studies on Human Resource Management and Employee Commitment:

Nsor, Eneh  &  Ele (2024), evaluated the relationship between employees’ commitment and organizational performance of the University of Cross River State, Calabar. The study adopted a survey research design. From the population of 1206, the sample of 300 respondents was determined through the Taro Yamane formula. The instrument for the study was a structured questionnaire. The study adopted the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23, to test the hypotheses and to determine the relationships between the independent and dependent variables under study. The study revealed that there was a significant relationship between affective commitment and job satisfaction of workers, that there was a substantial relationship between normative commitment and motivation of workers, that there was a significant relationship between continuance commitment to work and workers’ involvement in the University of Cross River State. The study recommended among others that Normative commitment should also be developed by workers and supported by management by providing intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to workers in the institution. The management of the institution should also create continuance commitment among workers in order to enhance job involvement and performance in the institution.

Dunmade, Kadiri, Aun, Bello, and Yahaya, (2019), investigated the influence of human resource management practices on employees’ commitment to ensuring sustainable performance among the staff of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kwara State Command Headquarters, Ilorin. The population of this study comprised employees of NSCDC – consisting of six departments, using a self-administered questionnaire. The results of the tested hypotheses showed that training and development have a significant effect on employee commitment. This study is very relevant to the current study in the sense that both studied HRM and employee commitment. However, while this study focused on staff of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Kwara State Command Headquarters, Ilorin, the current study is based on Innoson Nigeria Ltd, a manufacturing firm.

Babalola, Afolabi & Olusegun’s (2019) study focused on a model designed to explain the linkage between HRM practices and employees’ commitment to the core values of business organization. The model places a high premium on the business environment as the major determinant of whatever happens in the business organization. The values, beliefs and philosophies of founders must be congruent with the business environment otherwise reaching the business objectives becomes difficult. Similarly, the management of people in the workplace through human resources management practices is contingent on human resources management policy which draws its strengths from business objectives and organisational policies. The model distinguishes that where human resources management practices can herald positive perception and image, employees will be loyal and be willing to remain with the organization over a long period thus ensuring commitment to the core values of the organization and the feedback framework is an avenue to evaluate the level of agreement between and among the business environment, employees’ expectations and focus of the organization. The relationship between this study and the current one lies in the fact that both centered on HRM and employee commitment, but while this study is designed to explain the linkage between HRM practices and employee commitment, the current study attempted to test the veracity of the model. 

Ogunyemi, (2021) analyzed the effect of human resource management practices on employees’ commitment: A study of Lagos State Internal Revenue Service. The study focused on performance appraisal, compensation management, and training and development against the three-dimensional models of employees’ commitment, namely: affective, continuance, and normative commitment respectively. The survey research design that was adopted. A well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection from a stratified and simple random sample of 200 employees and with the use of the Taro Yamen formula, a sample size of 400 employees. The data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) while Linear Regression was used for the analysis. The result indicated that performance appraisal, compensation management, and training and development all had significant effects on affective, continuance, and normative commitment respectively. As a result of the findings, the study therefore recommended that organizations should ensure the effective and unbiased implementation of the selected human resource management practices to get employees to remain committed.  This study is very relevant to the current one in that both investigated HRM and employee commitment using similar respondents, and data collection techniques. However, this study focused on performance appraisal, compensation management, and training and development against the three-dimensional models of employee commitment, namely: affective, continuance, and normative commitment respectively, while the current study was just recruitment and training aspects of HRM but against the same three-dimensional models of employees’ commitment, namely: affective, continuance and normative commitment.

• Studies on Innoson Nigerian Limited.

Nwekpa, Offor, and Chukwuma, (2021), studied “Correlate of outsourcing and organizational productivity determined the extent of the relationship between outsourcing and organizational productivity of Innoson Technical and Industrial Company, Emene, Enugu” to determine the extent of the relationship between cost-driven outsourcing, technology-driven outsourcing, and business process outsourcing on the quantity of output, quality of product and efficiency. The study employed a correlation design. A questionnaire was administered to the sample of 286, The data collected were analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficient via SPSS Version 20.0, whereas a correlation matrix was also employed to ascertain the extent of the relationship of specified variables. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between cost-driven outsourcing and the quantity of output. This study is very relevant to the current study in that both studied Innoson Nigeria Limited, but while this study focused on outsourcing and organizational productivity of the Technical and Industrial Company at Emene, this study is interested in the HRM and employee commitment at the Headquarters in Nnewi.

Ekwochi et al (2018) aimed to appraise “collective decision making and its effect on organization commitment in the manufacturing industry (A study of Innoson Company Limited, Emene)”, using primary and secondary methods of data collection through questionnaire, oral interview, and personal observation, Periodicals and journals, Textbooks and lecture and notebooks, and the Internet. Data were analyzed using simple percentages, while the hypotheses were tested with chi-square. A significant relationship was found to exist between collective decision-making and organizational commitment. Collective decision-making affects the organizational growth and profitability of Innoson Company Limited, Enugu.  They concluded that collective decision-making has an impact on the performance of the company. The researcher therefore recommends that Innoson Company Limited should always implement vital decisions made jointly with the workers otherwise, it would reap distrust as well as a lack of confidence and commitment among its employees. Although both studies dwelt on Innoson, this one focused on collective decision-making and its effect on the organizational commitment of Innoson Ltd, this study is on HRM and employee commitment of Innoson Ltd. However, similar research designs, instruments, and analyses were employed, but this study used only primary data.

Chukwuma’s (2015), study examined the global challenges in human resource management in Innoson Motors Ltd, Nigeria with a population of 630 senior staff of the company. The Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the research questions while the Chi-square was used to test the hypotheses at a 5% significant level. The results revealed that Nigerians are predominantly employed in administrative positions while non-Nigerians are employed to manage the technical work in the company. The non-Nigerian staffers in the company are all employed as technical staff, indicating that the acquisition of technical know-how is a reason for employing foreigners. The recruitment procedure for Nigerian employees is significantly different from the recruitment procedure for non-Nigerians. Thus the study concludes that there is discrimination in the employment processes in the company, wherein the non-Nigerian staff received better treatment and employment terms than Nigerian staff. Hence it is recommended that the management of hi-tech firms in Nigeria should encourage the transfer of technical know-how to engender development of technological and human capital base in Nigeria. On-the-job training, media for in-house knowledge sharing, and seminars should be encouraged.

Appraisal of Literature Reviewed: Concepts of three main variables were reviewed. The study agrees with (Tiwari, 2012) on the concepts of  Human Resources and Human Resource Management. However, the study perceives Human Resources as the employees of Innoson Nigeria Ltd and Human Resource Management as the recruitment, training, and development of the employees of the firm. The study adopted the (Dinc, 2017) concept of employee Commitment but focused on Meyer and Allen, (1991), three dimensions of employee Commitment, which are; Affective Commitment; Continuance Commitment Normative, and Commitment. The study was framed on two theories the “mutual investment” model and the “effective wage models” by Tsui, et al, (1997). Four empirical studies were reviewed on Human Resource Management and Employee Commitment and three studies on Innoson Nigerian Limited Out of the studies reviewed none was on HRM and Employee Commitment in the case of Innoson, Nigeria Ltd. This is the gap filled by this study.

METHODOLOGY: This involves the research design, area of study, population, sample and sampling method, and instrument. Method of data collection, method of data analysis.

 Research Design: A mixed-methods approach, which combines qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques was adopted.

Area of Study: The area of this study is Nnewi, a city in Anambra state, in South-East of Nigeria.  The people are Igbos, known for their business acumen and industrialization, especially in motor parts production and marketing., drawing people from all over Nigeria and abroad to the purchase of material spare parts.

Population and sampling Method: The study population involves 1,800 employees of Innoson in Nigeria. The participants in this study include employees from various departments within the company. A purposive sampling technique was employed to ensure diversity including 15 Managers and 75 staff from the headquarters in Nnewi. The sample size was determined based on the saturation of data, towards a balanced representation across different departments. A total sample of 85 employees was selected and used.

Instruments for Data Collection: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a structured survey questionnaire and an in-depth interview Guide, titled ‘Human Resource Management (HRM) Employee Commitment Questionnaire (HRMECQ)’ and ‘Human Resource Management (HRM) Employee Commitment Interview Guide (HRMECIG)’ respectively. The HRMECQ was developed based on validated scales and existing literature to explore variables related to the extent HRM practices impact employee Affective Commitment; Roles of training and development in influencing employee Continuance Commitment and the shortcomings of recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd. The questionnaire was structured on a 4-point Likert-type rating scale with options of; SA- Strongly Disagree; A- Agree; D-Disagree; SD – Strongly Disagree and VLE- Very Large Extent; LE- Large Extent; SE- Small Extent; VSE- Very Small Extent and weighted 4, 3, 2 and 1 respectively. It has two sections, A and B. Section A, collected the demographics of the respondents, while Section B has three clusters and 30 items for answering the research questions.

 The HRMECIG consists of seven open-ended questions based on the three research questions.

 Validation of the Instrument: Three experts validated the instruments and ascertained the appropriateness and clarity of the items of the instruments. Their comments, suggestions, and observations guided the production of the final instruments. (App I).

 Reliability of the Instrument: A pilot study on another similar company in Enugu was conducted for a trial testing of the instruments, using the Cronbach Alpha method, which yielded an internal consistency of 0.88 for the entire instrument, which was therefore considered reliable enough for the study.

Method of Data Collection: The study employed a face-to-face administration strategy. The researcher with his well-trained research assistants directly administered the questionnaire, while the researcher personally interviewed the heads of departments and recorded the outcome.  The entire data collection lasted for three weeks. A high return rate of 95% was recorded.  The researcher interviewed six HODs in their offices after prior appointments with them. Each interview session lasted for between 20 to 25 minutes. 

Method of Data Analysis: The data were analyzed quantitatively, using means and standard deviation. Decisions were arrived at using the criterion mean score of 2.50. This implies that Means below 2.50 were taken to indicate that the corresponding item was NOT Accepted by the respondents, while Mean scores of 2.50 and above were taken to indicate that the corresponding items were Accepted for the same reason. The results from the Interview and Focus Group Discussion were qualitatively analyzed.

For the hypothesis, t-test analysis was adopted at a 0.05 level of probability.  The significant level was determined with the P-table value about the. This implies that when the P-value is below 0.05 level of significance, that is when the calculated is greater than the t-table (1.96) it implies a Significant Difference between the means tested, thus the Null Hypothesis was Not Accepted.  On the other hand, when the P-value is higher than 0.05 or the  t calculated is greater than the t-table (1.96), it implies No Significant Difference between the means-tested. Therefore, the Null Hypotheses was Accepted.  For the research question that requires a test of the extent, the real limits of Numbers will be used to arrive at decisions as follows;

                    Mean Range            Decision

                      3.50 – 0.05 = (VLE) Very Large Extent 

                      2.50 – 3.05 = (LE)    Large Extent 

                      1.50 – 2.05 = (SE)   Small Extent

• – 1.05 = (VSE) Very Small Extent 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Results: The results were presented in six tables in line with the research questions and hypotheses that guided the study.

RQ1: To what extent does the HRM influence employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Limited?

Table 1 shows themeans and Standard Deviation on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd. The cluster mean for both Managers and Staff shows a mean score of 2.89 and Standard Deviation of 0.77. The mean falls between the range of 2.50 and 3.05, indicating a Large Extent. This implies that the HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Limited to a Large Extent.

RQ2:  What roles does the HRM play in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.?

Table 2 shows the roles HRM plays in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd. According to the table, all the items have scores above 2,50 Criterion Mean, except 13, 14, 15, and 21 with means below 2.50. This indicates that, HRM at Innoson Nig. Ltd. gives training and development opportunities as soon as staff is employed, so they have no fear of losing their jobs; The training and development programs are relevant to employees’ jobs making them have confidence in performing beyond expectation in Innoson Nig Ltd. Training/ development are given to employees at Innoson Nig Ltd whenever they are transferred to a new department making them well prepared for the tasks ahead; Through Training/ development, the HRM; motivates employees of Innoson Nig Ltd.; making them fit for any job; Makes employees more organized so they have no fear of being laid off due to the new developments in the company; enhances creative thinking and performance beyond the expectation of employees; helps employees mediate through crisis management, improves the overall performance of employees; helps employees reduce burnout and stress; makes our employees more committed to their jobs.

RQ. 3: What are the shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd.

Table 3:

Table 3 indicates means and Standard Deviation on shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of Staff at Innoson Nig Ltd.  The table shows that only items 23, 27, and 29 of the mean scores of the Manager and staff are above the 2.50 Criterion mean and so they are Accepted as shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of Staff at Innoson Nig Ltd. Thus, hiring fast to avoid byproduct result to shortage of qualified candidates at Innoson Nig Ltd; Innoson Nig Ltd HRM does not offer rewards in advance to keep skilled workers and Innoson Nig Ltd attracts highly skilled candidates that are expensive to maintain/ retain are found as the shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of Staff at Innoson Nig Ltd. 

HypothesisOne:  There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.

Table 4:

Summary of t-test Analysis of the Significant Difference Between the mean scores of Managers and Staff on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Ltd.

Table 4, a summary of the t-test Analysis of the Significant Difference Between the mean scores of Managers and Staff on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Ltd. The table indicates that the t- t-calculated 1.90 is lower than the t-table, 1.96 at 0.05 level of significance showing No Significant difference between the two mean scores. The null hypothesis is accepted. Therefore, there is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd

HypothesisTwo:  There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff in the roles HRM plays in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.                            

Table 5:

Summary of t-test Analysis of the Significant Difference Between the mean scores Managers and Staff on the roles HRM play in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.                              

Table 5 shows the summary of the t-test Analysis of the Significant Difference Between the mean scores of Managers and Staff on the roles HRM plays in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.  The table indicates that the t- t-calculated 1.87 is lower than the t-table, 1.96 at 0.05 level of significance showing No Significant difference between the two mean scores. The null hypothesis is accepted. Therefore, there is no significant difference between Managers and Staff in the roles HRM plays in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.  

HypothesisThree: There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the

shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd.

Table 6:

Summary of t-test Analysis of the Significant Difference Between the mean scores Managers and Staff on the shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd.

Table 6 shows the summary of the t-test Analysis of the Significant Difference Between the mean scores of Managers and Staff on the shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd. The table indicates that the t- t-calculated 1.88 is lower than the t-table, 1.96 at 0.05 level of significance showing No Significant difference between the two mean scores. The null hypothesis is accepted. Therefore, there is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd.

Qualitative Analysis of the Data from the HRMEJSIG

Fifteen Managers were interviewed. Their responses were qualitatively analyzed as follows.

 Interview Question 1a: What recruitment /selection practices does Innoson Nigeria Ltd. employ for employee Affective Commitment?

Result:  They indicated that the recruitment /selection practices that Innoson Nigeria Ltd. employs for employee Affective Commitment include;

• Recruiting /selecting staff by tracking the progress of applicants, and filtering their resumes based on specific qualifications and experience
• Using Standardized interview questions that assess candidate’s skills and experience
• Evaluating the cultural fitness of Innosson Nigeria Ltd to align with her values and work culture, makes employees feel committed to the organization.
• Adopting the use of multiple stakeholders such as department heads, team members, and HR representatives during the recruitment /selection process gives a sense of confidence to the candidates of Innoson Nig. Ltd and
• Recruiting /selecting staff through IM-IMAMADU-That is, adequate knowledge of the candidate by the employer makes the employees value the goals of Innoson Nig

Interview Question 1b: To what extent do the recruitment /selection practices impact employee Continuance Commitment at Innoson Nigeria Ltd.?

Result: They unanimously agreed that the recruitment /selection practices impact employee Continuance Commitment at Innoson Nigeria Ltd., to a Large Extent.

Interview Question 1c: To what extent do the recruitment /selection practices impact employee Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nigeria Ltd.?

Result: They unanimously agreed that the recruitment /selection practices impact employee Normative Commitment at Innoson Nigeria Ltd., to a Very Large Extent, especially the expatriates.

Interview Question 2a: Are the employees in Innoson committed to the company?

Result: They unanimously agreed that employees in Innoson are seriously Committed to the company as a result of the training and development and attractive remunerations.

Interview Question 2b: What roles does training and development play in employee Commitment at Innoson Nigeria Ltd.?

Result: The roles include;

• Making them fit for any job
• Makes them have confidence in performing skilled tasks
• More organized without fear of being laid off due to the new developments in the company
• Job autonomy to our employees prepared for the tasks ahead
• Motivates employees of Innoson nig ltd
• Specialized for the new tasks ahead
• Enhances teamwork for Innoson nig ltd ensuring no fear of retrenchment or job loss
• Enhances creative thinking and performance beyond the expectations of employees
• Makes our employees more committed to their jobs,
•  Helps our employees reduce burnout and stress

Interview Question 3a: What are the shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that can negatively impact the Normative Commitment of employees and how does Innoson Nigeria Ltd. try to overcome these shortcomings?

Result: The shortcomings include;

• Hiring fast to avoid byproducts results in a shortage of qualified candidates at Innoson Nig. Ltd. To overcome the shortcoming Innoson Nig. Ltd. gives employees training and development opportunities.
• Innoson Nig Ltd HRM practices a very long hiring process, resulting in the best candidates finding another job. To overcome the shortcoming, the company employs the use of IM recruitment and selection methods, especially where specialized skills are concerned.
• Innoson Nig Ltd HRM does not offer rewards in advance to keep skilled workers. To overcome the shortcoming, the company pays its employees handsomely.
• Innoson Nig Ltd attracts highly skilled candidates that are expensive to maintain/ retain. To overcome the shortcoming Innoson Nig Ltd. remunerates them well and uses them only as contract staff for specific tasks.
• Innoson Nig Ltd recruits and selects candidates through IMAMADU (IM), which is a recruitment method based on adequate knowledge of the candidate’s capabilities and abilities.

Summary of Findings:

RQ1: To what extent does the HRM influence employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Limited?

Finding 1:  HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigerian Limited to a Large Extent.

RQ 2:  What roles does the HRM play in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.?

Finding 2: The roles HRM plays in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd. include:

• Giving training and development opportunities as soon as staff are employed, so they have no fear of losing their jobs;
• Making the training and development programs relevant to employees’ jobs, making them have confidence in performing beyond expectation.
• Giving training/ development to employees whenever they are transferred to a new department, making them well-prepared for the tasks ahead;
• Through Training/ development, the HRM. Motivates employees of Innoson Nig Ltd. making them fit for any job;
• Making employees more organized so they have no fear of being laid off due to the new developments in the company;
• Enhancing creative thinking and performance beyond expectation;
•  Helps employees mediate through crisis management, improves the overall performance of employees;
• Helps employees reduce burnout and stress;
•  Makes employees more committed to their jobs.

RQ. 3: What are the shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd.

Finding 3: The shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd. Are:

• Hiring fast to avoid byproducts results in a shortage of qualified candidates;
• Innoson Nig Ltd HRM does not offer rewards in advance to keep skilled workers
• Innoson Nig Ltd attracts highly skilled candidates that are expensive to maintain/ retain.

Innoson Nig. Ltd. Try to overcome the shortcomings by;

• Giving employeestraining and development opportunities.
•  Using IM recruitment and selection method, especially where specialized skills are concerned.
•  Paying employees handsomely.
• Innoson Nig. Ltd. recruits candidates that are expensive to maintain/ retain but pays them well and uses them only as contract staff for specific tasks.
• Recruitments candidates through IMAMADU (IM), for skilled employees that do specific tasks.

HypothesisOne:  There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.

Finding 4: There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.

HypothesisTwo:  There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff in the roles HRM plays in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.                            

Finding 5: There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff in the roles HRM plays in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.                           

HypothesisThree: There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the

shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd.

Finding 6: There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the

shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd.

HypothesisOne:  There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.

Finding 4: There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.

HypothesisTwo:  There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff in the roles HRM plays in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.                            

Finding 5: There is no significant difference between Managers and Staff in the roles HRM plays in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.                           

DISCUSSION:

Extent the HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigeria Limited.

 It was found that the HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nigeria Limited to a large extent. This implies that employees at Innoson Nigeria Limited like their jobs, which are in line with the values and goals of the organization. This is not surprising because the training and development make the employees committed. This was collaborated with the test of the hypothesis found without significance implying thatThere is no significant difference between Managers and Staff on the extent HRM influences employee Affective Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd. The test of hypothesis shows that both the managers and staff concur with this finding.

         This study is in line with the findings of Dunmade, Kadiri, Aun, Bello, and Yahaya, (2019) who found that HRM practices greatly impact employees’ commitment and ensure sustainable performance. It also supports Nwekpa, Offor, and Chukwuma’s (2021) study that outsourcing at Innoson Technical and Industrial Company, Emene, Enugu, Nigeria enhances organizational productivity. It also agrees with Ekwochi, Chinedu, and Okoh,that collective decision-making at Innoson Company Limited Emene enhances organizational commitment. Though the last two studies are not at the Innoson Nigeria Ltd. in Nnewi, it is still owned by the same person. This seems to confirm the findings that HRM influences employee Affective Commitment at Innoson Nig. Ltd. to a Large extent. The test of hypothesis indicates that both the managers and staff are in consonant with this finding.

Roles does the HRM play in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd.

        It was found that the HRM plays a lot of roles in influencing employee Continuance Commitment in Innoson Nig. Ltd. so as to prevent employees from fear of losing their jobs. To do the HRM has to give them training and development opportunities as soon as staff are employed and whenever they are retransferred to another department, making them well prepared for the tasks ahead. Thus, their creative thinking is enhanced for performance beyond expectation. With the lofty vision of Innoson Nig, Ltd. the HRM cannot afford to implications of staff turnover so they must do all things possible to retain their, including training and handsome remunerations.

This study is in line with the findings of Nwekpa, Offor, and Chukwuma (2021) and Ekwochi, Chinedu, and Okoh,showing that the HRM of Innoson companies does a lot to influence employee Continuance Commitment.

Shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees at Innoson Nig Ltd.

 Like all organizations, Innoson Nig Ltd. has shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees. Innoson Nig Ltd hires fast to avoid byproducts resulting in a shortage of qualified candidates but overcomes its negative effect by giving employeestraining and development opportunities. She also uses IM recruitment and selection methods, especially where specialized skills are concerned, and pays her employees handsomely. Due to the nature of production at times, required staff are expensive to maintain/ retain however they are, used only as contract staff for specific tasks, so that that released soon after the needed task is performed. This study supports Nwekpa, Offor, and Chukwuma (2021) that even outsourcing for Innoson Technical and Industrial Company, Emene, enhances organizational productivity.  It is also in line with Chukwuma’s (2015) HRM challenges of Innoson Nigeria Limited under a globalized economy.

CONCLUSION:

 HRM practices especially training and development have a lot of impact on employee Commitment in organizations, especially in Innoson Nigeria Limited, which will help it achieve its lofty vision.

Implications of the study:  The findings of this study imply that;

1. HRM practices impact largely on employee Affective Commitment in organizations.
2. HRM performs special roles in training and development which significantly influence employee Continuance Commitment.
3. Shortcomings in recruitment/ selection practices that negatively impact on Normative Commitment of employees can be identified and overcome.
4. Innoson Nigeria Limited’s HRM has a lot of positive impact on the employees which can help it achieve its objectives.
5. Organizations should therefore prioritize HRM practices especially in training and development to enhance employee performance.

Recommendations: Based on the findings it was recommended that:

1. Organizations should therefore prioritize HRM practices, especially in training and development to enhance employee performance.
2. Innoson Nigeria Limited should leverage this study to improve its Training and development programmes to include HRM staff, especially for the globalized world, to enable her to retain her well-qualified, specialized, and skilled staff.
3. Innoson Nigeria Limited HRM should encourage outsourcing to reduce cost and hiring fast to avoid byproduct results leading to a shortage of qualified candidates.
4. Innoson Nig Ltd should employ the use of IMMAMADU (IM)  recruitment practice to attract highly skilled candidates that will not be expensive to maintain/ retain.

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