THE EFFECT OF GOOD RECORD MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN CAMEROON

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Since time immemorial, information has been considered an essential resource for all types of organisations, public and private. At present, it serves as a criterion for categorising nations globally into two primary groups: those with limited access to information and those with abundant information (Ahmed et al., 2020). It is apparent that the availability, accessibility, and utilisation of information are intricately linked to the progress of a nation. Therefore, information can be considered a valuable national resource in the production of products and services with added value (Anyanwu, 2019).

Information is consistently regarded as a critical component of any organisation, given its utilisation in decision-making processes, legal considerations, and safeguards. Each organisation maintains documents that are critical to its daily functioning and even its continued existence. Presently, within an exceedingly competitive landscape, it is critical for an organisation to maintain its operations amidst emergency situations and to be capable of promptly resuming its critical and fundamental business functions, especially in the aftermath of a natural or man-made catastrophe. Preventive measures and strategies must be implemented to ensure the organization's sustained business operations, which will aid in establishing its management's credibility and gaining customers' confidence and trust in its ability to provide for them in the event of a catastrophe (Samson & Trenton 2018).

Records and information are inherently intertwined, as they encompass crucial data required for organisational planning, decision-making, and control (Ahmed et al., 2020). Every day, an organisation processes and receives a vast quantity of information, but not all of it consists of documents. A record is consistently associated with the official operations of an organisation and is preserved as evidentiary support. According to Anyanwu (2019), the International Foundation for Information Technology (2010) provided the following definition of a record: "A record is an item that serves as evidence of its existence and can be utilised to reconstruct or verify the state of being, irrespective of its format or attributes." An organisation may generate, obtain, or be in possession of a record in furtherance of its legal obligations, business transactions, or in compliance therewith.

Effective record management is advantageous for all organisations and their stakeholders. It is a critical element of business operations, guaranteeing the smooth and accurate transmission of information both inside and outside facility management, with the added benefit of facilitating the retrieval of required data.  Organisations cannot assure transparency, guarantee accountability, or permit the exercise of good governance in the absence of trustworthy and authentic documentary evidence supporting all essential accountability processes, as Anyanwu (2019) correctly asserts. It is widely acknowledged among scholars, including Kalu (2019) and Tagbotor et al. (2019), that effective management of firm operations necessitates managers to possess pertinent cognate skills, such as the capacity to maintain and oversee precise records.

It should be the case that each organisation has a distinct comprehension of which records must be maintained, for how long, and which must be discarded. This comprehension is specified in a file plan. The file plan, also known as a record plan, organises records pertaining to a specific topic and assigns record numbers to ensure that related records are filed together (or stored together in electronic systems) and have a retention schedule automatically applied to them. Typically, this requires the creation of a taxonomy or thesaurus to classify records and/or documents in a standardised and/or common manner. Record preservation constitutes a fundamental responsibility for all agencies, corporations, and organisations. Effective integration and monitoring of information systems facilitate effortless and efficient access to necessary records for an individual or group (Anyanwu, 2019).

Effective records administration systems are essential for ensuring the delivery of quality decisions and services. When a records management system fails to operate effectively, decisions are rendered devoid of comprehensive information (Ngoepe, 2018). Furthermore, there is a high probability that documents will become disorganised, misplaced, ruined, or altered. Such occurrences may ultimately lead to inadequate activity scheduling and planning (Samson & Trenton, 2018). Ultimately, organisational performance may suffer, rendering management's decision-making processes burdensome and potentially impeding the fulfilment of statutory obligations hence the need for this study.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Documents facilitate and bolster the efforts of an organisation to achieve its mission. Every organisation must maintain accurate records in order to accomplish its objectives. Due to the fact that records comprise information, they are an invaluable asset to the organisation. Organisation is crucial for facilitating decision-making within an organisation; if decisions are consistently sound, the organisation can more easily compete with other organisations (Manchu, 2018).

The service rendered by records administration is crucial for the expansion of the organisation and for each employee who utilises information within it. Its principal purpose is to enable the unrestricted movement of documents within an establishment, guaranteeing the prompt availability of information in the location and time that it is required. This organisation requires an efficient and effective records administration programme in order to perform this duty. In the event that an organisation requires record services, the records manager contributes to its operation by facilitating and improving the tasks of its users. Considering the distinctive nature of an organization's records, they require explicit management, similar to how the organisation handles its other resources, including personnel, capital, and real estate (Blade, 2018). This study will be assessing the effect of good record management in organizational performance in Cameroon.

1.3 Objectives of the study  

The general objective of this study is to assess the effect of good record management in organizational performance in Cameroon. The specific objectives include the following:

To determine whether there is a relationship between record management and organizational performance in businesses in Cameroon.

To investigate ways good record management can influence organizational performance in businesses in Cameroon.

To examine the challenges of good record management in businesses in Cameroon.

To proffer solutions to the challenges of good record management in businesses in Cameroon.

1.4 Research Questions 

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

Is there a relationship between record management and organizational performance in businesses in Cameroon?

What are the ways good record management can influence organizational performance in businesses in Cameroon?

What are the challenges of good record management in businesses in Cameroon?

What are the solutions to the challenges of good record management in businesses in Cameroon?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The following research null hypothesis will validate this study:

Ho1: There is no relationship between record management and organizational performance.

Ha: There is a relationship between record management and organizational performance in businesses in Cameroon.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The primary objective of the research was to determine how effective record management affected the performance of organisations in Cameroon. Understanding the current state of an organization's records management policies, procedures, and filing systems, as well as the obstacles and consequences associated with record management, will significantly contribute to the development of recommendations aimed at improving organisational performance. The research will offer records professionals a deeper understanding of how organisations perceive and implement appropriate records management practices for their records services and operations.

The findings of the study will provide an insight into the role of records management practices in improving performance of government organizations working in similar contexts. It will also be useful information to governments and policy makers for the formulation of records management legislation, regulations and policies both at the national and regional levels to help ameliorate the challenges that government organizations encounter when creating and managing records throughout its life cycle.

Lastly, it is of great significant to the researcher because it has broadened his knowledge on the importance of leadership in an organization.

1.7 Scope of the study

Generally, this study focuses on assessing the effect of good record management in organizational performance in Cameroon. Empirically, this study focuses on determining whether there is a relationship between record management and organizational performance in businesses, investigating ways good record management can influence organizational performance in businesses, examining the challenges of good record management in businesses and proffering solutions to the challenges of good record management in businesses.

1.8 Limitation of the study

The researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing that the effect of good record management in organizational performance discourse is vast thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size covering only residents of Cameroon. Thus findings of this study cannot be used for generalization for other regions within Cameroon. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work will impede maximum devotion to the research. Howbeit, despite the constraint encountered during the research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

1.9 Definition of terms

Record: Is a document that contains information about event, result achieved, or statement made.

Record management: Records management, also known as records and information management, is an organizational function devoted to the management of information in an organization throughout its life cycle, from the time of creation or receipt to its eventual disposition.

Organizational Performance: In today's workforce, organizational performance can be defined as a company's ability to achieve goals in a state of constant change.