Influence of Human Capital Development on Employee commitment in University Libraries in South-West, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of human capital development on employee commitment in university libraries in South-West, Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. The population of the study consisted of 684 librarians from 43 universities in the six states of South-West, Nigeria. Total enumeration was used to cover all the professional and para-professional librarians. A validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients for the constructs ranged from 0.82 to 0.86. A return rate of 72% was achieved. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential (linear and multiple regression) statistics. Findings showed that the level of employee commitment in university libraries in South-West, Nigeria was fairly high (M=2.64 on a 4-point scale). Human capital development had a significant influence on employee commitment (  = .179, t₍₄₈₉₎ = 77.25, R²= .24,  p<0.05). However, manpower training ( = .261, p< 0.05) relatively contributed more to employee commitment than career development ( = .257, p< 0.05). The study concluded that human capital development influenced employee commitment in university libraries in South-West Nigeria. The study recommended that the current propensity towards human capital development by university libraries in South-West can be strategically deployed to induce staff motivation, resourcefulness, growth, and staff retention. The presence of a visible and well-understood policy will further help this.