Interagency collaboration for graduate employment opportunities in Uganda Gaps in the structure of organizations
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Education+ Training
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to identify gaps in the structure of organizations that hinder
collaboration of organizations involved in the creation of graduate employment opportunities in Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach – Data was collected from staff and leaders of 14 organizations that were
purposely selected to represent government, private, and civil society organizations. These organizations were
selected based on their mandates, which touch on the employability of university graduates in the country in
very direct ways. This was a cross-sectional survey design—based on a self-administered questionnaire, key
informant interviews, and documentary analysis.
Findings – Organizations were found to have “Tell”/directive decision-making, high power distance between
employees, and jobs were not coded in a way that gives employees freedoms to interact and build collaborative
relationships. Finally, rules and regulations were very restrictive, disorienting employee’s abilities to
collaborate.
Research limitations/implication – This research concentrated on the gaps that exist in the structure of
organizations from which the results point to inadequate relational, interactional, inclusive, and democratic
space among different stakeholders. It would be useful for future research to examine the extent to which the
structure of organizations not only impacts collaboration but also measures the level to which it affects
organizational performance.
Practical implications – The knowledge economy of the twenty-first century demands for collaborative
engagements with different stakeholders if they are to survive the competitive business environment.
Collaborative engagement helps in the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and resources, development of more coherent services, facilitation of innovation and evaluation, avoiding duplication of work, and minimizing
conflicts and competition while creating synergy among partners.
Originality/value – Unlike previous studies, which have examined employability of graduates from a supply
side perspective, this study investigates organizations from both the supply and demand perspectives and
identifies synergy that is as a result of bringing organizations to work together.
Description
Keywords
Inter-agency collaboration, Graduate employment, Organizational structures, Uganda
Citation
Ntale, P., Ssempebwa, J., Musisi, B., Ngoma, M., Genza, G. M., Kimoga, J., ... & Balunywa, W. (2020). Interagency collaboration for graduate employment opportunities in Uganda: Gaps in the structure of organizations. Education+ Training. DOI 10.1108/ET-08-2019-0193