ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFICIENCY OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN NIGERIA: Implications for Sustainable Development

Peretonghanbofa Zincware

Peretonghanbofa Zincware Delta State University, Abraka Delta State

Keywords: Organisational Structure, Administrative Efficiency, Public Sector Reform, Sustainable Development, Governance, Nigeria, SDG 16

Abstract

Government Agencies around the world are being challenged to provide services that are efficient, transparent, accountable and citizen centric especially on developing economies where institutional capacity limitations prevail. This study explores the relationship between organizational structure, administrative performance and sustainability development outcomes, considering digital governance as a moderator. Based on Weberian Bureaucracy, Contingency Theory, Agency Theory, Institutional Theory and New Public Management, organisational structure is conceptualised as Centralisation; Formalisation; Specialisation and Hierarchical Complexity. Data were collected from senior staff from ministries, departments and agencies of government in Nigeria and analysed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings suggest that organization structure is a statistically significant predictor of administrative effectiveness which then has a strong impact on sustainable development results. Administrative efficiency partially mediates the structural design performance relation, and digital governance enhances the positive relationship between structural design and performance. Differences between ministries and autonomous agencies are shown by multigroup analysis, indicating that institutional heterogeneity is apparent. The positive effect of digital transformation on organisational effectiveness and institutional capacity building in resource-rich developing context has been shown by the results. By weaving together, the literature on organisational theory and digital governance, the study contributes insights into how ICT-enabled reform can promote Sustainable Development Goal 16 for effective institutions.

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