PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPOWERMENT AND OFFICE MANAGERS’ COMMITMENT IN PUBLIC PARASTATALS IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between psychological empowerment and office managers’ commitment in Public Parastatals in Rivers State, Nigeria. Cross-sectional survey design was adopted in the generation of data.  The population for the study comprised two hundred and thirty-nine (239) office managers in 11 public parastatals in Rivers State. the study was a census study. Self-structured questionnaire titled “Office managers Psychological empowerment, Organizational Policy and Commitment Questionnaire” was used to obtain primary data after validation and ascertaining the reliability coefficient of 0.75. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and percentages) were used as statistical tools for analysing the data, while Spearman correlation was used as statistical tools to test the hypotheses with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). It was found that psychological empowerment had significant relationship with office managers’ commitment. Also, it found that organizational culture significantly moderates how psychological empowerment enhances office managers’ commitment in public parastatals in Rivers State, Nigeria. It concluded that if properly considered, psychological empowerment will enhance office managers’ commitment. Based on the findings of this study it was recommended that government should make policies that will improve on the existing psychological empowerment types in the public sector. This will in return influence the commitment of Office managers. Such policies are frameworks that ensure frequent promotion of Office managers, provision of infrastructures, good reward systems and disciplinary measures.