STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE ACTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED OIL AND GAS FIRMS IN PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between strategic human resource (HR) action and the organizational performance of selected oil and gas firms in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, with productivity and profitability as the criterion measures of performance. The study was grounded in the Resource-Based View (RBV) Theory, Contingency Theory, and the AMO 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 across the firms. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Coefficient (rho) with IBM SPSS version 21. The study found a significant positive relationship between strategic HR action and productivity (rho = .707, p < .05), and a significant positive relationship between strategic HR action and profitability (rho = .835, p < .05). It was concluded that deliberately directed HR actions are critical enablers of both productivity and profitability in oil and gas firms. Recommendations are made for the systematic alignment of HR strategies with organizational goals to maximise performance outcomes.