1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Over the years, the government has come to occupy significant position as an instrument of change not only in the developed countries but more importantly in the developing nations.
It has also been observed that the traditional regulatory function of government has multiplied in size and greatly broadened scope. It is expected to achieve such general economic aims such as full employment of satisfactory rate of growth, stable prices and health balance of payment. It provides comprehensive social service and is hitherto expected to promote the fullness possible development of public service and individual human potential.
To a large extent, the government cannot perform these numerous task without a good administrative reform in public service.
The effectiveness of the government, institutions, ministries and parastatals depends on the efficiency and competence of a good administrative reform in the organization or nation.
An administrative reform is a deliberate attempt to change both the structure procedures of public bureaucracy that is, the institutional aspect and the attitude and behaviour of the public bureaucrats in order to promote organizational effectiveness and attain national development goals.
According to Obasi (1983:3), He viewed administrative reform as a purposeful or goal-oriented change made in order to improve the skill, standard of performance and level of productivity of members in an organization.
Caiden (1970:65) also sees the reform of public bureaucracy as the artificial inducement of administrative transformation against resistance: according to him, administrative reform contains three inter-related properties namely:
- Moral purpose: That is the sense of the need to improve on the present situation of things.
- Artificial transformation: This means the departure from the existing arrangements.
- Administrative resistance: Because it is assumed that there would be opposition against change.
From the foregoing, it is obvious that an administrative reform is different from mere-re-organization or normal administrative improvement measures in-terms of scope of modus operandi and its implication. A reform is therefore expected to be a deliberate goal oriented and comprehensive change exercise designed to improve the institution and the attitudinal aspect of the public bureaucracy.
According to Jelowick (1982) He sees administrative reform as consisting of six parts.
- Definition of the objectives, aims and area of reforms.
- Collection of the maximum amount of information of the area to be reformed.
- Critical analysis and appreciation of the situation
- Drafting project of alternative solutions
- Choice of a solution
- Observation of the results of the reform.
In other word, administrative reforms are carried out in order to address the problems militating against effective and efficient service delivery by the public bureaucracy. Such problems as pointed out may have to do with structure and procedures as well as the value attitudes orientation of the personnel in public organizations.
1.2 Statement of Problems
Despite the important function, the public service performed in implementation of policy in Nigeria, administrative reform which had deduced as a change agent of administration pathology of the public bureaucrat in the organization has been fought with several pitfalls. The problems are as follows:
- In-appropriateness and ineffectiveness in the public service as a result of excess red-types of government officials.
- Wide spread of corruption in the public service which had given Kudos to impropriation of in application of public funds.
- Attitude of formulatic impersonality in view of maintaining the organizational status quo which had bad effect in meeting contingence needs in the organization.
- The existence of in-cooperation relationship between the public service and the executive class which is characterized by the spirit of animosity and jealousy.
- Ethnic locality competes and precedence over loyalty to the state or nation.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The general objective of this research is based on the impact of administrative reforms on organizational efficiency in public service.
Before discussing the major objectives of administrative reform, it is necessary to point out that administrative reform is a symbol of the dynamics of any society. Also the need for administrative reform may vary from one policy or government to another and may depend on the nature of the political economy as well as the level of development attained by the country.
The fundamental objectives of administrative reform are as follows:
- To improve the performance of the public administrative system and then make it more efficient in delivery of public service.
- To make the public bureaucracy more responsive to the changing needs of the society.
- To develop the capacity of bureaucratic structure to such extent that would facilitate the efficient implementation of government policies and programmes.
- To increase the performance, qualification, job satisfaction and welfare of the organizational personnel
- To respond to threats and criticism from the environment.
1.4 Research Questions
Certain questions are very relevant as it concerns the impact of administrative reform an organizational efficiency in public service, as answers to this questions will help to enhance administrative reform in public organizations for instance:
- Does administrative reform play any positive impact in organizational efficiency?
- Does wide spread of corruption in the public service leads to in appropriation and in-effectiveness in an organization?
- Does tribalism and ethnic loyalty has any impact to play towards the progress of public service?
1.5 Statement of Hypothesis
- Hi: Administrative reform plays positive impact on organizational efficiency in public service.
- Ho: Administrative reform does not play positive impact on organization efficiency in public service.
- Hi: Tribalism and ethnic loyality has a positive impact towards the progress of the public service.
- Ho: Tribalism and ethnic loyality has no impact towards the progress of the public service.
On the other hand, the students of public administration will benefit from this research because it will help them to understand the administrative work and bureaucratic effectiveness in government sector. Equally, administrators, civil servants and the general public will benefit from this study as it will improve the general understanding of the system and provide solution to the problem of administrative reform and bureaucratic effectiveness.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The scope of the study is meant to examine the impact of administrative reform on organizational efficiency in public service an overview. As an in-road for achieving effectiveness and efficiency in government organization usually in Nigeria.
1.7 Limitation of the Study
Drawing credence from this research work, the research is faced with some constraints from such factors as finance, lack of cooperation from some members of staff who attempt of keep back relevant information as a result of non-challant attitude of some staff of public bureaucrats.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Administrative Reform:
It refers to the deliberate attempt to change both the structure and procedure of public bureaucracy that is the institutional impact and the attitude and behaviour of the public bureaucrats in order to promote organizational effectiveness and attain national developmental goals.
Bureaucratic:
The word bureaucracy is often associated with inefficiency, delay and under the table arrangement, or yet these are the things which bureaucracy aims to correct. Bureaucracy according to Weber is defined as formal, rational, organization social structure involving clearly defined patterns of activity in every series of action is fundamentally related.
Civil Service:
This is a complex organization comprising permanent officials appointed in a civil capacity to assist the political executives in the formulation, implementation, coordination and monitoring of government policies in ministries in which government functions and responsibilities are carried out.
