The relationships between source use and work complexity, decision-maker discretion and activity duration in Nigerian government ministries

摘要

The study is an investigation of the relationships between source use and three characteristics of work — work complexity, decision-maker discretion, and activity duration. Analyses were performed with data gathered mainly through a questionnaire administered to 274 senior civil servants in 11 different ministries in seven states in Nigeria. Direct relationships were found between the number of sources used by civil servants and work complexity, decision-maker discretion and activity duration, and between the extent of use of consultancy reports, conference papers and academic journals and the three work characteristics. Also, an inverse relationship was found between the use of internal files and work complexity and activity duration. The findings corroborate those made in studies of decisionmakers in business and other organizations in developed countries.