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University of Nigeria Research Publications
OGBU, Charles Uchenna
Aut
hor
PG/MBA/03/37947
Title
A Pragmatic Approach to Time Management in the Nigerian Organization (A Study of United Bank for
Africa Plc Enugu)
Facu
lty
Business Administration
Dep
artm
ent
Management
Dat
e
June, 2005
Sign
atur
e
* A PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO TIME MANAGEMENT
IN THE NIGERIAN ORGANIZATION. A STUDY OF UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC (UBA) AND ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC ENUGU.
OGBU CHARLES UCHENNA PGIMBA103137947
D EIDAItTM ENT 01;' MANAGEM NM1' I'ACULTY Oi? BUSINESS ANBM I NES'P'IErPTION
I UNIVEISITY OF NIGERIA ENBUGU CAMIYUS (UNEC)
A PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO TIME MANAGEMENT IN I
THE NIGERIAN ORGANIZATION. A STUDY OF UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC (UBA) AND ZENITH
INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC ENUGU.
MBA RESEARCH PROJECT
WRITTEN I ! Y
J J
' OGBU CHARLES UCHENNA PGIMBM3137947
' SUPERVISOR: CHIEF J . A. EZE
I) I3 lDA ItTM ISNT OF MANAG EM ENrF U Q W U I X Y IIbF BUSINESS ADMINLSrl'HWi'HON ETNIVEIWI'I'Y 0 1 7 NLGERXA ENUGU CAM P U S
(UNEC)
JUNE 2005.
CERTIFICATION
OGBU, CHARLES U., a postgraduate
Management with Registration Number 1 1
student of the Department of
- PGlMBAl03137947 has
satisfag,torily completed the requirements of the course and research work d . ,
* .
for the award of ~ a s b r s Degree in Business Administration. %'.
The work embodied in this project report is original and has not been
submitted in part or full for any other Diploma or Degree of this or any other
University.
Supervisor . CHIEF J. A. EZE
HOD (il$anugement) DR. EWURUM U. J. F.
................................. External Supervisor
Date: ...........................
DEDICATION
I dcdicalc this rcscarch projcct to God Almighty, who is my shicld and my
1:xcccding Grcat Iicward and to my Late Mother, 1.010 Cecilia N. Ogbu,
~110 was soiidly bchind me, but could not accomplish it with mc.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
1 so ~nuch appreciation the presence oS God and his glory that had
risen ~ p o n mc via my accomplishing this research project. I give him all thc
thanks I'or giving ~ n c rcst.
1 am so much indcbtcd t o my family, my dad; (Y~icl' ( I lorl) A. A .
Ogbu, my brother; 13arr. 1. 0. Ogbu, My sisters; I?.thcr, Chizoba, llbcrc and
Ony inyc. There love, support and encouragement had rcally made impact
in the realization oS this great dream. I also give (iod all the thanks I'or my
cousin, ('hiina and Mama Somto I'zc for their cncouragcmcnt.
My appreciation also goes to my supervisor ChicS J. A. Ilzc, a i m n I
so much admirc l i ~ r his personality traits that include being very rclaxcd,
energetic, active, a balanccd life with plcnty ol'attcntion given to Ikmily and
Icisurc. All ol'wbich accompany his heightcncd organizational ability. I lc
, is indeed a 'I'imc Manager.
ABSTRACT
'I'hc rcscarch was carried out to ascertain the I'l-agmatic Approach to
'I'imc Managcrncnt in thc Nigerian Organization.3-
[Jnitcd Bank for Africa Plc and Zcnith International I3ank I'lc I'nugu
wcrc used Sor the study. Only the professional staff were engaged i l l t l~c
rcscarch while apprcciably 104 and 77 star[ of UBA and ZI1NI'I'I I 13ank
participated respectively in the study. 'I'hc analysis 01' ~ h c data wcw b a s d
on 11ic res~':~rcli q~rcstions ;inswcrcd by thc respondents. 'l'lic qncstionnai~-cs
wcrc analyscd using simple pcrccntagc distribution Sormular and also a1 a
taken at 950/o, the hypothesis was analyscd sing ('hi-
'I'hc decision rule was"dctcrmined by accepting Null hypolhcsis ( 1 i , , ) ' '.
i l ' and only if the tablc valuc is grcatcr than the calculated valuc. Reject
I lowcvcr, a number of tools, tcchniclucs and attitudes that can help to
ovcrumc thc barriers to cffcctivc tirnc management wcrc mappcd out and
uscli~l I-ccommcndations and suggcstions for furthcr rcscarch wcrc n~r-ldc to
augment t he present rcscarch.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
l I A C I < G l O J N D 0 ' I I I J I Y . . . ... . . . ... 1
1 IIS'I'OIUCAI, l IACK(X0IJND 01- '1'1 11: S'I'UIIY . . . - 7
S'l 'A'l1MlN'l ' 0 1 ' I I O I M ... ... . . . . . . 4
013 J1:C'I'IVI 01: '1'1 11: S'I'UDY ... ... ... ... . . . 5
l l S l A I I - I QJ lS ' l ' lONS ... ... ... ... . . 6
... II1:SI~ARCI I I IYI'O'I'I-IIISIS ... . . . . . . ... 7
. . . ... SICiNII:IC3ANC1.3 OF STUDY ... ... ... 7
... SCOPII ANI> I,IMI'I'A'I'ION OF '1'1 111 S'I'UDY ... 8
... ... 111: 1~~1NI'l'lON 0 1 : '1'1 X M S ... ... ... 9
... ... . . . ... 1 1 1 1 - I I N ... ... ... 10
vii
2.5 NI1CI:SSI'I'Y FOR TIME MANA(XM1N'T . . .
2.8 lil:I:IiC'l'IVII TIME MANAGEMENT ...
3.4 INS I'LIIJMIq;N~I'S 1JSl:I> 1:OR DATA COI,I~T:C'l'ION . . . 54
3.5 I I I I A I O N 0 1 I I 1 1 S 1 A 1 1 1 lNS' l l<JMl ' I . . . 55
3.6 1<1~1,1A1311.1'1~Y OF IW,Sl<AI<CI I INS'III<lJMl~N'I'S . . . . . . 5 5
3.7 M1:'I'I IOI> 0 1 : I>A'l'A ANA1.Y SIS . . . . . . ... . . . 5 5
C:lIAI''I'I<KFOUl< I)A'I'AI'Kk:SEN'I'ArI'I~)N ANl)ANAI,YSIS
4.1 IIA'I'A I'I<13SlIN'I'A'fION . .. . . . ... ... ... 58
4.3 IIA'I'A ANAI ,YSIS ... . . . ... ... ... ... 77
S U M M A R Y OF FINDINGS, lMI'LICArI'ION 0 1 ; '1'1 1 1' E'INI)IN(~, KECOMMICNI)ArI'IONS AN11 (X)NC3I,IJS10N
5.5 S J S ' l O N 0 I J I r 1 I - I J I Y . . . ... . . . 0 8
" I . . , ..
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 RACKGROUNI) OF THE STUDY:
All too oficn we hear froin most people cspccially those in thc
helm ol'aWdirs in organizations, that "therc is no time" some even say
i l with some air ol'pridc as if'it is a distinguishing trait ol'supcriori~y.
Paradoxically, thc Marltcd achievement of thcsc persons leavcs a lo1
to bc desired Cor the so-called "busyness" claimed.
'The above trcnd becomes a dccp source oi' worry when
conlionted with the Pxt that time is one resource that is given in equal
amount to everybody rcgardlcss of status, roles, responsibilities and
place. Ilowcvcr, some makc use of cach sccond, while others f'rittcr
thcrn away. 'I'imc is a prccious commodity, thc basis ol'lilk. It is thc
samc Sor thc president of a country as for the Cactory mcssengcr.
Consequently, what marks one out as a successf'ul cxccutivc or
employee depends on how well this scarce rcsourcc called time is
used cf'fcctivcly and in a productive way (Light & IJnwick (1978)).
Increasingly, scholars and management expert havc begun to
apprcciatc the inclusion oC time as a resource alongside men, material
and money. Inf'act, in most civilized societies of the west, time is the
benchmark for valuing the contributions and su bscclucntl y, thc ~~cward
of employees after they have been categorized according to their
various levels of skills and competencies (Mall 1959). In Nigeria, nay
African, there is the African time, an age long concept of time that
places little value of timing and punctuality. With this kind of attitude
to time management, investment opportunities will not be explored
and lip service will be paid to development.
Therefore, the research will bring to the fore the need for every
organizational participant to be exposed to the unique skills and
principles of time management.
1.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY AREAS
The study areas include the following:
(a) UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC
(b) ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC
1 . 1 . 1 United ~ a n k for Africa Plc.:
The United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) has its antecedents in
the British and French Bank Limited. The British and French Bank ' 1
. , ifself, , . metamorphosed from BNCI Paris, Banquet National pour le / . i . ' . . .<
Commence at L'indttstrie established in 1932. b '.
IJI3A Plc. Was incorporatcd on 1:cbruary 23, 1 % 1. 'I'hc I3anlc
has 221 branches as at 3rd March 2005. 'I'hc Bank undertook a
voluntary public issue in 1970. UBA became a private entity in 1994
w ~ h thc l c t l l drvcstmcnt ol'thc govcrnmcnt's 46% sharcholding.
UBA Plc is onc oi'the three biggest and inost liquid banks in
Nigeria. Thc corporate head officc ol'thc bank is at, No. 57, Masina
Strect, I'agos Island, Lagos.
1.1.2 Zcnith lntcrnational Bank Ltd.:
'I'hc crnergcncc of Zcnith Rank into the Nigcria 1:inancial
Industry in 1990, ushered in a ncw era into thc banking industry.
IIaving operated for more than a decade, the reputation of'thc bank is
being sustained through quality service and coininitincnt to
ccccllencc. 'The bank is [ortunate to have Socuscd rncmbcrs on its
Board. The corporate head of ice oS thc bank is at plot 84, Ajosc
Adcogun Strcct, Victoria Island Lagos. One ol' tlic I'ionccr ncw
generation banks in Nigcria.
1.2 S'I'A'I'EMICNT OF PROBLEM:
Failure to meet deadlines, ~~ncontrollcci intcrruptioi-1 duriilg
working hours and lack of procedures for handling interruptions and
drop-in visitors and phone call all suggest the cxistcncc ol' a time
problem. 'l'hcsc may cut into valuablc time and rob the manager of
the opportunity to handle his routine duties. I-Ic dissipates his energy ' ,
gttcnding to non cssential activities. Misplaced priorities creep in. " I ,
Attention is divcncd,.and the manager is robbed ofvaluablc timc ' I
Managers s~~M'er from timc robbers. 'I'his is thc time that
detracts 'or diverts attention from work. 'I'hc following sul'licc as
examples o S time robbers: incomplete work; a job poorly donc that
must be donc again; poor communication channels; uncontrolled
tclcphone calls; casual visitors; failure to delegate or unwise
delegation; poor retrieval systems; lack ol' information in a rcady-to-
use format; spending more timc than anticipated in answering
questions; late appointments; improper tasks; union grievances, too
many levels ol' review; too inany incctings; over committed outsidc
activi tics; cxccutivc meddling; vaguc goals and objectives; lack o f
technical knowledge; poor lead time on projects; lack of c ~ n p l ~ y c c
discipline; lack of qualiiicd manpower. These tiinc robbers oftcn
result li-om derective planning and a poor delineation ol'
responsibilities, fcar to delegate or rnanagc by oxccption.
A managcr's inability to handle a time robbcr will olicn crcatc
additional timc robbers and result in dclays. 'I'hc spccilic problems to
address include the following.
(a ) I low cll'cctivc is y o ~ ~ r organization in prioritizing their '1'0 I 1 0
lists.
I I (b) What ways do the organization employ to limit intcrrugtions
#
(c) I' 'IS unique skills and principles o r time management cmploycd . . .A 8 ,
enough to overcomc thc.,barriers to cl'fcctivc timc managcnlcnl.
(d) Ilow often is delegation of responsibility practice in tlic
organization.
1.3 ORJ ECrI'IVE OF THE STUDY
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
'1'1;~ .., .,:ci 5 ~ ' objcctivcs 01' this r~scarc11 includcs:
'1'0 prioritizc and increase thc efficiency oS the ordinary todo
list.
'1'0 dctcrrninc how time can be inanaged to limit intcrruptions.
'1'0 exposc organizational participants and students to the
unique skills and principles of time managcmcnt.
(iy,) l o ascertain how delegation 01' tasks incl-case tilnc I I , ,
( v ) '1'0 examine how 'Time Blocks can be used lor optiln~lln
c ffectivcncss.
(vi) '1'0 enable managers learn to spcnd inore timc I'acc to l'acc with
1.4 IIlSlCAKCH QUESrjriONS
(1) Arc you continually overloading schedule; working inore than
55 hours per wcck; frequently working at cvcnings and
wcckcnds; hardly cvcr taking holidays?
(2) 110 you always favo~lr short-tcrrn gains ovcr mcdium or long
tchn, always putting out the fire?
( 3 ) 110 you makc hasty decisions, dcspite the risks they involve.
(4) Do you always delay your task because you constantly have tho
fceling of catching up.
( 5 ) Do you have thc fear of delegating work, or of accepting othcl-s'
initiatives.
I I u : 'Shc"i.Sfective means of getting , '.
the banking industry is
maximum outpi11 in
traceable to thc
institutionalized philosophical pattern of time use.
110 : 'i'hc efficiency of the todo list in banking industry
is increased by prioritizing the !asks accordingly.
I Io 'I'he dclcgation of responsibilities and authority to
thc s t an is a panacea Sor defcctivc planning in tllc
organization.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The significance of this study havc numcrous bcnclits lbr
managers and staff of UBA and ZENI'I'H i3ank Plc, as well as
s t~~dents of Business School.
It enables the managers to set daily tasks and establish
deadlines for each task. It will also help them to get Maxi~nurn output
from the limited time available and avoid ~nisplace~nent ol'prioritics.
'1'0 thc Banks, it will point out thc conscqucnccs 01' not
undertaking professional time Management skills and the necd to
embark on it.
" I I ' .
'1.0 students ofbysiness, i t will help them havc basic knowlctlgc . \
o I"1'imc Management in order to focuss tasks on goal-related activi iics
and limitbintcrr~~ptions to cffectivc time management.
1.7 SCOPE AN11 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:
'I'hc scope of the study covers the pragmatic approach to tiinc
Management in ljanking industries; A case study of UBA P1,C and
ZENITH BANK PIX.
The lirni~ations ol'the study is the clement of bias that o11c olicn
encounters whcn soliciting responses from questionnaire. The
respondents were unwilling to co-opcratc with the rcscarchcs bccausc
thcy fklt that thcy havc nothing to benefit from the study linancially.
There was also financial and time imposed constraints to the
researcher in gathering the necessary data to study.
Notwithstanding these limitations, the study is cxpcctcd io
provide results that will be of i~nlnensc assistance to managers and
staSfo1' banks in Nigeria.
( 1 ) 0 I I S -- I t is a standard tool in timc manugcmcnt that
' I
includes a llat list ol'taslcs tlia~ a person nccds LO ,
I J 4 ,
, . ,,, completc to achicvc goals.
.I /,
' \
(2) I>clcgation -- An act of assigning task or rcsponsibility and
authority to your stafl'.
(3) Procrastination - To delay or postpone action.
(4) 'l'imc-I .og - It is used for measuring how one uses time as a
basis for determining how it should be spcnt.
(1) Light & Urwick (1978) The Nature of Management, London:
Pitman Publishing Co. p. 17.
(2) Hall, L. T. \ 1959) The silent language, New York: Doubleday.
( 3 ) Success Digest, Vol. 2, No. 10, July 1997, PP 30 - 35.
CHAPTER TWO
LI'I'EIIArrUKE IIEVIKW
2.0 INrI'IIOI~UCIrI'ION:
Managing within tiinc, cost and pcrSorinancc is casicr said than
donc. Givcn thc turbulent nature of organizational cnvironincnt, i t is
ncccssary and critical that the managcr crfcctivcly managus his own
tiinc. Disciplined tiim inanagcment i s onc of the keys to cf'fi'ctivu
inanagcincnt. I3ut, according to Kerzncr (1 989), managcimci~t ol'timc
is olien taken for granted in the ordinary business cnvironmcnt.
'l'iinc is a rcsourcc. Whcn lost or misplaced, i t is gone Sorcvcr.
For a managcr, howcvcr, timc is more ol 'a constraint, and cflkctivc
. ,. lime inanagcincnt must bc cmploycd to makc it a resource. 1 i i m ~ is
not necessarily wcll managed when thc managcr t a l a up additional
work load, or spends large amounts of ovcrtii-nc. 'l'hcsc may not bcr
ncccssary i f thcrc is effective delegation as well as cmploy~mcnt oj'
cl'l'cctivc timc ~nanagcmcnt principles (Alltinson, 1988).
' I , 2.1 CONCICP?' OF 'I'IME MANAGEMENT: 8 ,
1 ,
'rime i s defincd as that stretch of duration in which activities
occur (I3cnson -- Eluwa 1998). The Cambridge International
1 _'
1)ictional-y 01' Ihglish dcfines i t as that part 01' ctistcncc \\lhich is
measured in tcl-ms o S seconds, minutcs, hours, weeks, months, yca1.s
/ , , 'I'imc as defined abovc is categorized into thrcc' (3) viz:
I ' . . ,,
13iolopici~l""l'ima: This is bascd on somc cyclical occuncnccs , '.
of ccl-tain bodily functions. It is the inner impulsc, which
signals when it is time to sleep, to wake, to cat ctc.
I'sychological Time: 'This rel'crs to thc dil'Scrcnccs in
individual perception and awarcncss of timc. 'l'his kind 01' t i llic
is what makes time look fastcr on one occasion and slower o n
anothcr. And i t is what explains how dil'rcrcnt persons pcrccivc
timc dilTcrcntly.
Scientific Time: This is thc timc bascd on thc regular
movcments of the earth in relation to thc sun and is split into
seconds,. minutes, hours, weeks, months, ctc. (Nickel ct a1
1976. I t is thc Scientific Time that we arc intcrcsicd i n its
managcmcnt in this project.
Time ~nanagcmcnt focuses on how to schcdulc and plan timc to
~nalte the best of i t in both work place and in pcrsonal c n d c a v o ~ ~ ~ . ~ .
'l'imc Management aims at ensuring that cmployccs and mana~goinc~lt
attain effectiveness in the workplace.
2.2 '1'1ME MANAGEMENT SYSTEM:
I Iow many times have you heard othcr pcoplc say at thc of'lice,
at hornc, in a restaurant, or elsewhere:
"Il'only I, had a bit more tiine" ....
"I'm sorry, but I'm already late" . . . .
"So sorry, but I'm already overloaded . . ..
"Call me next month, I haven't got a monxnt to sl~arc" . . . . I
thc managerial S~~nctions of plbnning, organizing, implcmcnting and
controlling time use in ordcr t~ achieve desircd cnds in an cllicicnt
[>id you know that cvcrybody has thc samc L W C I I L ~ - I ' O U ~ 110~11-s
. . ' . , to work with? But sornc makc usc of each second, whilc others
I'
li-ittcrs'ihcm away. 'I'irne is a precious commodity, the basis of lik. .., , -. ,,
Without timc, you can't do anyhing. A complctc 'l'imc Managcmc~lt
Systcm rnakcs you to bc master oS your own tiinc, have enough time
to do everything you like, bc up to date, have a lot morc timc for
' . i L i ; ., hc', J.:)L: to be noticcd and will makc you to always cnd i,lp
succeeding brilliantly.
'I'his can bc achieved by learning how to rnaltc yo~~rscl I'
available, trusting your co-workers and dclcgating rcsponsi bility to
them. As a rnanagcr of a big organization, time rnanagcr~~cnt systc.111
will rnakc you to kccp yourself'f'ree to makc "important decision, a~ici
to take advantage of lucrative opportunities. Oncc again, the question
is why? Simply bccausc you have pcrkctcd a systcn~ which infallibly
Icads to success.
2.3 TIME MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES:
In thc literature, a widc sangc of' principlcs is prol'li.rctl as
principlcs of timc rnanagement that to list them uncatctgorizcd ~n ig l l~
r -. producc a long unintcresting'checklist. 1 o avoid this, wc discuss the
principles under the lbllowing subheadings: 1 I
( i ) Pcrsonal time organization
(ii) 'I'iinc planning and work scheduling
( i ii) 1)clcgating and time management and;
I
(iv) Ilcaling with time wasters
( i ) l'ersonal Time Organization:
A lot oS what happens to our timc dcpcnds on ~ L I I -
pcrsonal attitudes, habits and disposition. No matter how good
thc timc principles may bc, littlc will be achicvcd if' we do not
takc tirnc to personally rcoricntate oursclvcs and bc conmi~tcd
to cl'fcctive time use. In this regard, the following suggestions
will be most useful.
(a) Practicc Quict ? h e : Quiet tiinc is a linic SLY ;\sicIc to
reflect over one's activitics, rearrange priori~ics and pla~l
fbr thc iiiturc. It is good onc learns to squcczc o u ~ uscli~l
time cithcr daily or atiincs within the wcck to have qlticl
~imc. 'I'his is timc different from fi-cc and lcisurc time :IS
thc latter is devoted to slecp or work. 'I'his tirnc should
not exceed onc hour (dcGrazia 1976). J , .
I ,
(b) "'-Personally . , make it a habit to concentrate on what or lc has ,,,,
choscn to work 'kn at a particular point in timc. I'hc
vicissitude ol' lifc soinctiincs makc it diSficu1~ to
conccntratc. Emotional pressure of~cn bccloud our minds
leading to poor concentration. Othcrs arc bcing in
cxcessivc hurry and/or doing too many things at a tirnc
The inevitable fallout of poor concentrations is shoddy
and poor quality work. At the end, we may bc called
upon to repeat them thereby wasting mol-c time. ' 1
, ) Endeavour to attain order and pcrsonal grooming:
,, ,
Ilisordcrliritss is the key to timc wastc 2nd poor ".
productivity, some workers arc so cal-clcss that thcy do
not havc a systematic way of storing inlbrmation and
documents. This attitude makes it difficult to retrieve
these documents leading to undue wastc of time. Somc
do not evcn havc whcrc thcy ltccp thcir crcdcnti;ils. CSo
much so that each tiinc thcy arc to prcscnt tkcm, thcy will
spend frantic hours, looking for thcm. Cleanness, good
dressing and gait, carriage, speak volu~ncs a b o ~ ~ ~ :I
worker's ability to manage pcrsonal time clTcctivcly.
Such persons attract respect Srom collcagucs and gucsts.
Poorly drcsscd and unkempt wol-l<crs display lack ol'
personal tirnc discipline and usually gcts dcspisud b ~ .
' others.
(d) I m r n to say no: Solneonc once said that one mark 01'
maturity is the ability to say 'NO'. 'I'his is lnorc rclcvant
;.I ~ i m c Managcmcnt than in othcl- areas ol' lilk. Wc must
learn to sill through various rcqucsts and idcli~ily thosc
we can accommodate within our schcdulc and thc ones
wc cannot. 'I'hc lattcr, we shall h ~ m b l y and co~.~rtcously
say no to. 'I'hc willing horses should take ~lotc.
(c) Do not bc a perfectionist: In doing our work, lct us aim
at an excellent perfoimancc not a purfect onc. Solnc
pcoplc have the habit of insisting on crossing cvcry '1'
and doting every 'i ' . In the end, they spend ctcrnity
doing one thing.
( i i ) Time Planning and Work Scheduling:
This classii-?cation is made with thc bclicl' t h u ~ a lot i)l'
ti~ric will bc saved if we tale a detailed study of' our wol-lc
situation. 'l'hc first pla& to begin is to review how we spend
our time at the moment.! A typical suggestion is to use a diary
to itcmize carefully all the tasks which one docs, and carelidly
record the time spcnt Qn them. 'I'he excrcisc will help one
pinpoint whcrc most of thc tilnc is spcnt. I3y so doink;, o ~ i c
discovers where most oC thc time is \,vr?stccl and ~naiic
I '< ,, corccti,ons as appropriate.
. , - 1 0 ,
% '.
'The next step is to plan time. This requires the L I S ~ oi'
notebooks or dairies to identify thc principle activilics carried
out by an cmployec. Appropriate tirne should be allottcd to
each activating for its performance.
(a) Work Scheduling: This requires that thc principal tasks
that makc up one's day's work should be :~~-l.angcd i l l
order of and proper time allollcd lo lirou. 'Ihc
a lollowing steps could be adopted:
.- I3rcak down larger jobs into ~nanageablc portions.
-- Prioritize the work in their order ol' importance
- I>cvclop rncans of following thc schedulc maintaining
I ,'To aid work scheduling, we may nccd to ~ l sc ~ 1 7 ~ 'much I . . . ..
, . , .., ,
mcntioncd A, I3;"C and I> of tirne classification. '. A ,.- . The urgent and important
13 - Important but not urgcnt
C - Necessary daily routine that cannot bc dclegatcd
D - Delcgatablc duties, which one nccd not attend to
personally.
'Thc Class 'A' tasks are those that contribute to thc goals ol'the
organization and yet urgent. They must bc attendcd to lirst. I L shoulcl
takc most of the discrctionary timc. 'I'hcn class 13 li)l lo\vs. bc1i)t.e
class C. Wc sho~tld bc careful of class C bccausc olicn time i t comes
urgent yct i t is not as important. Class 'I>' to the rnost par1 sl~oultl bc
dclcgatcd to others to perform.
I i.
Other time planning and work schcdul ing pri~lciplcs arc' I
J 2 I .
discussed h'erc'undcr: I 8 I ,
' \ (a) Plan your day: Spcnd time each day to plan through your work.
(b) I'rActicc cfrcctivcncss then cfficicncy: I~l'Scctivcncss entails one
Itnowing what leads to the accoinplisl~mcnt 01' the
organization's objcctivcs and doing it. In the \,vords to pctcr
I>rucltcr, to bc effective is to do the right things. So, onc key to
c1'1'cc~ivc timc managcincnt is to do the right things. On t11c
heels ol: ef~~ctivcncss is to be cflicicnt. I Xcicncy entails doill:;
things accurately and with minimunl cxpcnditurc of' rcsourccs
timc inclusive.
(e) Plan your discrctionary and coinmitted tinlc into yo~lr dr~ily
schedule:
Iliscrctionary time as hinted earlier are those ti171cs Idi li)r
employees' free use. Committed times are tl~osc you sct aside to
.-. attend to your boss and/or your subordinates. I o n l n x i ~ l l i w 1111: ~1st' 01'
thc 1i)rmcr and ~ninimizc intcrruption arising li.oln tllc latcr, \vc S I I O L I I C ~
plan thch into our daily timc schcdulcs.
(iii) Delegation and 'I'imc Managcmcnt-
Ilelegation is at the heart of management. This is bccausc I
I ' I ,
manigers~,worl< with and through peoplc and to do that . ( I ,
a '4
clli.ctivcly, nxmagcrs must learn to practice dclcgarion. mot;^
importantly, it is onc act that helps time managcrncnt a lot.
Reasons for 1)clcgating:
Once people have learned how to work with you, they
can tala responsibility for jobs you do n o t havc time to
do..
You can develop peoplc to look al'tci- routinc tasks that
arc not cost-effective for you to carryout.
It transfers work to pcoplc whosc skills in a particular
area are better than your saving timc.
(d) Transfer of responsibility devclops Four stal'l' and can
increase their sa t iskt ion in the job thcy do.
Why do Pcople Fail to Delegate?
'I'hc pcrccivcd fcar associated with dclugation i~cludc:
(a) Lack of time:
Delegating jobs do takc time. In tlw carly stagcs 01'
t taking over a job, you may need to invcst time i l l tmini~l;; ) I ,
' , people to taltc over tasks. Jobs may take longcr timc 10 achicvc
with delegation than they do when you do it yourscll; cspcciaily 6 '.
when coaching and chcclting arc taltcn into account.
(b) l'erfcctionism - Fcar of Mistakes:
Just as you have to train staff to perl'orm solnc [asiis
quickly without your involvement, so you will havc to let
people 111akc mistakcs and get pcrfcctcd through corrcc~ion.
(c) ' Enjoying getting other pcople's hand dirty:
By doing jobs yourself, you will probably gct them done
cff'cctively and cfficicntly. Dclcgating thc tasks to your
assistants hclp you to have a free time to talw irnpol-l:~nl
decisions and takc advantage of lucrative opportunities.
(d) Fear of surrendering Authority:
Whcnevcr you delegate, you back it up wi tl.1 sonic Ic\ cl
oi"authority to enablc your subordinate to cal~yout thc task. I t a
common say that bctrayal abound in thc systcm it whcn
authority also is delegated, onc tcnds to takc over you!- posilion.
I ( (c) Selief that staff are not up to the Job:
I '< I
It, is common for peoplc who arc ncwly pro~iotcd to 1 $1
managerial positions to'havc di Sficulty dclcpting. Olicn, t l i q
would have been promotcd bccause thcy wcrc good at what
r . thcy wcrc doing. I his brings the temptation to continuc trying
to do their previous job, rathcr than dcvcloping il!::ir ncw
subordinates to do thc job wcll.
, ~IL. ~Lllowing principles will help dclcgation and timc
lnanagcment inspitc oS the perceived Scar associa~cd wi t h
dclcgation.
(i) Managers should conccntratc on work, which orily tllcnl
can do or those that is not advisable hl- them to ~iclcgatc.
, ,
(ii) 'I'hcy should dclegatc tasks, which othcrs can d(:. 1 his is
whcrc the saying 'let john do it' bcco~ncs apt.
(iii) Supervisors should lcarn to train cmployccs to do
delcgatablc tasks.
(iv) They should avoid revcrse delegation. I<cvcssc
dclegation occurs when a delegate brings bacl, i!
dclcgatcd duty for managers' attcntioli. 11' ~1.x manager
slcccp~s rcvcrse delcgation, then he would be incrctising
his workload unduly and would have i'ailccf ii'i his bid to
train and encourage his subordinates to accept
responsibility. 9%w
. , a
(iv) Ikaling With Time Waster * Ra ' r *
To effectively mbnagc tiinc, we m n s ~ Icarn to iclcllti 1 j
tilnc. wasters and handlc thcm. 'I'hc main sourccs 01' t i me waste
I , al-(2: I . , ,
(a) 1nterrupti.on li'o~n outside guests, collc~tgucs m c i t m s s c ~ \
(b) 'Telephone calls
(c) Procrastination
In handling thcsc tiinc wastcrs, the foliowing suggcs~ioi~s
arc pi-oSfcrcd.
( i ) Practice Screening: 'This is thc proccss by which onc
sifts through various objects of nttcntiori, visitors,
telephone calls, correspondence, meetings, c ~ c . and
chooses those to attend to and those to ignore. Some
organizations have monitoring television, which
identifies who is calling from the gate and l'roin tlicrc, thc
incumbent can give instructions to tlic gate I T K ~ I . Othcr
mcdia include Iilling visitors' Sol-ins, \vhicll I1<>li,s t ! l i 7
manger know whether to attend to thc pcrson or 1101. A I I I
cnicient secretary {an help screen telcplionc calls, handlc
ones to thc manager.
(ii) As said earlier, plan in committed and discrction;wy ti~ncs I d
, . in your daily schedule.
, \
( i i i ) Schcdulc a time for guests and oilxr cate:;ol-ics cil'
persons who have easy access to thc work cnvironmcnt.
(iv) Diligently work to changc the habit o S proct-ashation.
'I'hc latter as observed by Edward Young is 11ic thicl' of'
time.. In dealing with it thc following stcps arc
suggcstcd.
(a) Don't allow for to1norrow what you can d o today.
(b) I3rcak scemingly insurmountable tasks irlto bits
and picces. Then handle it little by litllc. I3y thc
time we know what is happening, wc arc through
with it.
Schedule each task you want to clo and lbllow
through your schedule.
Pretend to be another person. imitate a n cl'licicn~ ! i
time user add mirror yoursclt. in suc~r ;I pcrso~,
position.
Ileward yourself' alicr you haw accon\pl ishcd :I
dillicult tasketc.
lo apprcciatc its v:irio~;s
classilications. In this respect, we could talk of thrcc classi Iications ol'
time na~ricly:
( i ) Response 'I'imc: 'I'his is thc timc spent by managers r.cspondi!?g
to othcr members o r the organization as tlcy scck li-on] him,
rcsourccs, information, funds, role assignment and clari~ication,
ctc. 'I'his timc typology constilutes the b~rlk 01' a n?;magcr's
daily schedulc and as such is an outlet li)r no st of' illc ~ i n i c
wasted (IIicks and Gullet, 198 1). I t I'ar I-clsxscnts t l ~ largcs~
part of manager's day (Drucker 1967).
(ii) Imposed Time: 'I'his is the timc infringement o n thc part o f
cmployccs by othcr within an organization. I his agai~l
constitutes the bulk of timc that is not prolltably uscd by
, . subordinates in the organization. I he main sources 01' imposed
timc arc:
(a) 17rom the boss
(b) From thc system
(c) 1:rom thc subordinatc.
(iii) 1)iscrctionary Time: 'I'his is thc timc, which is at thc ti-ce LISC
I ol'both the clnployccsiand management. 'l'liis is the timc thal
avails thc incumbents opportunity to create, innovatc and plan
! I out how things should move within thcir work ~ l l ~ i l . o ~ l ~ l l ~ i ~ ~ . .I?
' ,.. rule that can help eflective management in this classilication is
' .
that organizatianal participants should cndcavour to sccusc \. Inore discrctionary timc whilc reducing to thc bcarcst ~ninirn~inl
rcsponsivc and/or imposed timc. When this happcnr;, more
quality use of time would have been madc with its positive
cffcct on productivity in organizations. Whcn activities a rc
I - C I ~ L C ~ L i b L I ~ C ~ inlc acquircd for their accoinplishnient, t l x terms
rcsponsc and discretionary tiine apply rcspectivcly ( WdAx! .
1972).
NlWICSSITY FOR TIME MANAGEMKNrI'
Not a fcw scholars in the past had made certain unplcnsilnt
discoveries about the use of time which brought to the fore the need to
manage tiine efSectivcly. Two of these scholars' s~~binissions will bc
rcvicwcd here briefly.
'l'hc first is the 80120 law of the vilfcrdo pareto, othcrwisc
known as I'arcto's law of timc. 'I'his law discovcrcd that 01' all the
timc spent in an organization, 30% of s~ich time contributes to ~1x11
achicvcs 80% of corporate results, while 80% ol' the tilac is spcni on
what contributes only 20% of corporate goals.
'I'hc second one is the Parltinson's law. 'l'his law submits that
work incrcascs to lill thc timc available to it. 'l'hc iinplict~tior~ 01' tilis
law is that, ii' time is not judiciously allocated to uscli~l work, other
ilon-uscli~l activities grow to 1111-up such tiinc.
'I'hcsc scholars' submission in thc main highlight tllc nccessitj, I " ,
, . fils timc managemeni. For ,, one, they both agreed that timc is liinitcd
and cannot be. remodified or extended to 111c~t an i!i~livid~it\ls'
peculiarities. Nwoko (1997), observes and rightly too, that timc
cannot bc hoarded, stolen, borrowed or changed in any way. It is 01'
cqual amount to cvcrybody, stressing thercforc the nccd Ibr its
cf'fcctivc managcrncnt. !
I:~n-tl~cr, time is costly. Managcmcnt and wol-kcrs arc paid !i)r
r . their time. I hc same applics to computcrs and machines used 1i)r
production. Consider Sor instance, a manager who cams N50,Oi)O
monthly for an eight-hour workday o f 5 days in a week. It means that
I . , t l ~ c value of his one-hour of work is N3 12.501~ 'l'his gives an idca 01' l d .
I . ,
the was'tc. incurl-cd in allowing our timc to bc coln~nittcd to tri lles 2nd ., ,
. : I ,
unprofitable ventures. ' L.
2.6 '1'1ME MANAGEMENT STYLES OF I'I<OFESSI[ONAL,S:
A CIlI'TICAI, APPRAISAL.
'I'imc Managcmcnt styles of' various prof'cssionals difScr
s 1 1 i c i ~ . We shall review these various attitudes 01' i ime
~nanagcmcnt as postulated by Batlcy (1989) and discover in tlic~n
defects which if madc up will enhance cffectivc tiinc managcmcnt.
( i ) '1'1ic workaholics: This group work throughout the day and I*ar
into thc evening and nighis. Work has a grip on then) nli~ch lllc I
samc way alcohol has on 4runkards. To rhcm, work is a hobby,
a habit and a pastimc. i It is also a therapy I'or psycho I
emotional pressures. A barefid look at thc time use 01' lllis
group shows that most orwhat they spent t i n x on w o ~ ~ l d l 1 : 1 \ ~
beltcr becn done by another person. I:urther, most ol'what they
do docs not contribute much in the realization 01' corporare I ,
objective$. .In the end, they dissipate crl'orts on trillcs ard iil 1 11 '.
somc cascs suffcr frcquent health breakdown.
(ii) 'l'hc Willing IIorsc: 'l'his is similar to the workaholics only that
the much workload does not emanate from him b11r li-om llis
bosses and colleagues. 'I'hey arc those who l'or sonlc rcasoll
Iirid it diSficult to say no to rcquests to do something. 'l'hc
conscqucrlcq is olien work ovcrload and drop in quality a td
quantity of high priority work output. 13xpcctcdly, thc willing
horse will havc little or no discretionary timc and is olicn in
danger of incessant strcss and hcalth brealcdown. 'I'hcy musl
Icarn to respectfully say no to work rcqucsts and always ~ ~ S C L ' I - 1 1
::o
between high priority tasks and those of littlc conscqucncc 1.:)
thc organizational objectives.
, . (iii) 'l'hc IXcicn t Expert: 1 his group is so averse to time waste that
thcy cram in so much within a nor~nal workday sch~'d~11c. 'l'hcy
arc so busincss like that they often engage in three or more jobs
at the same time. They are perfectionists, who cxpcct so much
from their subordinates with little, if any co~nmcnd:ition 1 i ) r -
outstanding perrorinance.
Again like the other styles, thc efficient cxpcrt may bc
involved in activities that arc of littlc conscclucncc t o t l ~ o
organizational objectives. What is more, their ovcrbcariug
a t t i t~~de may wear down the morale of their subordinates.
(iv) The I'rocrastinator: This group spends a lot 01' tinw tryinlg to I
take dccisions and eSfect actions. They do tllis by c\iBi-
starching and demandin6 for more information and lhcts upon
i
which the decisions arc to be based. 'I'hcy arc ~~sua l ly smart and 1 ,
, . take unduc time to cnsurc that thcy absolve thcmsclvcs o l ' a n y " , ,
blamc that may q i sc horn the decision taken. 'I'hcy have thc . '.
habit orspending a lot oftime in meetings and answering phone
calls. The default of procrastination is that it is contagious,
with the effect of generally slowing down thc rate oi'progress in
the organization.
(v) 'J'hc Crisis Manager: 'I'his group arc always lighti~lg, Iii-c a i d
managing one crisis after thc other. 'l'hcy arc ruled by
circ~imstanccs and not by carefully planned programmes and
schcdulcs. lnstead of being proactive they rcsort to rcachiilg 10
iss~ies. I'rogrcss in this kind of style is an occcption rather than
the norm. Crisis managers need more time discipline and morc
work organization to be productive. I t is howcvcs. r1ct:cssaI.j I::
rcinark that cvcry organization needs a crisis inanagci. I:)
/
8 . contain crisis situations whcncvcr thcy arise. . ,
8' . (vi) 'l'hc Socializer: I his group spends most 01' thcir tin.^ chattir~g
\
and discussing with people in thc organization. 'I'hcy ncvcr
miss out on any slightest opportunity to take a walk around the
work cnviconment and chat with anyonc who cares to listcn.
'I'hcy arc active on grapevine and constanti y ~ ~ p d a t c thcinscl lIcs
on the latest gossip. 'I'he major time problcm of'this group is
that thcy spread this habit to others or at lcast disturb those with
whom thcy engage in thcir socializing act. 'I'his group ncctls
somc scl1'-discipline or close control kom thcir sctl ior
colleagues to stop this habit.
'1'0 cl'fcctivcly Inanage time we must honcstly idcntily the
catcgory(ics) to which we belong and makc cl'li)~-ts to a c c l ~ ~ i ~ ~ >
thc ncccssary time discipline to be more productive.
2.7 'I'IME MANAG EM ENrl' FORMS:
'I'hcrc arc two basic Corms which can aid managers in practicing
timc management. The first is the 'to do' pad as shown bclow: ' I
A 'todo' list is a standard tool in time Managcmcnt. l i
usually a I'lat list of tasks that a person needs to complctc. 'J'o incrcasc
!!I;. ~.rf'!icic:~l.v ol'the ordinary todo list, the tasks arc prioritize in Ihur
difl'crcnt catcgorics:
Important and urgent -- (1)
Important and not urgent -- (2)
Not Important and urgent - (3
N C ; ~ iniportant and not urgent -- (4)
1:l'fcctivc time management is learning to say no to tasks ill >,.
I . , .
categorics"'3 and 4:to make more timc lor tasks in categories I and 2 .
1:rccing yonrscll from doing tke unimportant tasks lcaves lnore time to
lbcus on the important matters. 'l'hcrcforc, the Manager will dccidc
on which activities to perform hiinsclf and assign the appropi-ia~c
priorities. Thc activitics with thc highest priorities are then
transS(:rred to thc daily log as shown below in order of higher priority
L H ~ in I t c ep~~-~g with the energy cycle ol'the manger. 'I'hc energy c y l c
rcfcrs to thc lcvcl of energy possessed, and this varies from hour to
hour. 'I'hat is, there arc times whcn a manager's pcrformancc is
highcst and vice vcrsa. It could bc at thc beginning ol'the work day,
at noon or altcr lunch brcak. It varies from time to time durin:; tl.ilt
day and Srom day to day during the work week. 'I'he cncrgy lcvcl is
al'l'ected by such Sactors as Sariguc, cl'ficiency ol' work, concentration,
amount of work, eagerness and alcrtncss. 'I'hc Mansgcr pcrl'orms 'ncst
if he understands his cncrgy cycle and prgrammcs his activities
accordingly. It is ncver advisable to procrastinate.
'I'he sccond is thc daily calendar (Fig 2.2). 'I'hc Mnna;).c:r
assigns these activities to theappropriatc timc bloclts bascd upon his
3 4
energy cyclc. [Jnfillcd time blocks arc uscd Sor urxxpccicd crises or
[or lower priority activities.
I f ' there are more priority elements than timc slots, thc manager
may try to schedule well in advance. I lowcvcr, an attempt must be
madc to avoid postponcmcnt of'tasks.
2.8 EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT
'l'imc robbers are always present. 'I'hcrc is cvcry ncccssiiy LO
f 7 idcntiSy, understand and practise how to handle t h m . scvcr;~l
techniques that managers can practise in order to lnakc bc~tcr use 0 1 '
their time ccist. 'I'hcsc include thc requircrncnts 10 d c l c g ~ ~ ~ c , li)llo\\.
ih6 schedule, decide fast, decide who should attend, Icarn to say 1 1 0 ,
. . I ,
start now, d o the tough par< first, travel light, work at travcl stops,
avoid useless memos, refuse to do the unimportant, look ahcad,
control telephone time, shut-of'f; in-house visits, overcome
pimcrastination, manage by exception. Thc four major aspccls ol'timo
~nanagcinent clcarly sound from thc above list, as c1~1oic.c.t 1i.o11-I
. -. 'l'hc nccd for prudent planning
- 'l'hc importance of delegation
- 'I'he need to set priorities or manage by cxccption. ,
-- r T
1 he need to avoid' procrastination.
Along with the above, the manager must;
(a) establish time ~nanagcmcnt rules and,
(b) ask hi~nsclf four pcrtincnt clucstions.
( a ) IZIJ1 , I :S 1:OR '1'1 Ml: MANAG13MENrI'
I , , ,
I . , (i) Conduct a timc aoalysis (timc log)
I " I
(ii)' Plan sol id blocks for important things. ,, ,
. ' I
(iii) Classify your acthities
(iv) 1-3tablish priorities
(v) 'l'rain your sysfcm
(vi) l'ractisc delegation
(vii) Practisc calculated neglect
(viii j ~;ruciise Management by exception
(ix) Focus on opportunities not on problems.
(b) QIJES'I'IONS
(i) What am I doing that I don't have to be doing at all'!
(ii) What am I doing that can bc donc better by somc one
clsc?
(iii) What am I doing that would be donc sul'licicntly wcll by
someone clsc?
(iv) Am I establishing thc right priorities li)r lrly xtivitics'.'
. > I hc answers to these questions could lend a n insigllt into
good or bad timc ~nanagemcnt.
2.9 SUCCESSFUL TIME MANAGEMENT:
Many pcople complain about needing morc timc in a day.
While you know it is impossible to turn minutes into hours, you can
learn to managc the tiinc you havc cfficicntly. Maybe your work
ncvcr sccins to get any closcr to bcing completed. The stress lcvcl
yoo are cxpcricncing is rising !and every-day you bccomc more
frustrated, bccausc many pcoplcl often simply overlook or Ihil LO
rcalize why they I'ccl pressured by time (Mayer, 1990). Altllo~~gll YOLI
can't control time itscll; you can take charge of what you d o with the
time you have. It's really not as difficult as you may t h i n k . 11 ~altcs
willingness and dctcrmination on your part to change your old ways
oI'(loing thincs.
(i) KEIWING TRACK:
Spcnd on or two days recording what you do throughout the
day. You may bc surprised to find out how much time is
wastcd through interruptions and looking for- itenis. IEeli,ic !/\)LI
bcgin to make any drastic changcs, bc aware ol'how your cstra
time is spent.
(ii) USE A DAILY PLANNER:
Write down everything you need to accomplish during
the day. 'I'his will enable you to set asidc time li)r those
projects that keep gctting shovcd asidc lor less inlporlant tasi\s.
I t will also allow you to keep track ol'evcrything. you nccci l o
do'. I t is casy to l'orgct the littlc things and then kick your-scll'
later when you remember. When you do chcck cvcrything ol'l'
your list, you will fccl satisfied with your c f i r t s .
(iii) THE BREAKS:
I t is impossible to ltccp working productively wi~11o~11
ever taking a break. You can't conccntratc nollslopc. I'm.
cxtrcmcly long periods of time.
I.<vcry once in a whi.lc, strctch your Icgs or go\ a drink a\
thc watcr fountain. You will come back re.frcshcd and roady to
work again. I f you are frustrated, this will help you to clear
your mind and get back your focus.
' ,You probably havc onc time of the day whcn yor\ IL.cl .. <
- I f ,
1n6re productive. Maybdt ' s when you first arrive at work or
right alicr lunch. Schcdulc your hardest assignincnts for that
time. If you arc at your best, thcy will seem casicr and you call
gct thein done faster.
(v) W A Y OKCANIZEI):
11 ' L . s!vssful to w o r k in a nlcssy environ~ncnl. I t c.;lrl iic.
dil'ficult to find things bccausc thcy arc hiddcn undcl- all thc
clutter. Spcnd somc timc kceping your area ncat. You will
save a lot of energy that would othcrwisc bc spent looking ti)[.
that important chart or mcmo.
(v i ) GOAL SErI'rl'ING:
There are three different types of goals you can set lor
yourscl S (Allen 2005):
(a) Iiational goals - Specific goals for the short tc1.111
(b) Directional goals (also known as Tlomain planning):
gcncral dircction for the longer tcrm.
(c) Muddling through: I f thc environ~nent is inllux, [his
might be your best option.
Tlomain Burton (1983) concluded in his rcscarch ~ l l a ~
pcoplc who usc goal setting effectively:
.- Suffer less from stress and anxiety
- 1 .'
I I
Conccntratc bcttcr , .
. .. . ..., ,
Show morc scl f-confidence ' '-.
Pcrforin better
-.- . Are happier and more satisfied.
'1'0 keep motivated, you should first assess if thcrc is s~ipport Ibr
your goals. Share your goals and commitments with others. \Val-k o~
onc or two things each day and do the hardcst thing lirst. lJsc
subgoals and reward yoursclf appropriately along the \way. Stay
positive and kccp activc.
'1.0 kccp learning, you should periodically look back arid
cvaluatc your goals, work and acco~nplishincnts. I k happy ~.lboui
yo~ir succcsscs but equally important is to learn from your mistalics.
Sct up a daily routine. Schedule dclinitc times, li~r r-o~~til-lc
mattcrs such as meetings, going through tlic mail,
comim~~nicating with colleagues, making ~clcphonc calls, ~tnd
I-cgularly monitor your use ol'tiinc.
110 the things which require inaxiinum brain capacity when you
arc at your best. Attend to minor business ~ 1 7 ~ 1 1 your br;iin
cannot cope with anything but small things - kccp a list/pilc ci!'
these ready.
I:ix deadlines for all jobs. A thing takes the time set asidc l i ~ r i ~ .
110 not .postpone important rnattcrs that are unpleas;!!~~. ' I h y
will block your brain, rcducc your crcativi~y m c i working
capacity. Tasks rarely get more pleasant by bcing postponed
and you often find the actual task less unpleasant than,
anticipated. But put off everything that is no[ ~ I I I P O I - I . ~ ~ L
I " . I , . . I. , . .
bccausc many so-callcd problems tend to solvc L I I C I I I S C I L ' C S i l '
y o u ignore thcin Ior a while.
Analyze your intcrruptions (timc stealers) and takcb steps LO
% ,
avoid them or diminish :their effccts. ', 1-ix dcilnitc times whcn you do not want to bc disturbed as i1'
you wcre having a meeting with yoursel[. Maltc surc pcoplc in
the organization know whcn you are not availablc and ~ I I C I I
you arc.
110 onc thing at a timc. Just kccp an ovcrvicw ol'the ~icxt jobs.
I t hclps to rcmovc thc lilcs ctc o1' othcr work 1Yoln si:;ht wl:t.:t~
working on onc job, to hclp concentrate the mind on h c job in
hand.
Plan your phone calls and note down what you want to say.
Always writc down your idcas, as soon as you havc L I W I ~ I in {ltc
, . right placc. I his may bc in your personal organizcr, diary or in
(10) Whcn you start a piccc of work, iinish it irpossiblc. 11'you split
your work up too much, you tcnd to loosc track of' its
cohcscnce, your overview and waste your time wari~i ing-~~p
each timc you start again.
( 1 I ) Arrange your breaks at times whcn you cannot w o ~ k ci'lkciivcly
c.g. whcn key pcoplc are not available, inatcrials is 1.101 ~'i.:ii.i>
ctc. Ask yourself what is the best use of' my tiinc r ight now.
( 12) I3c sclectiv~'. Ixarn to say no. Ask yoursell', am I 111c righl
person for this task?
( 1 3) (Avoid taking work homc unless you are certain yocl will do I .
something aboui'k Better to work longer at thc oSlicc or rather
comc in earlier till the work is finished, then you can cnjoy your
lcisurc time more.
(14) 110 things well cnough and avoid cxaggcration and
pcrfcctionism in order to makc out time Sor more important
thinvc; Rcmcinbcr that 20% of thc cl'l'ort 131-oduccs 8 2 4 o!' [ l i c k
rcsults.
( I 5) Set task each day and try to finish them bcl'orc lcaving ol'licc
Sor the day. I t brings a See1 of accomplishlncnt and Ii~llilmcnt
and hclps to remove stress and Fdtiguc that mighi eonx :\s ; I
result of thinlting about unfinished task.
( 1 6) 'I ' l~ink lirst, thcn act. Nothing is so urgcnt that thcrc 1s 110 time
, .. to considcr the decision inal<ing process. I imc spciicl p l ann i~ lg
is ncvcr wasted, but whcn the goal is clcar and the m a n s
obvious, i~n~nediatc action is taken to avoid wastc ol't.i~nc. All
cl'kctivc people have in common the ability to slrortcn the
distance between thought and action. (Imaga 2000).
2.1 1 1'1.115 I'EIICI~l"C1BLE PATTERNS OF l'lIOAC'I'IVl< li'KOI'i.i<
According to (IIarold 'I'aylor 2001), proactive mc:~i~s to act
before hand, i.e. to say that ''taking action in the present will i~illuctlcc
things in the hturc".
I'roactive people are always looking ahead at fiiturc :~ctivitics,
projects and events and anticipating needs, pi-oblcms and pci:,siblc ~ I I I
comcs. 1;or cxample, il'thcy arc attending a conkrcncc i l l ;I di l'lL.1-cil1
city, thcy go beyond actually boolting air travel, arrangins ground
transportation and booking a hotel roo~n. They ~mcntally walk through
the thrcc-day event, deciding in advance what thcy will \war :IL ~ h c
various [unctions, which prcsentatio~ls thcy will attend, and w l~o h c y
will scck out in order to maximix their nctworki~ig op~xx t~ tn i t i~ s . 111
the process, thcy might decide that thcy will need busincss c:~~.tis, ' J J
writing materials, an cppty carryon bag to housc thc inlimnation t l ~ t
' '. they will be collecting and casual cloths for the Sat~~rtlay night
barbccuc.
It's no accident that a Sew peoplc always sccrn to ha\ c a sp:trc
I
pcii t o I ~ a n , . , a sakty pin to oSScr, a Band-Aid or pain Itiilcr \,vIit'il
*# ,, somconc's in distress and s$ampoo when thcrc's now in ihe Ilotcl
room. 'I'hcsc arc thc people you turn to when you nccd a hail- drycr o r
a list o f inccting rooms or changc for the hotcl vcnding !nachit~th.
'l'hcy arc also the people who are frequently sclcctcd as pro~jcc~
managers, management trainees and gro~lp Icadcrs. 'l'licy arc
What is their sccret? 1 . 1 0 ~ arc thcy ablc to bc pi-cpi~r~d ii)r
almost any situation? 1-Icre are a few of the tools that they LISC ic 'l'imc
Managcmcnt tools in this regard.
(i) PLANNERS:
Proactive people use planners as thcy arc s~~pposcd to usc
them - to record S~itul-c cvcnts and schcdulcd activities. l3y
being able to view the Suture, they arc ablc to :~nticipa:c
possible problcms and act before thcy can occur. YLISL looking
at an event such as a meeting, in writing, scts your mind
thinking about things you will need for that inccting.
1 J
) I a , Proactive people lnaltc up checklists Sor all ~ q x t i t i v c . ,
cvcnts o r activit'lks, such as meetings, travel, con1i.1-cnccs, salcs ' '.
calls, workshops and interviews. 'l'hese chccltlists arc: updatcd
after every event. If anything was missed, it is addcd io thc list
so that it won't be Sorgotten the next timc.
(iii) GOALS:
and set specific goals for the future. They not only put them in
writing, along with deadline dates, thcy schcd~~ lc ti~nc: in tllci!.
planners to actually work an them. By doing this, thcy arc
helping to create their own Suture as opposed to rcacting to
unplanned events.
(iv) LONG-RANGE PLANNING:
' I'roactivc people recognize that it's ncvcr too early to
plan and that planning too late causes crisis and time problems.
If the 'l'itanic had started turning sooner, it ncvcr would havc h i t
the iceberg. Small adjustments made carlicr avoid large
adjustincnts having to be made at the last ininutc.
(v) ATTITUDE:
Although, there arc certain tools and L C ' C ~ I I ~ L ~ L I C S t l 1 . a~
proactive pcoplc use, it is mainly an attitude or stLitc :;I' r!li~ic.~.
In, fact, it could bc chlled a way of' iik. I'roactivc peoplc
wouldn't think of malting a tcicphonc call withoul l i r s i jotli~lg I
down thc itcms for discussion or going to the sulicrmorl,ct
without first making a ist of the items they nccd. 'I'hcy don't '
' I
resent loolting at a map before taking a trip or r(:;~ding tlw ,
I r
instr&fions: before assembling a swing set. -,,
~ '. 'I'his attitude or way 01 life can bc cl:vclopcd a i d
nurtured. I'racticc with littic things, such as dccidi~lg bcli)rc
going to bed what clothes you will be wearing ihc ncct
morning. You may discover that something nccds prcsssi~lg. in
the morning, rnentally walk through the day. Whal time will
you Icavc. the house, where will you park, what jobs \i i l l you do
first ctc. 'I'hc more times you think ahcad, the n\c:ic
cornl'ortablc you will bccomc with planning. As you sw y o u r
days running smoothcr, with Scwcr crises and prot)icms, the
more you will bc encouraged to bccornc proactive in C ~ L ' I - Y ~ ~ ? ~ I I ~
you do.
So practice those habits exhibited by I'roactivi: pcopic.
Think ahcad, sct goals. Schedulc time for activities. l'lan daily.
Use Checklists. Rcview rcsults. And continually makc
a~ l j j l~ s t~~~cn t s to i~nprovc ~ U ~ L I I ' C o~~tcon-~cs . 'I'l~crc i>, ~ \ \ c I - i ~ i
being proactive.
r .. I line clock plus automates the management, collcclion :ind
I k distribution ot employees hours in Real 'Time, making couvcntio~la l
I .,
t i ~ r i c ~ m d attcndancc , . systclns things of thc past. 'I'imc pius boasts
robust, llcxible pay rulcs allowing management to cnlbrcc co~lil,lci '. work and pay ru lcs, rcducing unwanted overtime and increasing
accuracy throughout their organization. I3y calculn!ing this
in1i)rmation automatically, time clock plus savcs your pa!;rol l sla l'l'
considcrablc time, and si,
in Ilation errors.
'l'hc ability to tracl
gni ficqntly rcduccs thc risk ol'costly payroll
k, vicw and report employce information in
rcal timc is what sets 'l'imc Clock Plus apart from othcr so1utio1-1s i l i
the industry. Management's need to make decisions "on the Ily"
whcrc labour costs, significantly affect bottom - - lines, creates
unmatched valuc in our conccpt.
IJsing cxis~ing PC's or across a nctwork, 'l'imc clock p l ~ i s
allows busincsscs to monitor and control all aspects of wnploycc tiinc
and attcndancc whitc rcducing the cost of ovcrtimc, adnrinistl-a~ivc
labour and clerical mistakes. A11 this comes withou~ thc cosc r~o~-~ll:~i iy
associated with traditional corporate level applications.
'I'imc clock plus interfaces to virtually all payroll packagcs and
scrviccs, ol'fcring a stainless completion to thc task ol' t .cpo~~in~;
e ~ n p l o y c ~ hours to payroll. Scheduling, IIoui- Restrictions. 1:lcsiblc
Accrual Iiulcs, Multi-company support, and many othcr tools arc
supported to mcet thc nceds of today's business. Comlmhcnsivc
security protects sensitive employce inl'ormation li-om t~~~ ; l i~ t l~o l - i /~> : l
access while at the samc time, limiting individual supervisors or
tnanagcrs to inlbrination liy only thosc employccs within their I
dcpanment. For cornpanics t l h arc co~nmittcd to iruc :~uto:nalio~i i i i
cmploycc. Time tracking, Ti& clock plus is the solution.
REFERENCES
(1) Kerzner, N. (1989) Project Management: A System's ' 1
I Approach to Planning Scheduling and ,
I* 1 . , . I
I I. , . . * I . . . . , .., , I Controlling, Third Edition, Van
I.. 1, I
! Nostrand Reinhold, New York. ' I
(2) Alkinson P.E. (1988) Achieving Result Through Time
Management: Pitman Publishing Co.
London.
(3) Benson-Eluwa (1 999) 1 "Time Management And Effective
Delegation" A Seminar Paper Presented
At The Seminar On Effective Personnel
Administration Meld Between 29th -
30th Jan. 1998.
(4) Nickel & Tider (1976) Management In Family Living. John
Wiley & Sons Inc. Publisher, New
York.
(5) Lebor, M. (1980) Practical Tools & Techniques For
Managing Tools; Executive Enterprises
Publication Co, inc, New York.
(6) De Grazia, S. ( 1976) Of Time Work And Leisure, New
York: Free Press.
(7) Hicks&Gullet(1981)
(8) Drucker P. (1 967)
(9) Webber, R. A. (1972)
(lo) Nwoko, C. (1 997)
(1 1) Batley Tom (1989)
(1 2) Ntamere (1 999)
(1 3) Mayer, J. (1 990)
(14) Allen, D (2005)
(15) Damon, B. (1983)
Management; Mc Graw Hill Inc, New
York. I
The Effective Executive New York,
Harper & Row.
Time and Management, New York:
Van Nostrand Reinhold.
"Managing Supervisory Time" An
Unpublished Workshop Paper.
Management S kill For Professional,
Oxford.
Industrial Project Management.
Alphabet Nigeria Publishers, Owerri.
If You Haven't Got The Time To Do It
Right When Will You Find Time To
Do It Over; Simon And Schuster
Publisher, New York. I I I 'Getting Things Done' Bambooweb: I
j Time Management. I : : jHabits Of Highly Effective People,
&mon & Schuster Publisher, New
( I (I) ! m o p , F !I 1.. (2001) Administrative And Management
Theory And Practice; Lano Publishers,
Enugu.
(1 7) Harold Taylor (200 1) The Perceptible Patterns Of Proactive
People; Website Is
www.taylorontime.com.
CHAPTER THREE
'I'his chapter is devoted to highlight thc method and irlstrumcnt
employed in gathering information that arc pertinent to the study.
3.1 SOUlIClCS OF DATA
'l'hc data uscd for the projcct wcrc collcctod thi-o~~gil I'i-in~;iry
(a) Primary Data: 'I'hc qucstionnairc scrved as the maill pri1~w1.y
data uscd and i t was administcrcd to the stafi'of thc I\.; o banks.
(b) Secondary Data: 'I'hesc were mainly uscd on chap1i.r two of
thc project where related l itcraturcs wcrc rcvicwcd. 'l'hcy wcrc
col lccted l'rom thc llniversity o t' Nigeria, 1 hug^: (lalnpas
1,ibrary. llnpublishcd workshop papers o n 'I'imc M a n a g e ~ i ~ c ~ 11,
I ntcrnct; arid rcscarchers own rc fcrcnce material s.
3.2 POPULATION O F THE STUDY
'l'hc population of this study is all thc professional stal'l' ol'
llnitcd 13ank for Afi-ica Plc (IJRA) and ZIINI'I'I I International 13ank
3 .i
PIC, which ainounts 190 and 141 stall' rcspcctivcly. 'l'hc total
population is thrcc hundred and thirty one (33 1 ) i n all..
A total of onc hundred and cighty onc ( 1 81) c1~1cstionnai1.c~
wcru adininistcrcd in thc two banks. 104 for IJnitcd I3ank li)r Ali- ica
(IJBA) PIC and 77 for ZENI'I'II Intcrnational I3ank I . 'I'his
represents 57.44% and 42.54% respec tivcly.
3.3 SAMPLIC AND SAMPLING
'l'hc sainplc s i x is determined using thc Ya~ncnis's sta~istic:;~i
N = I'opulation,oS worltcrs (33 1 )
n - Sample size
C' - Margin ofqrroi- (0.05)
:. 'I'he sample sizc is 181
3.4 INSTRUMENTS USED FOR DATA COLLECTION:
The instruments used for data collections were as foll.::w:
(a) QUESTIONNAIRE:
A total of 18 1 questionnaires werc distributed to thc stal'!'
4 and managers of United Rank for Africa Plc (1J13A) and
ZIINI'I'I-I International 13ank Plc Enugu. It is ~nadc up of
multiple choice questions comprising a total o r23 qucstions.
(b) INTERVIEW:
'I'he interviews gives the researcher on thc spot rcsponse
from the rcspondcnts which provided a complementary data to
Observations wcre made on thc activities taking place in thc
organization. I
1
'1'11c I-cscarchcr constructed the cjucstionnait-c himscll'. 'I'hc!,
\vcrc givcn to spccialists in data analysis, whose advice inlbrincd thc 1 ,
const~uctor to rnaltc sure i t mcasurcd what i t intended.
Finally, the sujlicrvisor approved of them bcliwc they wcrc I \
3.6 ll1<1,1A1311,I'TY O F IIESEAKCI-1 INS'I'IIUM ICN'I':
'I'hc clucstionnaircs werc given to thc rcspondcnts in split
h:llvcs. 'I'his is to test t l x i t - I-esponscs whcthcr they tally over time.
Any variation was discat-dcd.
3.7 METIIODS OW DATA ANALYSIS
'I'hc questionnaires were analysed using s i inp l~ PCrCC1ltilg.C
r 100 distribution I'ormular X .
I1 1
W here r -- Number of responses to each questionnaire
n Observable sample s i x which is the total
rcspondcn ts.
'l'hc hypothesis is analyzcd using Chi-square Statistics.
1 .. 'l'lw lcvcl ol'significancc is taken at 05%
'I'hc u l p l a t c d valuc is horn the formular; . ,
W 11 c sc 0, 3 Observed fr'recjucncics
c i 'I'heoritical ficcjuencics
Decision KLI~C:
. . 'l'h'c d ( ~ ~ . ~ ~ : ~ o n I-tllc li)r the hypothcsis is:
Accept l l , , if and only i f the table valuc is gl-catcr than the
calculated value. Iicject otherwise. 'l'hc Iicjcction and Acccptancc
regions are shown bclow:
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 1)A'I'A I'KESENrI'ArI'ION ANALYSIS A N D INrI'l~l<l'RK'l'A'I'lON
'l'his chapter dealt with thc prcscntation and analysis ol'thc data
collcctcd during this research. I t briefly prcscntcd tlic data collcc~cd
through the qucstionnairc and intcrvicws. 'l'hcsc data was analyscd
and thc ~*i's~ilts applied to test the rcscarch hypothesis which the study
sct out to provide answers to.
Q U KS'l'IONNAIltE I~IS?'1<Il3Url'EI~ A N D ItE'l'Ul<NI<I):
I _ - _ .
I'his means that all the qucstionnaircs distribute(
l)ArlA, PRESENTATION
Whal arc thc major time obligations in your iirnl
. # ,, I - - - - . -- - - . - - - - . --
( a ) 'I'clcphonc Intcrruptit~ih
(b) Visitors
(d) I i ~ ~ s h Jobs
1;rom table 4.20, i t shows that in 1113A Pic, 50 rcspondcnts
indicatcd that incetings representing 48.08% is the highcst timc
obligation l'ollowed by 'I'clcpho~~e intcrruptions with 35 scspondcnls
scprcscnting 33.65%.
Also in N l l l - 1 , 32 respondcnts representing 41.56%
indicated meetings, ii>llowcd by 25 respondents rcprcscnting 32.47%
which indicated tclcphonc intcrruptions.
'I'hercforc, we conclude that ~ncctings and tclcphonc
intcrr-uptions are the highest time obligations in 1113A and %l<Ni'l ' l 1
I low can timc bc wastcd in your lirrn'?
'I'a blc 4.2 1 :
(b) Making Mcntal notcs 1
(e) I'erfectionism I
(c) Inten-upting yourselves
(d) Sc~lrching l'or things
(1) Spending tiinc on trivial task 1
18
4
(g) All oS thc abovc I
i
'I'O'I'AI a I
I
5 8
1 04
'I'hc abovc table 4.21 dipicts that in tJ13A I'lc, 58 rcspcmdcnts
55.77% indicated "All of the abovc", Sollowcd by 18 rcspondcn~s
scjx-cscnting 17.3 1 % indicating intcrsupting oursclvcs.
Also in ZLN1'1'11, 25 rcspondcnts out 01' 77 rcspondcn~s
rcprcscnting 32.47% indicated "All ol' the abovc", whi lc closely
followcd by 18 respondents rcprcscnting 24.68% indicating
pcsScc~ionisn~.
'I'hcrcl'ore, wc conclude that both IJl3A and %liNI'l'II agreed
t h a ~ timc can be wastcd by all that were mentioned abovc. I
I i
I ) I>c) you spcnd your time the way you like?
I:rorn table 4.22, 90 rcspondcnts, rcprcscnting 86.54% said N o
in IJEA while 14 scspondents ~.cprcscnting 13.40 said yes.
Also in %I:N1'1'11, 73 respondents rcprcscnting 94.81 % said No,
wiiilc 4 respondents rcprcscnting 5.19% said Yes.
'I'hcrcSorc, we conclude that both the stall' o f 1113A and
%I:NI'I'I I 13anks do not spend thcir time the way they like.
What tools, techniques and attitudes ol' tinic managcnicnt can hclp
~ O L I increase cl'rcctivcncss 01' getting things done on time in your
( a ) 'I'odo lists
(b ) Goal setting
(d ) ,, ,v,i,n-win Opportunity , ,. , . .,
(1) Improving yourselS
(g) All ol'thc abovc
I.'roln tablc 4.23, IJ13A showed that 46 respondents rcprcscnting
114.33%) indicated "All 01' the abovc" while 20 I-cspondcnls
rcprcscnting 25% said proactivcness.
Also in N N I I I I 25 rcspondcnts rcprcscnting 32.47%
indicated "All of the above" and is followed by 15 respondents
rcprcscnting 19.48% indicating proactivcncss also.
'I'hcrcl'orc, wc conclude, that all thc tools ~ncntioncd in tablc 4.5
abovc arc ~lscd by both IJI3A and %l~Nl'I'I I banks lo incrcasc
cl't'cctivcncss ol'gctting things done on time.
' 4.2.5 RESPL4IICII QUI1:STION 1 1
'l'hc w:ly you Inanage your tilnc is an accurate rcllcction o l ' yo~~r
pcrso~lal i ty?
'I'ablc 4.22: .
04
I*'rom 'l'ablc 4.24, in UHA, 78 rcspondents rcprcscnting 75%
indicatcd Strongly Agl-ce, Sollowcd by a5 respondents repl-esenting
14.42% which indicatcd Agrcc.
Also in ZlNl ' l I I, 6 1 respondents ~~epresenli ng 70.22%
indicated Strongly Agrcc, while I0 I-cspondcnts ~.ep~-csenting 1 3.99%
indicatcd Agrcc. Only a 1i.w disagreed. I
'I'hcrcl'orc, wc conclude that the stal'f 01' both banks Strongly
Agrcc that t11c way thcy ~nanagc,thei~. timc is an accurate rcllcction ol'
thcir pct-sonality
4.2.6 l<l<Sb:Al<CI I QUk:SrI'1ON 12
I
' a What arc thc csscntial principles of timc ~nanagctncnl i n your Iirm?
(a) I'crsonal time Organization
(b) 'I'i~nc planning and work scheduling
(c) Ilcaling a'nd timc ~nanagcmcnt
(c) None ol'thc above
'l'(Y1. AI
Tlic above tablc dcpicts that in IJHA, 51 I-cspotldcnts
, rcpt-cscnting 49.04% indicated ' ' I i ~ e Plannit-lg and Woik . ,
I . ,
Si.l~udi,~l ing", whilc 30 respondents rcprcscnting 28.85%). Also 1 5 and I . .. ,
8 I-cspon$cnts rcprcscikng 14.42% and 7.69% indicated 1)cl igat ion
and time wasters respectively.
I n %IINI'I'I-I, 30 rcspondcnts rcprcscnting 38.96% indicated
'I'imc 1'l:lnning and Work Scheduling, whilc 25 rcspondcnts
reprcsenting 3 2.47% indicated Personal 'I'imc Organization. Also 1 4
;111d 8 ~-wnrwd~nts rcprcscnting 18.1 8% and 10.39% indicated
1)clcgation and 'l'imc wasters respectively.
Wc thcrcl'orc conclude that the major csscntial principle 01'
'l'ime Managcrncnt in IJBA and %I:NI'I'l I arc
(i) 'l'imc Planning and work scheduling
(ii) I'c-rs~nal 'I'imc Orgnnization.
110 you regularly lkel a lot ofstress at work, even il'thcrc's no serious
problem or crisis?
'I'a ble 4.26:
. -.. - . . . , . . - .- . . . -. -- - . - -- -- . . . - . . . . . -
I:rom Table 4.26 tJ13A showed that 89 respondents I-cprcsenting
85.58% said yes, while 15 respondents rcprcscnting 14.42% said No.
Also in %I<NNI'I'I-I, 60 respondents rcprcscnting 77.93% said
Yes, while 17 respondents rcprcscnting 22.08% said No.
So, we thcsel'orc concl~idc that the stafll'ol'both banks lkcl a lo1
ofstrcss at work, cven when there is no scrious problem o r crisis.
[lo YOLI havc to review or finish work you asked your Scllo\v stall' to
1:rom 'I'ablc 4.27, i t showcd that in 1J13A, 86 rcspondcnts
rcprcscnting 82.69% said ycs, whilc 18 respondents r c p r e s e ~ ~ t i ~ ~ g
17.3 1 % said No.
Also in %I:NI'l'I I , 65 respondents rcprcscnting 84.49" said
Ycs, whilc 12 respondents rep-csenting 15.58% said No.
'I'hcrcSorc, we conclude that thc staff of both banks (1J13A : i d
7,l~NI'I'l I) rcvicw or linish work they ask thcir Sellow stal'l'to do.
[ lo you havc to rcvicw or linish work you nslted your lkllow stall' to
1:l.om 'I'ablc 4.27, it showcd that in U13A, 86 rcspondcnts
rcprcscnti ng 82.69% said ycs, whilc 1 8 respondents rcprcscnting
17.3 1 % said No.
Also in %l:NI'1'11, 65 respondents rcprcscnting 84.4% said
Ycs, whilc 12 rcspondcnts rcprcscnting 15.58% said No.
'l'hcrcfi~rc, wc concludc that thc staff of both banks (lJI3A and
ZI~NI'I'I I) rcvicw or finish work they ask thcir Scllow stal't'to do.
4.2.9 KESEAHCII QUESTION 15
I low is timc lnanagcd i'or cfficicnt opcsation in yous Iis~n'!
(a) I Iandling daily
prioritizing them
(b) lJsing your best
tasks by
time to do
most ilnportant tasks
1 I ( e ) I,cal-n lo p u ~ as asidc the
less important
( d ) None ol' thc above
'l'his shows that in UIM, according to
respondents rcpscscnting 50% indicated "llsing your bcst timc to do
most important tasks", followcd by 38 respondents representing
36.54% which indicated "I-landling daily taslts by prioritizing thcm.
Also in ZI~NI'I~I
indicated using your best
rcspondcnts rcprcscnting
pl-ioritizing them.
1, 40 I-espondents ~*cprcsenting 5 1 .%'YO
time to do most important tasks. Whilc 20
33.77% indicated I Iandling daily task by
'IYhcrcli)rc, both banks (U13A and Z1:NIrI'I I);
( i ) , [Jsc thcir bcst time to do most important task and,
(i i) I Iandlc daily tasks by prioritizing LIKIII.
Cawyau clcar your dcsk of papers in less than a minulc (putting them ,' .
, , . , u . l l c ~ thcy should go, ?if course)? '. 'I'a blc 4.29:
1;ro11-1 tablc 4.29, in IJI3A, 59 rcspondenk rcprcscnting 56.73%
said No , while 45 rcspondcnts rcprcscnting 43.27 said ycs.
Also in %1:NIrI'l I , 43 ~.cspondcnts rcprcscntir~g 55.84% said
Yes, while 34 rcprcscnting 44.16% said No.
'I 'hcrchrc wc conclude that, whilc the stall' of' Ut3A cannot
clear their desk of' papers in less than a minute, thc stal'f'of'ZI1NI'I'J I
can.
110 you allow your colleagues to come into your office at any timc 01'
t l~c day.
'1.a ble 4.2 1 1 :
'I'ablc 4.2 1 1 showed in lJDA that 9 1 rcspondcnts rcprcscnting
87.50 said No, whilc 13 rcspondcnts representing 1 2.50Y0 said Y cs.
Also in %l:N'!'! I , 7 1 I-cspondcnt I-cprcscnting 92.2 1 '% said No,
whilc 6 respondents reprcscnting 7.79 said Ycs.
'I'hcrclbrc we concludc that thc stall' ol' U13A and /.l:NI'l'I I
13anks do not allow thcir collcagucs to colnc into thcir ollicc at any
time ol'thc day.
4.2.1 2 l t l~Sl~AItCl l QUIWI~ION 18:
110 you havc cnough timc to get away for long wcckcnds, and take
thosc holidays you dream about?
'I'a hle 4.2 12:
1:rom Table 4.2 12 in UBA, 10 1 rcspondcnts rcprcscnting 97.12
said N o , whilc only 3 rcspondcnts representing 2.88% said Ycs.
Also in ZIiNI'1'11, 72 rcspondcnts rcprcscnting 93.5 1 % said No,
whilc only 5 rcspondcnts representing 6.49% said Yes.
.I 6,
' '4
Wc thcrct'orc coi~cludc that the stal'l' of IJI3A and %I:Nl'l'i l
13anks do not have cnough time to get away Ior long wcckcnds, and
take those holidays they dream about.
Arc p o c ~ olicn intcrruptcd in thc ~niddlc ol'important jobs?
in IJBA, 95 respondents
91 3 5 % said Yes; whilc 9 respondents rcprcscnting 8.65% said No.
Also in %IINl?'l-I, 57 respondents rcprcscnting 74.03% said
Yes, whilc 20 respondents represcnting 25.97 said No.
We coi~clude that the stars oS IJI3A and ZIINI'I'I I banks arc
olicn in~crruptcd in the middle ol'important jobs.
92.3 1 % said Yes, whilc 8 rcspondcnts rcprcscnting 7.09% said No.
111 ZIINl'I'I 1, 69 rcspondcnts rcprcsenting 89.6 1 %) said Yes,
while 8 I-cspondcnts rcprcscntin~ 10.39% said No.
Wc thcrcforc concludc that both the stall'ot'1J13A and %1<NI'I'I I
banks takc more than thc rcquircyd time I'or lunch. I I
Do you olicn put important jobs oll'to the vcry last minute, and
then work like mad to get them donc?
88.46% said No, while 12 respondents representing 1 1.54% said Yes. I ,
I .
Also in ZI~NI'I'I 1;172 respondents representing 93.5 I U/u said No., ' '.
w hi lc 5 rcspondcn ts representing 6.49% said Yes.
IUISPONSIIS
I lowc\icr, .we conclude that thc staff of IJI3A and ZIIN1'1'1 I
' Yo
13anks do not oficn put important jobs off to the vcry last minutes, and
then work like mad to get them donc.
% I'N
4.2.16 IWSKAKCH QUESTION 22:
110 YOLI olicn get lcttcrs or memos starting with in view oi'tlic
h c t that we have not rcccivcd your response to o ~ ~ r cornm~~nicalion
1:rom tdhlc-4.216, .. ,, in A , 5 8 out 01' 104 rcspondcnts
' I
rcprcscnting 55.77% said Y cs, whilc 46 rcspondcnts rcprcscnting
44.23% said No.
Also in~Zl~N1'1'1.1 Hank, 42 out ol' 104 rcspondcnts ~.cprcscnting
54.55% said Yes, whilc 35 respondents rcprcscnting 45.45?4/;, said No.
We tlicrcSorc conclude, that the stalT ol' 1J13A and %I:NI'1'11
13anks d o olicn gcl Icttcrs o r memos starling with in view 01'1hc I ' x t
that we have not received your response to our comm~~nica t ion .
I>o you acccpt cxtra jobs even when it cannot bc accornrnodatcd in
your schcdulc'?
1:rom table 4.2 17, i n IJ13A, 72 ~.cspondcnts ~ C ~ I - C S C I ~ ~ ~ I I ~ 00.3_3" o
said'rcs, while 32 respondents rcprcscnting 30.77 said No. '5 . .. 6,
Also in ZI~~NI'I'I I, 44, qcspondcnts rcprcscnting 57.14?40 said
Ycs, \vhilc 33 respondents representing 42.86% said No.
We concli~de thcrclbrc, that the stal'i' 01' lJ13A and ZI~NI'I'I I
13anlts acccpt cxtra jobs cvcn whcn i t cannot bc accommodated in
their busy schcdulc.
4.3 ANALYSIS OF HYI'OTI-IESIS
( 1 (43.1) 1 I : 'I'hc cl'lkctivc means 01' getting Maximum output in thc
banking industry is traccablc to thc ins~i~~i~tionaliscd
pliilosopl~ical pattcrn ol' time use.
1 11: 'l'hc effective means of getting maximum oulput in thc
banking industry is not traceable to ~ h c institutionali;/cd
philosophical pattern o f time LISC.
'l'hc abovc I lypothcsis 1 is analyscd using rcscarch qucs~ion I ? :
What arc thc csscntial principles of' time managcmcnt in your
(a) Pel-solial ~ i ~ n c Orgnaization , I
/ (b) 'I'imc planning and work schcduling
(c) Dclcgation with tilnc Managcrncnt
(c) Nonc ol' thc abovc
I , . / .
'I'hc calculatcd value - - 1.932 . . --
'l'hc 'l'ablc valuc
. . 'l'hc tablc value - 7.8 1473
1)ccision Hulc:
'The decision rule says, Accept I Io il'and only iS the tablc valuc
is gscatcr than thc calculated valuc - Rcjcct othcrwisc.
' , In this casc, the
, ..
caLcu,latcd valuc (1.033,). .
/ 0
table valuc (7.81473) is grcatcr [ha11 [Iw
'l'hcrcl'orc, we accept
1 i , , 'l'hc cl'l'cctivc ni'hns o f getting maximum outpul in lhc banliillg '. industry is traccablc to the institulionalizcd philosophical
pattern of time use.
Acccptancc Iicgion (shadcd Iicgion).
(2) (4.3.2) I I : 'I'hc cl?icicncy 01' the todo list in banking induslt-y is
i tlcrcased by prioritizing the tasks acco~dingly.
1 11: 'I'hc cl'licicncy ol'thc todo list in banking industry is 1101
' 'C'he , above . I lypothcsis :! is analyscd using rcscareh question 1 5 : . <
*!,
I low is time manaicd fo<-cficicnt operation in your linn?
inct-cascd by prioritizing the taslts accordingly
I landling daily tasks by
( I ) IJsing your best time to do
most important tasks
(g) I x u - n to put as asidc the
less important
(h ) Nonc ol'thc above
- - . - - . - - - - - - - -- - -- -- . -
'I-O'l-AL
IJsing (0, - c, 0.027 I 0.037 I 0.01 8 1- 0.026 1 0 C ,
'I'hc calculated valuc - . . - 0.108
'l'hc 'I';lblc. V:\ILIC -- (I( i t ( ( ' I )
'I'hc decision rule says, Accept 11,) i f and only i f the table valuc
is grcatcr than the calculated value -- Rcject othcl-wise.
In this case, the table value (5.99147) is greater than thc
calculatcd value (0.1 08). 'l'hcrcforc we acccpt
S ?
I I , , l'hc cflicicncy of the todo list in banking industry i s
increased by prioritizing thc tasks accordingly.
Accept I-10
Fig 4.2
Reject 1 lo
'l'hc delegation of responsibilities and authority lo thc
stall' is a panacca Sor dcl'cctivc planning in thc
organization.
'l'hc delegation of responsibilities and authority to thc
staS1' is not a panacca for dcfcctivc planning in thc
organization.
'l'hc above 1-lypothesis 3 is answered using rcscarch clucstion 7 :
What arc the major time obligations in your firm?
'I'a blc 4.20:
Interruptions
'I'a blc 4.3.3
+ 0.257 -1- 0 -1- 0 = 3.2585
'I'hc calculated valuc -. . . . . . 3.2585 -- .- -
The 'l'ablc value = &; ,,(, , ,
. . 'I'hc table value =. 7.8 1473
Ihcision Kulc:
'I'hc decision rule says - - Acccpt I lo il'and only i 1 ' 1 l . 1 ~ lnblc valuc
i s L. ercatcr than ~ h c calculated value -- liqjcct othcrwisc.
I I I
J .
In ' h i s , case, thc table value (7.8 1473) is grcalcr than thc ., .
.. ,, calculated value (3.2585). 'I'h~refore, we accept
1 I - 'I'hc dclcgation 01' rcsponsibilitics and authority to thc
staff is a panacea for dcfcctivc planning in thc
organization.
A ficr ~ h c malysis, the Sollowing were discovered:
1 . Mcctings and telephone interruptions arc thc highest tinic
obligations in lJ13A and ZEN1'll I 13anks.
'I'imc can be wastcd in lJI3A and ZlINI'1'1 I 13anks by 2.
(i)' I'rocrastination
( i i ) Making Mental notes
(iii) lntcrrupting yoursclv~s
(iv) Starching for things
(v) PerScctionis~n
(vi) spending time o n trivial task.
7 . 'I'he staSS ol' IJ13A and ZI~N1'1'11 I3anks do not spend thcir timc
i lk way they like.
4. 130th 13anks use thc following tools to incrcasc cl'Scctivcncss 01'
getting things done on timc.
( i ) 'I'odo list
( i i ) Goal setting
( i i i ) I'roactiveness
(iv) Win-win opportunity
( v ) llnderstanding others
(vi) Improving yourscl f
?
3 . 'I'hc srrill' of' both banks Strongly Agrcc that the way they
rnanagc their time is an accurate rcllcction ol ' t l~cir pcrsonrility.
' I . , 0. 'I'hc m~ijor csscntial principles 01' 'l'imc Mmagcnlcnt in \113/\
.' ,,
( i ) 'I 'in~c Planning a& Work S c l ~ c d ~ ~ l i n g
(ii) Personal 'I'imc Organization
7. 'I'hc stafl' 01' lJBA and ZIiNI'I'II 13anlts Sccl a lot ol' stress at
wosk, cvcn when there is no serious problem or crisis.
8. 'I'hc staff' of ' both banks rcvicw or linish work they risk heir
9. 130th Hanks manage thcir time Sor cflicicnt operation by ( i )
l ls ing thcir best time to do most important task. ( i i ) I landling
daily taslts by prioritizing them.
10. While the stal'l'oI"(Jl3A cannot clcar their desk of' papel-s in less
than a minute, the stal'l'ol'%l~NI'I'1 I can.
1 1 . Stafl' 01' both banks do not allow thcir colleagues to comc into
thcir ol'licc at any time ol'the day.
12. 'I'hc stal'l' 01' tJI3A and ZIiN1'1'1 I 13anl;s do not have enough tinic
to get away for long wccltcnds, and take those holidays they
dream about.
13. 'I'hc stat'l' ot' both banks are olicn interrupted in the middle ol'
important jobs.
14. 'I'hc stal'l' ol' both banks take more than the r e ~ ~ i ~ i r c d time ti)r
l~lnch.
15. 'l'hc stal'l' 01' tJBA and Zl~NI'I'I1 13anks do not olicn p t
important jobs oll'to the very last minutcs, n~id then wol-k l i l i ~
made to get them done.
I . 'I'hc stal'l' of both banks do olicn get Icttcrs or memos startin&:
w i h in view o1'tlic lBct that we have not received your response
to our co~n~liunication.
17. 'I'lic stal't' ol' both banks do accept extra jobs even whc~l it
,, $annot be accommodated in thcir busy schcdulc.
5.2 IMI'LICATIONS OF THE IXESEAIXCI-I FINDINGS:
111 Research finding 1 , meetings and telephone interruptions arc
seen as time obligations because they comc with the job. 'I'clcphoncs ,
x c seen ;IS an cl'llcicnt two-way communication system and provides
an instantaneous rcsponsc to cnquirics although meetings take longer
time. I'roblcms can thcrcforc bc solved more quickly by using the
tclcphonc. 1,cttcrs are also good time savers, provided they arc
backed up by an cflicicnt filing system. '1'0 be cff'cctivc, we INLISL
learn to work in spite ol'thc interruptions.
In Rcsca~.cl~ llnding 2, 'l'hc biggest time wasters arc sell-
iniposcd, S L I C ~ as procrils~ination, ~naking nicntal notes, intcr~wpting
oursclvcs, searching for things, perfectionism, and spending time on
11-ivial tasks. You should not licsitatc with t l ~ c implcmcntation ol'any
job and avoid procrastination which we all regard as lazy man's
apology, Y ~ u r productivity will s~11'li.r i t ' you slncnd a lot of' t i~nc
s c a ~ l ~ i n g 1i)r things, shul'lling: paper and bccoming distracted. Also,
I'orming the habit 01' taking notes is 01' great importance. Jot dwvn
inl'ormat ion gathcred through meetings, tclcphonc conversations, I
" I ,
discussions or' even yo,tlr own ideas. Other things you nccd to joi a '.
do\z;n include ii~turc appointment ;lnd jobs outstanding.
Also, do not be a pel-lkctionist, ~ L I L rather always aim a1 an
occcllcnt pcrlimnance not a pcrfcct one, as s o ~ n c insist on crossing
In Research linding 3, You don't spend y o ~ ~ r timc the way you I I,.
1 , :
, .. like because; i tcagnot bc managed nor can it be saved. I ~ l n c is a "2 ,,
precious commodity, the basi2oi' lire. It ticks away rclcntlcssly in
spite ol'our cl'li~rt to control it. We arc providcd with 24 ho~irs ol'timc
cach day Lo usc as wc like. 'l'hc kcy is in how we usc that timc. We
can LISC i t wisely, o r we can wastc it, but we can ncvcr save i t . Son.lc
makc use o S cach second, while others fritter them away. Spending
yoc~r Lil i lC C I ' I L ' C L I V C I ~ incans getting niaxim~~iii output 1'1-om the limited
timc available.
I n Research tinding 4, Time Managcmcnt teaches a numbel. o f
tccliniqucs that aim to increase the cffectivcncss oSa pel-son in getting
the things done that need to be done. I t is some what ol'a misnomer
as timc passes without rcgard to what we do; the only thing wc can
inanage is oursclvcs. IIcncc tiinc inanagcmcnt is mostly abo~it sell'
managcmcnt. Some of the number ol' tools, tecliniq~ic~ and altitudes
that can help us managc time cl'Sectively include: 'I'odo list, Goal
and improving yoursclf.
'I'odo list simply mind us that they arc not donc yet. '1.0
increase the efficiency of' thc ordinary todo list, you prioritize thc
taslcs in fbur diffcrcnt catcgorics:
- Important and urgent
Important and not urgcnt
Not important and urgent
- Not important and not urgent.
'I'hcrc arc ~hrcc types ol'goals yo^^ can sct !'or yourscll'
( i ) Kational goals -- specific gods for he short term
(ii) Directional goals -- (also known as Domain Planning): gcncral
direction l'or thc longer term.
' (
. , ( i i i ) M~~ddling through - il'thc cnvironmcnt is in flux, this might be ' J ,
I ,
your bcst option. .. r .
t '. '1.0 ltccp SOCLISC~, you should aim high and visualize those
goals. 'I'hcn focus on one arm at a time. lJsc reminders to not forget
about thc other areas. Remain flcxiblc and adapt to new situations as
they dcvclop. '1'0 ltccp motivated, you should lirst assess iSthcrc is
support lbr your goals. Share your goals and co~nmitincnts with
others. Work on one or two things each day and d o the harclcst thing
Stay positi vc and kccp active. '1'0 keep learning, you should
periodically look back and evaluate your goals, work and
accomplishments. Be happy about your succcsscs but equally
important is to learn kom your mistakes.
. . 1'1-oactivc means to act bcli)rc hand. l aking action i l l tllc
present i11 tluenccs things in the S~~turc, perhaps cvcn the li~turc i~scl I*.
So practicc those habits exhibited by proactive people which includc:
'I'hink ahcad, set goals, schcdulc time for activities, plan daily, usc
checklists, Iicvicw results and continiral ly makc adjustments to
improve i'uture outcomes. 'l'here is power in being proactivc.
In Research finding 5.1 strongly agree that the way ~ O L I manage
your time is an accuratc reflection of your personality bccausc by
constantl)/ cxan-)ining your use ol' time at thc end of'cach day's \\;ark
helps you to have much bcttcr idea ot'11ow you rclatc to time. Anci
mow t11m that, perhaps you know a littlc morc prcciscly who you wc.
Clcanncss, good dressing and gait, carriage, speak volutncs about a
st;tf'I's ability to manage personal time cl'fkctivcly.
In I<csearch finding 6, the essential principles 01' 'l'imc
Management in the banking firm used Sor research inclucle: ( i ) 'l'imc
planning and work scheduling -- 'I'imc planning rcquircs thc L I S ~ 01'
notebooks or dairies to idcntif), the principle ac~ivitics carried ~ L I L by
an crnploycc. Appropriate tiinp should be allotted to each activity fill.
its perSol-mancc. Scheciuling r'ec.uires that the principle tasks making
I ! LIP one's clay's job be arranged in order of' priorities and PI-opcr t i l i l t
I 1 ,
allottc'd to tliep. (vi) Personal Time Organization What happcns to :,.
our t i~nc depends on our pcr\sonal attitudes, habits and disposition.
Such suggestions like: (Practicing cluict time, personally concentrate
on a particulas work pcr timc, cndcavor to attain ordcr and pcrsonr-11
grooming, lcarn to say no, and do not be a pcrlkctionist) will bc most
not necessarily negative. Without a certain amount of' stress, reports
would never gct writtcn or distributed. One can manage strcss to
avoid its interfering with his timc. I Ic can turn strcss into a s~~cccss l i~ l
"resoui.cc" that induces him to a positive action, in the dircction ol'thc
attainment ol'l~is objectives and goals.
You can overcome stress by exercising your body cvcry wccl;
to kccp yourscll'hcalthy. Also, make a list of your ol~jjecctivc and takc
timc to th ink bcl'orc making decisions.
111 Iicscarch finding 6 -- Whcn a linishcd work is bcini;
rcvicwcd, it is known as Reverse dclcgation. 'I'his should be avoided
bccausc it incseascs the work load unduly. 'l'hc~.cli)sc managers ol'tllc
balks arc adviced to train and cncouragc his subordinates to ~~cccpt
I scsponsibility. I
' l i . J . 9 . , In Kcscarch"l?nding 9 - 1.: l'fcctivc 'l'imc Management is learn in?,
' \*
to say no to unimportant and not urgent tasks. 1:rccing yourscl I' 1'1-onl
doing the unimportant tasks lcavcs more timc to Socus o n thc
importanlt tasks and programmes his activitics according to his cncrgy
cycle.
I3ut il ' wc prioritize what we ought to do, and Ibcus on
completing thc priorities to the exclusion of cvcrything clsi., we will
be most eSScctive. Care should be taken to minimize cxtct-nal
intcrfcrcncc with your daily activities.
In rcscarch linding 10 - Whcn thcrc arc stack ol'magazincs or .
other reading materials on your desk mosl ol'tlw time and most ali~ncs
111crc arc at least tl71-cc unlinishcd projucts lying on YOLII- desk. You
will always have a .messy desk and i t will be di!'!icult li)r othcr pcoplc
lo find a document on your dcsk iS you arc not 111crc and you will
spend at lcast ten minutes most days looking for things on your dcsk.
'I'his will hampcr your pcrsonal productivity bccausc there arc
chances that you arc spending a lot oi' time starching lix things,
shu 1-11 ing paper, and bccorning bistractcd.
In ,licscarch Iinding 1 1 : Chatting and discussing during \ v o r k I J ,,
I .
periods with c0llcagucs .A ,, i l l the organization should be discouraged.
". 'I'hc major time problem of this group ol' pcoplc is that thcy S P I - L ' ~
this habit to others or at lcast disturb thosc with whom thcy cngagc in
their socializing act. 'l'hcrc should bc sornc sclS-discipline or close
control l'rom the senior collcagucs to stop this habit, and this call bc
donc by honestly identifying thc catcgory(ics) to which each sral'l'
belong a i~d equip tllcrn with the necessary time discipline rcquircd to
be more productiv,c. Any dcslc that is a convcrsational piece should bc
dcclcarcd a disastcr arca bccausc i t is a1Tccting othcr pcoplc's
productivity as well.
In Iicscarch finding 12: I t is impossible to keep working
productively without ever taking a break. You can't co~~ccr l r~-a~c
nonstop for extrerncly long periods of tirnc.
I'
llvcry ollcc in a while, stretch your legs o r get a drink a1 ~ h c .I I ,
wates I'o~~ntain. YOU will c&nc back relieshed and ready to wosk
again. Il'you arc li-ustratcd, this will hclp ~ O L I to clcas your mind a i d
gct back your focus.
In Iicscarch finding 13: You can gel a lot of work donc i l ' not
disturbed. tJnSortunately this doesn't happen very oficn. Pcoplc arc
cunccntraiion easily a f c r an interruption, but what you rorgct is ~h:ll
cacli ~ i m c you stop, you lose ten to fii'tccn minutes. So, i t is bcitcr LO
scl~cdulc a time Ihr g~lcsts and otlicr categories of' pcssons who huvc
easy access to the work cnvironmcnt in order to mininlize
intcsi-uptions.
( 1 ) 1)on7t allow Sor to~norrow what you can do today
( 3 ) Always break scciningly insurmountable tasks into bits and picccs.
'l'hcn lia~idlc i t littlc by littlc. 13y thc time you know \vh31 is
I~,~!.)pcnil!(~ vou arc throi.~~~,h with i t .
( 3 ) Schcdulc each task you want to do and Sollow through your schcd~ili..
(4) Spend some timc keeping your area ncat. You will save a lo1 ol'
cncrgy that would othcrwis~" bc spent looking Sol- that iinpoi-tmt chart
or memo.
( 5 ) Identity one time ol'thc day whcn you normally kc1 most p r o d i ~ c l i \ ~
and schedule your hardest assignments Sor that timc.
( 6 ) Always take a break cspccially whcn you arc getting frustrated.
( 7 ) 'I'hcrc is powcr in being proactive. S o Icarn it.
(8) I .earn to say , -I because i t is inorc rclcvant in tiinc managcmcnt tll:in
in other arcas o!'!i!k.
( 9 ) Schedule a tin-,c for g~lcsts and other categories ol' persons who iia\.c
easy access to <I, , : work cnvironmcnt to reduce intcrr~iplions.
(10) Makc provisic..i li)r Illling of visitors' Ibrm to enable you know who
to attend to am .Iso alert your sccrctary to always screen your calls.
( 1 I ) Idcnti Iy somcc;l!(. to trusl in y o i ~ r oSIicc so as to dc lega~c rcsponsibil i :~ .
to him to kccp ).\):.I l?cc to makc i~nportant decisions.
CONCLUSION
'I'his research project had looked at the critical issuc of timc
managcmcnt. I t discovcrcd that the banc for most hilurcs and the stepping-
stone to most success lies in thc effective usage oS timc. 'I'his paper dcliiics
time inanagcmcnt as scheduling and planning works in such a way t h a ~ ~ h c
best is made o ~ ~ t of thc time allotted to work.
It discovered various necessities for timc management to include that
time is limited and cxpcnsivc. I t discovers some unp~*oSessional attiti~dcs to
time management and prol'Se~-s solutions to handling them.
:ircris viz:
I
(i) I'crsonal timc organization I .*L* .. *fi c \. T , - -- /
( i i ) 'I'imc planning and work :scheduling
(iii) IJndc~.standiny and pract!Fing delegation, and
I ( iv) Ilealing with tiwe wasters.
' I
A pragmatic. Approach to stress managcmcnt. A study o f a known
Alkinson, P. E. (1 988)
Batley, Tom (1 989)
Damon, B. (1 983)
De Grazia, S. (1976)
Drucker P. (1967)
Hall, E. T. (1959)
Hicks & Gullet (1981)
Imaga, E. U. L. (2001)
Achieving Result Through Time
Management: Pitman Publishing Co.
London.
Management Skill For Professional,
Oxford.
Habits Of Highly Effective People,
Simon & Schuster Publisher, New
York.
Of Time Work And Leisure, New
York: Free Press.
The Effective Executive New York:
Harper & Row.
The Silent Language, New York:
Doubleday.
Management; Mc Graw Hill Inc, New
York.
Administrative And Management
Theory And Practice; Lano
Publishers, Enugu.
9. . Kerzner, H. (1 989) Project Management: A System's
Approach To Planning Scheduling
And Controlling, Third Edition, Van
Nostrand Reinhold, New York.
10. 1 ,Lebor, / , M. (1980) Practical Tools & Techniques For
..,, Managing Tools; Executive
'\. Enterprises Publication Co, Inc, New
York.
1 1. Light & Urwick ( 1 978) The Nature Of Management, Pitman
Publishing Co. London.
12. Mayer, J. (1990)
13. Nickel & Tider (1 976)
14. Ntamere (1 999)
15. Webber, R. A. (1 972)
If You Haven't Got The Time To Do
It Right When Will You Find Time
To Do It Over; Simon And Scl~uster
Publisher, New Yorlc.
Management In Family Living. John
Wiley & Sons Inc Publisher, New
York.
Industrial Project Management.
Alphabet Nigeria Publishers, Owerri.
Time and Management, New York:
Van Nostrand Reinhold.
INTERNET WEBSITES
1. Allen, D. (2005) 'Getting Things Done' Bambooweb: Time
Management
2. Harold Taylor (200 1) The Perceptible Patterns Of Proactive
People; Website Is www.taylorontime.com.
http://www.tayloronti~ne.com/articles/proactivepeople.html
http://www.taylorontime.com/cluttertest.php
http://www. taylorontin~e.com/content/xml/articles
3. Successful Time ~ a n a ~ e h e n t I
http://www.umich.d,du/-fasap/stresstips/l .html I
I 4. Time Management for Managers Seminar I
http://www.salestrainingamerica.com/managei- - time - managem I
ent.htin I I
, I* d , WORKSHOP PAPERS
,. . .s I ,
Benson - Eluwa (1999) h Time Management And Effective
2. Nwolto, C. (1997)
Delegation". A Seminar Paper Presented At
The Seminar On Effective Personnel
Administration Held Between 29th - 30th
Jan. 1998.
"Managing Supervisory Time" An
Unpublished Workshop Paper.
1. Success Digest, Vol. 2, N;\'~o, July 1997, Pages 30 - 35.
2. Adopting the Right Attitude to work in Enugu State, A Symposuim
organized by the Office of the AG. Deputy Governor Enugu State
Pub. No. 2, Enugu State 1991, Pages 50 - 5 1.
PERSONAL LETTER (APPENDIX A)
I>cpartmcnt ol' Managcnlcnt, Faculty oS I ~ L I S ~ I I C S S Administration, Ilnivcrsity oSNigcria. 1.nug~1 C a m p ~ i s .
, ,
, . .'(,
I :m a post graduate studcnt~ol ' thc University o f Nigeria, in the above
mentioned dcpartlncnt and I'aculty.
1:urthcrmorc, 1 aim co~xiuc t ing a rcscarch on the topic: A I'ragmatic
Approach to 'i'ime Management. A study o f Ilnitcd I3ank Sor Aurican I'lc
and Zl~NI'I'I I lntcrnational I3ank I'lc Enugu. T h e research is purely ['or
utmost conlidcntiality.
'I'hcrcl'orc. ptcasc study thc qucstionnairc and kindly supply all tlic
inl'ormation recluircd.
'I'han ks li)r your. co-opcration to this regard.
Yours l~aithlully,
OGRU CIIAKIAI<S .B. ! .
APPENDIX B [PERSONAL FILE]
1:ollow thc instructions carclully and tick (J) in the option of' your choice.
( 1 ) SL'X (a) Male 1 I (b) 1:crnalc I 1
(3) Marital Statusi? (a) Single 1 I (b) Marricd 1 I
(3) Agei?
(a) 21 -30ycars I I
( b ) 3 1 - - 40 years I 1
(c) 4 1 , . 50 years I I
(ti) 50 ycars and above/ 1
' 1 . , (4) 1 low long havc you bccn in thc organizationi?
(b) I I - 20 years I ' I
(c) 21 .30ycars I: I
( d ) 3 1 yctlrs and above( ]
(5) What section or thc organization do you belong
(a) Operations dcpartmcnt, 1 I
(c) Information 'I'cchnology 1 I
(d ) Internal Control IJnit (Auditing) dcpart~ncnt 1 ]
(0 ) What catcgory do you bclong in the organization?
I
( b Scpior staff I I , , .
' -.:, , "3 .,
( 7 ) What arc the major time ob-ljgations in your lirm?
( a ) 'l'clcphonc Interruptions 1 I
(b) Visitors 1 1
(d) Rush Jobs I '1
(b) Making ~ucntal notcs I I
(c) Interrupting yoursclvcs I 1
(d) Searching fbr things I 1
(c) I'crfcctionism I 1
(1) Spcnding timc on trivial task I I
(g) All of thc abovc 1 ]
(9) 110 you spend your time the way you like?
(a) Yes I 1
(b) N o I 1
( 10) What tools, tcchniqucs and attitudes of time Management can hclp
yo11 incrcasc clTcctivencss of getting things donc on timc in yoilr
I ? rm'!
( a ) 1 oto lists I 1
(b) Goal setting I I
(c) I'roac tivcncss I I
(d) Win-win opportunity 1 I
(c) I lndcrs~anding others 1, I
(1) l~nproving yoursel S 1. I
(g) AIIof~theabovc I 1
( I I) 'l'hc way you Inanagc your tiinc is an accurate rcllcction of' jlot~r
( 1 2) What arc thc essential principles oS time managcmcnt in your lirni'?
(a) I'erso~~al time Organization 1: ]
(b) ' I ' i 1 - n ~ planning and work scheduling I 1
(c) 1)clegation and time inanagcmcnt I I
( d ) I>caling wit11 time wasters 1 1
(c) Nonc of' t11c above I I
'. I OF
( 13) 110 you regularly lkcl a lot ol'strcss at work, cvcn il'thcrc's n o scrious
( 1-4) I)o y o u have LO rcvicw or linish work you asltcd yous Scllow st;.\f'i' to
d 0:'
( a ) Yes I I
(M No 1 I
( 15) 1 low is lime managcd Sol- cl'l?cicnt operation in yous lirm?
(a) 1 Iandling daily tasks by prioritizing them I 1
(b) Using your best time to do most important tasks I I
(c) 1.cn1-11 to put aside the less important I I
(d ) None of the above I I
( 16) Can you clear your dcsk of papcrs in lcss than a minute (p~~t t ing tilci-1.1
( I S ) Ilo you havc c n o ~ g h time to gct away Ibr long wcckcnct, and ~ ! i ; c
thosc holaidays you dream about?
( 19) Arc you oficn interrupted in the middle of important jobs.
' I
(a) Yes I 1
'. (20) 110 y o u take more than one hour for lunch, when a b o ~ ~ t 30 minutcs
wo~~lcl usually be enough'?
( 2 1 ) 00 you oficn put important jobs of'f to the vcry last minute, and then
work l i l x n ~ a d to gct thcm done'?
(a) Ycs I I
( b ) No I 1 .
( 2 2 ) Do you olicn gct Icttcss o r memos starting with i n view 01'thc l ' a ~ l ~ l . l i \ ~ .
wc havc not rcccivcd your scsponsc to our communication datcd . . .'!
(a) Ycs I , I
(b) No I I
l o q I., I , .
(23) 1)" you acccpt.&trasjobs even when it cannot bc acco~nmodatcd in 'I
