. Assessing the Effect of time Management on Productivity in Public Organizations in Tanzania:

Abstract

Effective time management helps staff to be dynamic, proactive, prioritizing their tasks and findings new ways of handling the complex and challenging organizational tasks regardless the limited time available. Henceforth, organizations have to manage time efficiently in order to go with the pace of fast-moving business and organizational environment in order to enhance higher productivity. Unfortunately, time management has failed to meet the expectations of organizations because reports have revealed poor productivity due to ineffective time management. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of time management on productivity in public organizations, using Njombe District Council as a case study. More specifically, this study explored the relationship between time management and productivity in public organizations, identified the challenges facing management of time in the public organizations and recommended the strategies to address the challenges facing the management of time in the public organizations. The study was conducted at the headquarters of Njombe District Council. A case study research design and a qualitative research approach was used in this study. The study population included heads of departments and other leaders in Njombe District Council. The sample size was 40 who were selected using a purposive sampling technique. The interview and focus group discussions were used to collect data. Content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data collected from participants in order to decode their meaning. Findings revealed that, there is a considerable relationship between time management and productivity as evidenced by three major effects of time management and productivity in public organizations namely; delivery of quality services to the clients, zero customer complaints and high customer retention. Moreover, the study reported three major challenges facing time management implementation which are lack of regular training, inadequate human resources and complexity of tasks. In addition, the study reported three major strategies to address the challenges which are; regular training and development for employees in public organizations, enhancing sufficient human resources in public organizations and enhancing motivation for employees in public organizations. It is recommended that the President Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) should provide regular training to employees in Local Government Authorities in Tanzania so as to impart knowledge and competencies on how to handle complex organizational duties which save time and in turn help to enhance organizational productivity