Human Resource Development and Employee Perfomance a Case of Canadian Forest Services, Ottawa, Canada

ABSTRACT The Canadian Forest Service (CFS) can only survive and compete effectively when it emphasizes human resource development in its strategic plan (Both, 2014). However, despite the emphasis in the Canadian Forest Service has put on its human resource development, the performance of employees is still wanting as evidences in employee’s failure to produce quality work, failure to write report, constant absenteeism, late coming and failure to address customer concerns (Human Resource Report Canadian Forest Service, 2017). The purpose of the study examined the effect of human resource development on employee performance in Canadian Forest Service in Canada. The research objectives were; to examine the effect of training on employee performance, to examine the effect of job mentoring on employee performance and to examine the effect of job rotation on employee performance in Canadian Forest Service. The study employed the cross sectional survey design. Stratified sampling was used to select a sample from each category of employees. Then simple random sampling was used to select respondents from each selected sample from the category. The study adopted self-administered questionnaire. The findings revealed that training had no significant effect on employee performance with (r-squared =0.096, & Sig=0.000), the findings also indicated that job mentoring had a significant effect employee performance with (rsquared =0.288, & Sig=0.000) and also job rotation had a significant effect on employee performance with (r-squared =0.336, & Sig=0.000), The findings implied that when employees are trained at work, given job mentoring and also rotated at work it positively influences their performance . The study concluded that all aspects of human resource development such as training, job mentoring and job evaluation significantly affects employees performance at work. The study recommended that Canadian forest service should emphasize on providing regular employee training both on the job and off the job training. The Canadian Forest Service should also emphasize job mentoring to new an old employee at work and also conduct job rotation periodically to all employees in order to enhance their employee performance. The study contributes to the existing academic knowledge by producing empirical evidence to support theories significant in explanation of human development practice and employee performance.

TABLE OF CONTENT

APPROVAL ......................................................................................... iii

DEDICATION...................................................................................... iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ......................................................................... v

TABLE OF CONTENT ........................................................................... vi

LIST OF TABLES................................................................................. ix

LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................ x

ABSTRACT......................................................................................... xii

CHAPTER ONE..................................................................................... 1

1.0 Introduction..................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background to the study....................................................................1

1.1.1 Historical perspective......................................................................1

1.1.2 Theoretical perspective ...................................................................4

1.1.3 Conceptual perspective ...................................................................4

1.1.4 Contextual perspective....................................................................5

1.2. Statement of Problem.......................................................................6

1.3 Purpose of the Study......................................................................... 7

1.4 Research Objectives .......................................................................... 7

1.5 Research Questions........................................................................... 7

1.6 Null Hypotheses of the study............................................................ 7

1.7 Scope of the study ............................................................................ 8

1.7.1 Geographical and time scope........................................................... 8

1.7.2 Content scope. .............................................................................. 8

1.8 Significance of the study....................................................................8

1.9 Operational Definitions of Key Terms .................................................. 9

CHAPTER TWO.................................................................................. 10

LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 10

2.0 Introduction................................................................................... 10

2.1 Theoretical Review........................................................................ 10

vii

2.2 The Human capital theory................................................................ 10

2.3 Related literature review .................................................................. 13

2.4 Human Resource Development......................................................... 13

2.5 Effect of training on employee performance....................................... 14

2.6 The effect of job Rotation on employee performance .......................... 16

2.7 Effect of job mentoring and employee performance ............................ 17

2.8 Employees Performance .................................................................. 20

2.9 Research Gaps ............................................................................... 25

CHAPTER THREE............................................................................... 27

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.............................................................. 27

3.0. Introduction................................................................................. 27

3.1 Research Design ............................................................................. 27

3.2. Population for the study ................................................................. 27

3.3 Respondents sample Size................................................................. 27

3.4 Sampling Procedure ........................................................................ 29

3.5 Data Collection Instruments ............................................................. 29

3.5.1 Self-administered questionnaires.................................................... 29

3.6 Validity and reliability of the research instruments .............................. 30

3.6.1 Validity ....................................................................................... 30

3.6.2 Reliability .................................................................................... 30

3.7 Data analysis.................................................................................. 31

3.7.1 Analysis of quantitative data.......................................................... 31

3.8 Measurement of variable ................................................................. 31

CHAPTER FOUR................................................................................. 33

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA......... 33

4.0 Introduction................................................................................... 33

4.1 Descriptive statistics ........................................................................ 33

viii

CHAPTER FIVE .................................................................................. 45

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................. 45

5.0 Introduction................................................................................... 45

5.1 Summary of the findings.................................................................. 45

5.1.1 Effect of training on employee performance .................................... 45

5.1.2 Effect of job mentoring on employee performance ........................... 46

5.1.3 Relationship between human resource development and employee performance........................................................................................ 46

5.2 Conclusions.................................................................................... 47

5.2.1 Objective one; the effect of training and employee performance ....... 47

5.2.2 Objective two; the effect of job rotation and employee performance.. 47

5.2.2 Objective two; the effect of job mentoring and employee performance............................................................ 47

5.2.3 Objective three; the relationship between human resource development and employee performance ................................................................... 47

5.3 Contribution to knowledge ............................................................... 48

5.4 Recommendations .......................................................................... 48

5.5 Limitations to the research study ...................................................... 48

REFERENCES ........................................................................................50

APPENDIECES.......................................................................................56

QUESTIONNAIRE ..................................................................................56