The good, the bad and the ugly in the melting pot: the challenges of Nigerianising diversity management

Taking a clue from the aftermaths of colonisation and the need to manage an 'unholy marriage' created by the British colonial masters, the review paper examines the peculiar challenges of managing Nigeria's unique diversity in the public sector through the critical lens of the Federal Character Principle (FCP) with specific focus on how this invented model of diversity management ended up creating more serious problems than it was meant to solve in the Nigerian public administration. The paper is essentially a review, and it relies on previous studies and real-world evidence on the subject. The paper systematically traces the evolution of diversity management in Nigeria’s public administration through the critical lens of the Federal Character Principle (FCP) with specific focus on how problematic it is to management Nigeria's unique diversity with more serious problems being created by the FCP application in the public sector. The paper reveals that the constitutional provisions of the ‘Federal Character Principle’ (FCP) ended up creating more problems than it set out to solve, reflecting in the 'melting pot' allegory. It reveals how problematic it is to manage the country's diversity, and highlights some of the problems created by the FCP. The review makes a case for an urgent need to intensify empirical research on the subject in order to fashion out a better way of managing Nigeria's diversity in the public sector. One major limitation of this paper is rooted lack of empirical research such as survey to further explore the topic. However, some real-life examples and cases were provided were drawn on the phenomenon. Thus, a call for more systematic and empirical research is made. The implication of the finding is that the model for managing workforce diversity especially in the Nigerian public sector (not limited to the public administration) must be ‘Nigerianised’ such that the unique socio-cultural realities of the Nigeria's society as well as benefits accrued to diversity can be fully explored in driving the growth of the country and survival of the 'unity-in-diversity' goal. The paper will benefit the government, relevant stakeholders, and the Nigerian society at large. It offers some useful insights into public administration. It stimulates an interest to conduct further research on diversity management with a view to producing some useful findings that could lead to a better management of diversity in the country

Fracture in the Elderly Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation (FEMuR): study protocol for a phase II randomised feasibility study of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation package following hip fracture

Objective: To conduct a rigorous feasibility study for a future definitive parallel-group randomised controlled trial (RCT) and economic evaluation of an enhanced rehabilitation package for hip fracture.Setting: Recruitment from 3 acute hospitals in North Wales. Intervention delivery in the community.Participants: Older adults (aged ≥65) who received surgical treatment for hip fracture, lived independently prior to fracture, had mental capacity (assessed by clinical team) and received rehabilitation in the North Wales area.Intervention: Remote randomisation to usual care (control) or usual care+enhanced rehabilitation package (intervention), including six additional home-based physiotherapy sessions delivered by a physiotherapist or technical instructor, novel information workbook and goal-setting diary.Primary and secondary outcome measures: Primary: Barthel Activities of Daily Living (BADL). Secondary measures included Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living scale (NEADL), EQ-5D, ICECAP capability, a suite of self-efficacy, psychosocial and service-use measures and costs. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and 3-month follow-up by blinded researchers.Results: 62 participants were recruited, 61 randomised (control 32; intervention 29) and 49 (79%) completed 3-month follow-up. Minimal differences occurred between the 2 groups for most outcomes, including BADL (adjusted mean difference 0.5). The intervention group showed a medium-sized improvement in the NEADL relative to the control group, with an adjusted mean difference between groups of 3.0 (Cohen's d 0.63), and a trend for greater improvement in self-efficacy and mental health, but with small effect sizes. The mean cost of delivering the intervention was £231 per patient. There was a small relative improvement in quality-adjusted life year in the intervention group. No serious adverse events relating to the intervention were reported.Conclusions: The trial methods were feasible in terms of eligibility, recruitment and retention. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the rehabilitation package should be tested in a phase III RCT

Romantic Relationships in Organizations: A Test of a Model of Formation and Impact Factors

We obtained questionnaire data from 465 employees to test a model containing hypothesized formation and impact factors from Pierce, Byrne, and Aguinis’s (1996) conceptual model of workplace romance. As predicted, results indicate that (a) employees’ attitudes toward romance and sexual intimacy at work and levels of perceived job autonomy are positively associated with their participation in a workplace romance; and (b) employees’ participation in a workplace romance is positively associated with their levels of job satisfaction and, to a lesser degree, organizational commitment. Employees’ participation in a workplace romance was not, however, predictive of their levels of job performance or intrinsic work motivation. We discuss implications for future workplace romance research. © 2003 M.E. Sharpe, Inc