Engineering lecturers' competencies and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) at Kyambogo University

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish the relevant competencies possessed by engineering lecturers and the relationship between those competencies and the exhibited organisational citizenship behaviours (OCB).

Design/methodology/approach

The study was carried out in two phases. Phase one was qualitative using a competency interview guide that was administered to ten engineering lecturers, selected using a purposive sampling design. From this interview, seven key result areas, competencies and critical outputs were obtained. Phase two was quantitative following the development of a questionnaire from the established competencies, key result areas and critical outputs. The questionnaire was administered to 110 engineering lecturers.

Findings

The study revealed that those lecturers who have the relevant competencies do exhibit discretionary behaviours at work. The model could be useful in deriving employee competencies and critical outputs.

Research limitations/implications

A cross‐sectional study using a small sample in a single institution could not warrant generalisability of the findings.

Practical implications

Competency‐based recruitment and selection has the potential to improve the ways in which universities could manage engineering lecturers.

Originality/value

The paper presents a new approach to competency profiling, the need for competent engineering lecturers.

Citation

Kagaari, J.R.K. and Munene, J.C. (2007), "Engineering lecturers' competencies and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) at Kyambogo University", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 31 No. 9, pp. 706-726. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590710846675