Career Structures and Staff Performance in Akwa Ibom State University, Nigeria (2017-2022)

In recent years, Nigerian public universities have become known for incessant industrial actions that disrupt academic activities and staff performance. The reasons adduced for the unpleasant situation are the generally poor conditions of work such as inadequate infrastructure; poor remuneration and workload. Despite the tough working conditions, the staff of the Akwa Ibom State University continue to perform their duties, resulting in a relatively peaceful and stable academic environment. This study was undertaken to unravel how career structures enhance staff performance. The theoretical framework for this study was predicated mainly on the “In Praise of Hierarchy†theory. The study raised three research questions which sought to establish the relationship between career structure and staff performance. The methodology involved a survey instrument and stratified sampling technique to select respondents from the study population of 996. The statistical tools used for the data analysis and test of the hypotheses produced statistically significant numbers which established a positive relationship between the independent research variables (job classification; career ladder and career development) and staff performance. The study further revealed that the aspiration of moving to the top in one’s chosen career as offered by the career ladder motivated staff towards improved performance. Evidence of the positive influence on staff performance by career structures was seen in the results of the three dimensions of the performance indices adopted in the study which showed an annual average total staff promotion of 57.26%, highly satisfactory customer satisfaction and a significantly low number of disciplinary actions (2.69% of total staff) for six years (2017-2022). The study recommended harnessing the benefits of career ladders and transforming them into a systematic communication tool which inspires and enhances a sustainable performance model with near-zero interruption to the academic calendar.