Abstract

This study examined empirically the impact of teamwork on the performance of public organizations with the case study being the Buea municipal council. To achieve the objective of the study, three objectives were formulated and stated thus: to investigate the impact of teamwork on organizational performance, to identify the factors associated with teamwork like leadership and management style and to assess whether conflict is can be positive for a team. The Survey research design was adopted for the study.

Data was collected through well- a structured and validated questionnaire and analysed using the chi-square technique.

Results of the findings showed that teamwork has a positive impact on organizational performance even though more could be done to improve the way teamwork operates in public organizations. It was recommended that public organizations should increase the amount of effort put towards team building and by extension will benefit from its positive impact on organizational performance.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to Study

The idea or concept of teams has been applied many centuries ago during the establishment and development of human civilization which is why it is a very valuable and important concept in any occupational and developmental process. Teamwork is a precise organizational measure that shows many different features in all types of organizations including non-profit (Mulika, 2010).

Conti and Kleiner (2003) reported that teams offer greater participation, challenges and feelings of accomplishment. Some companies have started to apply team-based strategy in their work performance to maintain the productivity of their workers and to emphasize on the importance of working together as one united entity to achieve the objectives and goals of the organization in the best way possible.

Team-based strategy means a basic method followed by the members of an organization to work in teams to finish the required tasks. As  a result  of such  strategies  applied in  workplaces,  the managers  of  such organizations  are  clarifying the significance of teamwork and its ability to create a better work environment for the workers and increase the level of creativity, productivity and the success of the entire entity.

Cohen (1999) says that teams are replacing individuals as the basic building blocks of organization. In this century, the teamwork skill has been taught as an essential educational concept at schools, so that students learn the proper strategies to develop professional skills as part of their educational process. The important professional skills such as solving conflicts, communication, collaboration and positive interaction skills are noticeably being defined by managers as an important requirement for the work environment. So, the employers and managers are always looking for individuals who can collaborate and work on teams as a critical skill in every working environment.

Public sector organizations the world over, are faced with the challenge to deliver services quickly and flexibly, in order to meet higher and changing demands from clients. This implies that, as the demands of clients are increasing and changing, the organization itself must begin to use more progressive and current tools of organizational practice for it to be able to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the populace.

In Cameroon one of the factors that affect the performance of the Public sector is its structure. The Cameroon Public Sector is modelled along the Taylorist ideology which work is split up into narrow functions with short, repetitive work cycles (Ogunbameru and Oribabor, 1997). The way work is done is prescribed in detail. The system does not give sufficient room for a process of and innovations, which is particularly necessary for quick change and adaptation. Thus to meet the increasing and changing needs of the populace, Cameroon Public Sector must adopt a structure and work process that would involve the workers themselves; and in order to be involved they must have the opportunity to exercise judgment, develop social contacts and learn on the job.

Effective and efficient performance of the service will require that agencies of government apply principles and practices which seek to develop the creativity and commitment of employees at all levels so as to meet the service challenges posed by the social, economic and technological environment. Teamwork is a contemporary organizational practice that can encourage creativity of workers in the Public Sector and increase their commitment to achieve stated objectives.

Public Sector performance in Cameroon can be enhanced if agencies of government embrace teamwork as a component of performance strategy- the practice of which will allow employees to carryout responsibilities as teams with a high degree of responsibility and are expected to work with flexibility.

This position is predicated on the belief that performance of a team is higher than performance of an individual when there is a work requiring broader scope of knowledge, judgments and opinions (Fleishman and Hunt, 1973; Jones et-al, 2007). According to Peters (1987), to gain the greatest performance, employees should be clearly involved in all aspects of the organization’s operations. This research, therefore, builds upon the foundation of established knowledge to examine teamwork as a strategy for enhancing employees’ performance in the public sector.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The Buena municipal council is in charge of the running of the Buea municipality and for ensuring of its smooth functioning. The municipality is meant to promote law and order, social cohesion and peace within the area but has however failed in recent times.

The municipality has been plagued by strikes, riots and conflict coupled with increasing rates of immigration into the area leading to traffic congestions, higher rates of theft, prostitution, scamming and other social vices. The municipality has tried to cope with these challenges but with little success because they seem to use a disjointed and sometimes separate approach to the problems at hand.

There have been several reports of conflict within the municipality, squabbles of power amongst the people supposed to ensure order and various rumours of a lack of cohesion within the organization where everyone fights for himself. It is against this backdrop that we want to investigate the impact of teamwork on the performance of the Buea municipal council. We want to know if their failures in addressing pressing issues can be attributed to a lack of teamwork and how/if teamwork can be the solution to finding ways to curb the troubles which the municipality is facing at the moment.

 1.3 Research Questions

This study seeks to answer the following questions that are highlighted below;

1. How does teamwork affect organizational performance in the Buea municipal council?
2. What are the factors associated with teamwork in the Buea municipal council?
3. In what ways are employees of the Buea municipal council affected by teamwork?

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