Ethical Behaviour of Non-Academic Employee and Performance of Institutions of Higher Learning in Nigeria

Abstract

There is a renewed scholarly and secular effort aimed to repositioning organizations for optimal performance. The educational institutions are also part of this effort especially through the transformational strategies of government. It requires that all workplace factors that are likely to influence performance be properly examined; therefore, this study examined the ethical behavior of non-academic employees of higher institutions. The study was carried out in the universities in South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. From a sample of 2165 non-academic staff of the public universities, data were obtained and analyzed. The findings indicated that there is a positive and significant link between ethical behavior of employees represented by prompt attention to tasks, regularity, integrity and non-discriminatory practices with organizational performance measured by improved service delivery to all stakeholders and increased productivity. The study concluded that ethical conduct among nonacademic employees is imperative for realization of performance goals of higher institution and it is recommended that ethical training programs be put in place for employees to enhance ethical competency as a strategic resource for goals.