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Interagency collaboration for graduate employment opportunities in Uganda: Gaps in the structure of organizations

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Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify gaps in the structure of organizations that hinder collaboration of organizations involved in the creation of graduate employment opportunities in Uganda. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from staff and leaders of 14 organizations that were purposely selected to represent government, private, and civil society organizations. These organizations were selected based on their mandates, which touch on the employability of university graduates in the country in very direct ways. This was a cross-sectional survey design—based on a self-administered questionnaire, key informant interviews, and documentary analysis. Findings Organizations were found to have “Tell”/directive decision-making, high power distance between employees, and jobs were not coded in a way that gives employees freedoms to interact and build collaborative relationships. Finally, rules and regulations were very restrictive, disorienting employee's abilities to collaborate. Research limitations/implication This research concentrated on the gaps that exist in the structure of organizations from which the results point to inadequate relational, interactional, inclusive, and democratic space among different stakeholders. It would be useful for future research to examine the extent to which the structure of organizations not only impacts collaboration but also measures the level to which it affects organizational performance. Practical implications The knowledge economy of the twenty-first century demands for collaborative engagements with different stakeholders if they are to survive the competitive business environment. Collaborative engagement helps in the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and resources, development of more coherent services, facilitation of innovation and evaluation, avoiding duplication of work, and minimizing conflicts and competition while creating synergy among partners. Originality/value Unlike previous studies, which have examined employability of graduates from a supply side perspective, this study investigates organizations from both the supply and demand perspectives and identifies synergy that is as a result of bringing organizations to work together.
Interagency collaboration for
graduate employment
opportunities in Uganda
Gaps in the structure of organizations
Peter Ntale
Directorate of Doctoral Training, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research,
Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda
Jude Ssempebwa
East African School of Higher Education Studies and Development,
Makerere University College of Education and External Studies, Kampala, Uganda
Badiru Musisi
College of Education and External Studies, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
Muhammed Ngoma
Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, Makerere University Business School,
Kampala, Uganda
Gyaviira Musoke Genza
Foundations and Curriculum Studies, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
Joseph Kimoga and Christopher Byalusaago Mugimu
College of Education and External Studies, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
Joseph Mpeera Ntayi
Faculty of Economics, Energy and Management Sciences,
Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda, and
Wasswa Balunywa
Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify gaps in the structure of organizations that hinder
collaboration of organizations involved in the creation of graduate employment opportunities in Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from staff and leaders of 14 organizations that were
purposely selected to represent government, private, and civil society organizations. These organizations were
selected based on their mandates, which touch on the employability of university graduates in the country in
very direct ways. This was a cross-sectional survey designbased on a self-administered questionnaire, key
informant interviews, and documentary analysis.
Findings Organizations were found to have Tell/directive decision-making, high power distance between
employees, and jobs were not coded in a way that gives employees freedoms to interact and build collaborative
relationships. Finally, rules and regulations were very restrictive, disorienting employees abilities to
collaborate.
Research limitations/implication This research concentrated on the gaps that exist in the structure of
organizations from which the results point to inadequate relational, interactional, inclusive, and democratic
space among different stakeholders. It would be useful for future research to examine the extent to which the
structure of organizations not only impacts collaboration but also measures the level to which it affects
organizational performance.
Practical implications The knowledge economy of the twenty-first century demands for collaborative
engagements with different stakeholders if they are to survive the competitive business environment.
Collaborative engagement helps in the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and resources, development of more
Interagency
collaboration
for graduate
employment
271
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0040-0912.htm
Received 31 August 2019
Revised 14 December 2019
2 January 2020
5 January 2020
Accepted 5 January 2020
Education þTraining
Vol. 62 No. 3, 2020
pp. 271-291
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0040-0912
DOI 10.1108/ET-08-2019-0193
... Failure of these organizations to collaborate with one another is attributed to inadequate trust between different organizations. However, as seen through Ntale et al. (2020) lenses, most of Uganda's organizations are hierarchical and highly centralized meaning that decision making is exclusive to the top organs, there is high power distance and above all there are rules and regulations that bars people from interacting with one another. One would therefore wonder whether organizations built in this will promote trust amongst each other to a level that allows them collaborate with one another to solve problems that collectively affect them. ...
... However, according to Olowu (2003), organizational structures in developing countries like Uganda are made in such a way that relational interactions which gives rise to reciprocity are difficult to achieve among organizational members. Ntale et al. (2020), attributes this to the centralized and formalized nature of Uganda's organizations which makes it difficult for members to initiate and promote reciprocal relations. Trojer et al. (2014) had earlier confirmed that Uganda's institutions of higher learning were autonomous in nature consequently disabling the initiation of any reciprocal exchanges which would support collaboration. ...
... However, organizations in developing countries like Uganda are characterized with centralized hierarchical decision making, high power distance and stringent rule observation which do not support the development of relational interactions between people, systems, processes and organizations. According to Ntale et al. (2020), organizations built in this way discourages the development of collaborative relationships and therefore, may not achieve much in solving problems that go beyond their individual abilities. Therefore, there is need to invest in actions that will create trust, mutual and reciprocal relationships among organizational stakeholders. ...
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