TRAINING AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED OIL AND GAS FIRMS IN PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between training and the organizational performance of selected oil and gas firms in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, with customer satisfaction and profitability as the criterion measures. The study was grounded in the AMO (Ability, Motivation and Opportunity) Theory, Contingency Theory, and the Resource-Based View (RBV) Theory. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. A population of 400 managers and supervisors was drawn from five selected oil and gas firms, and a sample of 200 respondents was determined using the Taro Yamane (1967) formula. Bowley’s (1926) proportional allocation technique was applied to distribute the sample proportionally across the five firms. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (rho) with IBM SPSS version 21. Findings indicated a significant positive relationship between training and customer satisfaction (rho = .821, p < .05), and a significant positive relationship between training and profitability (rho = .793, p < .05). It was concluded that employee training is a critical driver of both customer satisfaction and profitability in oil and gas firms in Port Harcourt. Recommendations were advanced for the institutionalization of systematic, needs-driven training programs within the sector.