Browsing by Author "Bisaso, Ronald"

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    Antecedents of Commitment of Academic Staff in Universities in Uganda: A Conceptual Paper
    (Nkumba Business Journal, 2015) Mugizi, Wilson; Bakkabulindi, Fred E. K.; Bisaso, Ronald
    The importance of employee commitment (EC) in so far as enhancing employee job performance is concerned is widely recognized in scholarly literature. Committed employees may be more likely to engage in extra-role behaviors such as creativity, have less intentions of leaving the organization, accept and enhance organizational change and involve in knowledge sharing. Despite the apparent importance of EC, evidence shows that there is low EC among academic staff of universities of Uganda. Academic staff engage in frequent strikes, threats of strikes, absenteeism, delayed handing in of marks, part-time activities and show declining motivation and commitment to excellence. This means that if the problem of lack of EC among academic staff persists, there will be complete decline in the academic standards of universities. This paper proposes a study to isolate significant antecedents that can enhance EC of academic staff in universities of Uganda. The antecedents to be appraised are in three categories, namely, human resource management (HRM) practices, organizational characteristics and personal characteristics. This paper that is derived from a PhD proposal, highlights the introduction, theories, the problem, objectives, significance, framework, related literature and the corresponding hypotheses to be tested. It also proposes the methodology to be used in the study. The PhD monograph and future articles to be generated from the proposed study will give the findings, conclusions and recommendations.
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    Are Organisational Characteristics Antecedents of Employee Commitment? Evidence using Academic Staff in Private Universities in Uganda by Wilson
    (International Conference on Private Higher Education in Africa, 2016) Mugizi, Fred E. K. Bakkabulindi; Bisaso, Ronald
    The study sought to find out whether organizational structure, leadership, relationships and support were antecedents of the employee commitment (EC) of the academic staff. The correlational study involved 173 respondents from three private universities in Uganda. Data were collected using a questionnaire whose validity and reliability were tested using Factor Analysis and Cronbach Alpha. Means were used for descriptive analysis, while multiple regression helped to test the hypotheses. Results showed that organizational leadership and support were significant positive antecedents of EC, while organizational structure and employee relationships were not. This led to the conclusion that the two positive antecedents were most likely essential requirements for the EC of the academic staff in private universities to their jobs, while organizational structure and employee relationships may not be. Hence the recommendation those stakeholders such as the directorates of human resource in the respective universities, promote good organizational leadership and support in order to enhance the EC of the academic staff.
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    The Culture-Research Nexus: Stakeholders’ Perceptions of the Connection between Disciplinary Cultures and Research Choices in Higher Education
    (African Journal of Education and Practice, 2018) Kaweesi, Muhamadi; Bisaso, Ronald; Ezati, Betty Akullu
    Within the higher education discourse, the critical role of disciplinary cultures in influencing organisational departmentalisation; shaping the academic profession; and in informing academic leadership has been underscored. However, the connection between disciplinary cultures and research choices seems to be underreported. The study explored key stakeholders’ perceptions of this connection in Uganda’s research-led flagship academic institution, Makerere University. The purpose was to ascertain whether and how the espoused disciplinary practices, values and beliefs inform the research choices of academics across disciplinary fields. We adopted a qualitative, intrinsic case study design that was rooted in social constructivism philosophy and guided by an interpretivist paradigm. Professorial staff and Institutional level senior research managers constituted the sample. Data were collected using in-depth interviews from four Full Professors, eight Associate Professors, and two institutional level senior research managers. We then triangulated data sources with documents checks. We analysed data thematically. Findings: Findings reveal that although there is a connection between disciplinary cultures and research choices, the ethos of producing knowledge at the very basic level has more influence on academics' research choices. This is because, across disciplinary fields, research is more understood in terms of journal articles. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: We recommend that if the University is to perfect her research-led status, there is need to popularise cultures that would promote the production of diverse knowledge in order to enhance the contribution of the University to national socio-economic development. This could be achieved by revising the existing research policies to ensure that when academics are being assessed for promotion, they should be assessed on a broader criterion that includes number of publications and contribution to policy and the community.
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    Examining the barriers to reporting sexual harassment in Universities
    (International Journal of Sociology, 2020) Namaganda, Agnes; Ssali, Sarah; Bisaso, Ronald
    Universities have responded to sexual harassment by putting in place formalized reporting processes through which victims can seek redress. Despite these processes, victims seldom invoke the grievance handling mechanisms that are enshrined in university sexual harassment policies. This study therefore sought to investigate why the vice is grossly under reported. Given the asymmetrical relationship between students and faculty as well as the gendered position of female students, this study specifically focused on why female undergraduate students seldom reported faculty perpetrated sexual harassment.
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    Makerere University as a Flagship Institution: Sustaining the Quest for Relevance
    (Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2017) Bisaso, Ronald
    Makerere University is an interesting case of a traditional university in sub-Saharan Africa. Such universities were established as both national and regional symbols with the main objective of human resource capacity development. Makerere University transformed from a colonial university to a nationalist university, and is, at present, a neoliberal university (Eisemon, 1994; Mamdani, 2008; Musisi, 2003; Obong, 2004). At each stage of transformation of Makerere University as a flagship institution, emphasis on capacity building for human resources, research productivity to contribute to socioeconomic development, and policy development has been evident.
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    “This Motivates Me to Work towards Great Performance”: Higher Education Female Leaders’ Voices on the Nature of Support to Their Leadership
    (American Journal of Educational Research, 2017) Nakamanya, Florence; Bisaso, Ronald; Kimoga, Joseph
    Existing literature pays less attention to what enables the women occupying senior and middle leadership positions to succeed in Uganda universities. While support of all kinds to women in leadership in developed contexts has also been given some attention by scholars, little attention has been dedicated to those in developing contexts. The study set out to access the voices of Higher Education female senior and middle leaders on the nature of macro and micro support to their managerial performance. The findings reveal institutional policies, support from senior management, and family support as apparent in women’s successful leadership. The study concludes that despite the macro and micro support, women may not be attracted into leadership because the policies in place are gender biased, males continue to dominate the senior and middle positions, as well as the patriarchal tendencies which reserve leadership for men. The study recommends that, universities should implement gender related human resource policies that are free from bias and continuously organize leadership workshops and trainings for the incumbent and aspiring female leaders. The political sector and the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development should continue to educate the population on gender roles, responsibilities, rights, and freedoms in society. This may then help to attract more women to take part in leadership including HE institutions.