INFLUENCE OF MANAGEMENT APPLICATION OF ESPRIT DE CORPS ON ACADEMIC STAFF JOB PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN CROSS RIVER STATE

Abstract

This study examined the influence of management application of esprit de corps on academic staff job performance in public universities in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study was guided by three research questions. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of 3,262 academic staff drawn from three public universities in Cross River State. A sample size of 344 academic staff was determined using the Krejcie and Morgan sampling model. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled Management Application of Esprit de Corps and Academic Staff Job Performance Questionnaire (MAESAJOPQ). To ensure validity, the instrument was subjected to expert review for face and content validity, while reliability was established through a pilot test involving which yielded a Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficients average of 0.82 indicating high internal consistency of the instrument. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while the hypotheses were tested using Chi-square test of goodness of fit at a 0.05 level of significance. The major findings of the study revealed that management application of esprit de corps significantly influenced academic staff job performance in public universities in Cross River State. Specifically, the study found that team cohesion, mutual trust and sense of belonging. Based on the findings, the study concluded that management application of esprit de corps had a significant and positive influence on academic staff job performance in public universities in Cross River State. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made among others University management should strengthen team cohesion among academic staff through collaborative academic structures and team-based teaching and research activities. This should be implemented by Heads of Departments, who should ensure effective coordination of teamwork and collaborative academic engagements within departments.