DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE

Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved © 2025 GLOBAL PUBLICATION HOUSE |INT. Journal of Agriculture and Research| DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE By: Udeogu Joy Ifunanya and Udeogu Loveth Chinenye Abstract: The study determined diversity and team management as predictors of organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. The study was guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study employed correlational research design. The area of the study was at Anambra State. The population of the study consisted of 3397 members and the sample size was of 358 members of cooperative societies in Anambra State. One instrument was used for data collection which was validated. The reliability of the instruments was established using Cronbach Alpha with coefficient of 0.855 which aim high for the study. The mean score where used to ascertain the effectiveness of two predictors. Mean and standard deviation were employed to answer research questions. The null hypotheses where tested using regression and observed probability value (P-Value) at the set probability value of 0.05 level of significance. The study found that diversity and team management significantly predict the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State which reinforces existing scholarly evidence on the benefits of workforce heterogeneity. Based on these findings, the study recommended that the Agricultural cooperative societies should implement equitable management that ensure balanced representation across gender, age, ethnicity, disability status and religious affiliation. Keywords: Diversity, Team Management, Agricultural Cooperative Societies Organizational Effectiveness. How to cite: Ifunanya, U., & Chinenye, U. (2025). DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE. GPH-International Journal of Agriculture and Research, 8(8), 15-28. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17293339 Manuscript ID: #02108 10.5281/zenodo.17293339 Vol. 08 Issue 08 August - 2025 e-ISSN 3050-9602 p-ISSN 2795-4340 Page 15 of 28 Ifunanya, U., & Chinenye, U. (2025). DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE. GPH-International Journal of Agriculture and Research, 8(8), 1529. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17293339 16 Volume 8 Issue No 08 (2025) Access: https://gphjournal.org/index.php/ar Introduction Communities have long benefited from the essential role cooperative societies played in their socioeconomic development, especially in rural and agrarian settings. Anchored in principles of mutual help, shared responsibility and democratic control, cooperatives are voluntary associations that unite people to meet common economic, social and cultural needs through a jointly owned enterprise. Cooperatives are member-owned organizations formed to meet shared economic needs, governed democratically to offer benefits like group bargaining and mutual support. Cooperative societies in Nigeria take different forms such as credit, consumer, housing and agricultural cooperatives which are critical in agrarian regions (Uneze et al, 2024). These agricultural cooperative societies enable members to pool resources for purchasing inputs, accessing markets and sharing risk. In Anambra State is a region characterized by densely populated rural areas where agricultural cooperatives play instrumental roles in boosting productivity and livelihoods. Thus, agricultural cooperative societies are among the major forms of cooperatives operating within the state. Agricultural cooperative societies are associations of farmers who come together with a common aim to achieve their economic and social needs. Agricultural cooperatives can be single or multiple purpose cooperatives, agricultural input supply cooperatives, marketing cooperatives, agricultural credit cooperatives, machinery cooperatives, land acquisition cooperatives, livestock producers’ cooperatives, fishermen cooperative societies, oil mill cooperatives, rice mill cooperatives, etc.(Onuoha, 2023).These cooperatives promote farm business sustainability and food security; cooperative members experienced measurable increases in productivity and food-security indices compared to non-members. Cooperative could then pool the holdings for land improvement and intensive cultivation, using modern technologies. These definitions emphasize collective ownership, control and economic collaboration which are central to the performance and sustainability of agricultural cooperatives. Agricultural cooperatives are essential to the growth and development in Anambra State. They provide services such as credit provision, input supply, extension and marketing among other services they significantly positively related to poverty reduction among rural farmers (Nwankwo & Akonu, 2019). In addition, agricultural cooperative activities clearly enhance member livelihoods and community welfare organizational effectiveness determines how well these developmental goals are met in Anambra and Nigeria at large. Agricultural cooperative provides locally needed services, employment through access to credit for productivity and input to farmers, cooperatives also provide services which will facilitate output to members (Jimoh, 2012, Adegoke et al,2023). In the same vein, it also helps in creating productive employment and raise income for its members which promotes organizational effectiveness (Dyalvane, 2015, Adegoke et al, 2023). Globally, countries like Netherland, New Zealand and Denmark have been known for provision of credit, input supply, extension and marketing among others. For example, Denmark agricultural cooperative Arla Foods amba (farmer-owned across DK/SE/DE/UK, DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE © 2025 Published by GLOBAL PUBLICATION HOUSE | International Journal of Agriculture & Research etc.) achieved increased revenue due to the reflecting efficient board governance, professional management, and cross-border member integration. Within Nigeria, states like Ebonyi and Kogi One of the highest-performing states in Nigeria in terms of agricultural cooperatives, these efforts have led to measurable improvements in the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperatives. In Anambra State, the management of agricultural cooperatives are gradually adopting diversity and team management to enhance the organizational effectiveness. Organizational effectiveness refers to the capacity of an organization to achieve their aims and goals efficiently, sustainably and beneficially. In agricultural cooperatives, it encompasses the ability to deliver services (credit, input, extension, marketing), maintain member satisfaction and sustain operations. Organizational effectiveness in agricultural cooperatives is seen in their evidence-based benefit especially through interventions such as training, credit mechanisms, mechanization and internal member control promotes improved farm performance. These agricultural Cooperatives societies effectively supply inputs and marketing services significantly enhance human development indicators among farmers. These cooperative interventions have shown to drive poverty reduction (Nwankwo & Akonu, 2019). These outcomes underscore that effective organizational function in cooperatives leads to tangible economic and social improvements in Nigeria. Globally, challenges of organizational effectiveness in agricultural cooperatives includes inadequate finance, poor attendance, poor infrastructure, fragmented land, and limited farmland, poor accountability and transparency which hamper technology adoption and thus the effectiveness of cooperatives. For instance, in primary agricultural marketing cooperatives in Tanzania, studies found that in Bukoba District, 63% of members indicated that “few members attend meetings”, while in Moshi District the figure was 23.5%highlighting uneven and often low participation in cooperative governance. Similarly, a study of coffee cooperatives in Bushenyi and Sheema Districts in Uganda found inadequate member participation among the key constraints to cooperative growth and sustainability. Within Nigeria, states like Ogun and Kaduna One of the highest-performing states in Nigeria in terms of Agricultural cooperatives, but experiences poor finance. In Anambra State, agricultural cooperatives are experiencing poor finance due to the low financial involvement caused by the hardship that the economy of the nation brought about. The negligence of organizational effectiveness might cause agricultural cooperatives not to generate intended member benefits. Ineffective cooperatives may offer poor input delivery, unresponsive extension services or inadequate marketing channels, undermining rural productivity. In Anambra, cooperatives lacking robust structures may be unable to influence farm sustainability, food security or human development outcomes identified as significantly linked to cooperative activity. The absence of effectiveness impedes poverty reduction and widens rural inequality. Moreover, subpar organizational effectiveness undermines the ability to harness the full potential of member diversity limiting inclusion of youth, women or Ifunanya, U., & Chinenye, U. (2025). DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE. GPH-International Journal of Agriculture and Research, 8(8), 1529. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17293339 18 Volume 8 Issue No 08 (2025) Access: https://gphjournal.org/index.php/ar marginalized groups. This means inadequate organizational effectiveness can severely endangers agricultural cooperative impact and highlights the need to understand diversity. General definition of diversity is the presence and engagement of heterogeneous members bringing different perspectives and identities. Diversity refers to the inclusion and representation of individuals with varied characteristics, such as age, gender, education or socio-economic background, within an organization. For agricultural cooperatives, diversity implies including women, youth and vulnerable groups in membership, leadership and operations. Such representation enriches decision-making, broadens service relevance and fosters equity within organizational processes. Diversity refers to a wide range of individuals who exhibit differences in characteristics, attributes, backgrounds and perspectives. These differences can encompass various dimensions such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, socioeconomic status, educational background and more (Cox, 1993). Diversity to organizational effectiveness, involves inclusive agricultural cooperative societies that incorporate women, youth and different farmers who are more likely to adopt innovations and respond to varied member needs, thereby improving effectiveness. Yami et al, (2024) revealed that integrating gender and youth within agricultural research and innovation initiatives significantly enhances dissemination and adoption of new products. More so, the integration enhances services and processes in Africa with studies spanning multiple countries including Nigeria. The enhancement of the integration indicated that diverse member groups increases legitimacy, participation and responsiveness. Managing diversity effectively ensures all voices contribute positively to team management that involves coordinating various individuals through effective teams which is critical to translating diversity into cooperative success. Team management entails organizing, guiding and coordinating groups of individuals with complementary skills toward shared goals, emphasizing communication, accountability and shared leadership. Melo et al (2020) conducted a comprehensive review showing a clear positive relationship between leadership practices and organizational accountability, though noting that practical adoption remains limited, it affirms the idea that effective team management must embed accountability into leadership structures. it involves delegating responsibilities, promoting collaboration, resolving disputes and coordinating unified efforts toward shared goals. Within agricultural cooperatives, it entails organizing farmer members across governance structures, committees and daily operations to enhance group performance and achieve common objectives. Team management is a critical mechanism through which different member contributions yield positive cooperative performance. Generally, team management is gradually gaining recognition among agricultural cooperatives, although it remains inconsistently practiced. Cooperatives that adopt team-based structures perform better in organizing group farming, product marketing and financial accountability. For instance, Cooperative members exhibit consistently higher technical efficiency in maize production compared to non-members who focuses on technical efficiency measurements that encompasses optimized use of inputs, DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE © 2025 Published by GLOBAL PUBLICATION HOUSE | International Journal of Agriculture & Research logistics and coordination in essence, better operational efficiency under agricultural cooperative societies through team accountability Statement of the problem Agricultural cooperative societies remain vulnerable to sub-optimal performance despite various member bases in Anambra. Diversity alone does not guarantee equitable participation or innovation uptake; team management mechanisms are equally vital to ensure that varied voices translate into coordinated action. Equally, even the most structured teams may stagnate without the creativity and insights that diverse membership brings. Consequently, this research is critically needed to model the inclusion of various persons and collective management on outcomes such as inadequate finance, poor attendance, poor infrastructure, fragmented land, and limited farmland, poor accountability and transparency which hamper technology adoption and thus the effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies. Agricultural cooperatives, which often lack dedicated human resource structures, are particularly vulnerable to such breakdowns in team dynamics. For instance, Yami et al. (2024) Explored gender and youth integration in agricultural innovation across Africa. They found that youth were underrepresented in leadership and decision-making, which limited innovation scale-up and inclusive practice adoption. By employing rigorous mixed-methods analysis, quantifying diversity metrics, assessing team coordination practices and linking these two key performance indicators. Thus, this study explores weather diversity and team management can predict the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra state. This research on the diversity and team management as predictors of organizational effectiveness in agricultural cooperatives in Anambra State, is both timely and necessary from personal observations. Firstly, despite the rising impact of agricultural cooperative societies in existing empirical studies focus on cooperative services and outcomes (productivity, food security, poverty reduction, human development), but do not analyze how diversity affect these outcomes. More so, Anambra state, with its mix of rural and semi-urban dwellers, represents a microcosm of the larger southeastern Nigerian agricultural sector, making it ideal for intervention research. Purpose of the Study The main purpose of the study was to examine the diversity and team management as predictors of the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. Specifically, the study sought to: 1. Determine diversity as predictors of the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. 2. Ascertain team Management as predictors of the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. Ifunanya, U., & Chinenye, U. (2025). DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE. GPH-International Journal of Agriculture and Research, 8(8), 1529. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17293339 20 Volume 8 Issue No 08 (2025) Access: https://gphjournal.org/index.php/ar Research Questions The study was guided by the following research questions: 1. How does diversity predict the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State? 2. How does team Management predict the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State? Hypotheses The following null hypotheses were formulated and were tested at 0.05 level of significance. H01: There is no significant effect on diversity as predictor of the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. H02: There is no significance effect on team Management as predictor of the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. Literature Review Diversity Diversity is the range of human differences that influence people’s values, attitudes, perceptions, and interactions in organizations. (Harvey & Allard,2015). Diversity, as a comprehensive construct that refers to the representation of varied demographic, cognitive, and professional attributes among members of agricultural cooperatives, including gender, age, ethnicity, educational background, and skills. Within agricultural cooperatives, diversity promotes organizational effectiveness by fostering innovation, broadening problem-solving capacities, and strengthening adaptability to dynamic agricultural challenges. Heterogeneous groups contribute multiple perspectives that improve decision-making, expand resource networks, and reduce groupthink, thereby enhancing resilience and productivity. Team management Robbins & Judge, (2019) Defined team management as “the process of leading, coordinating, and motivating members to work interdependently and collectively toward achieving organizational goals.” Team management, as a vital organizational process, entails coordinating members’ roles, fostering communication, resolving conflicts, and ensuring collective accountability. In agricultural cooperatives, effective team management fosters organizational effectiveness by promoting shared leadership, strengthening decision-making, and aligning member contributions toward common goals. It also facilitates trust and cohesion, which are essential for sustaining productivity, financial performance, and member satisfaction. Diversity and Organizational Effectiveness Diversity enhances the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies by encouraging the cooperative boards to bring a wider range of skills, knowledge, and contacts, thus improving the organization’s ability to address complex strategic decisions. For instance, a board member involved in livestock may have valuable connections in the feed industry, DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE © 2025 Published by GLOBAL PUBLICATION HOUSE | International Journal of Agriculture & Research whereas one with political ties can help navigate regulatory environments. (Kenkel (2020)). In agricultural cooperatives, this inclusivity promotes member participation, resource mobilization, and sustainable productivity, thereby improving overall performance (Adegoke et al., 2023). Team management and Organizational Effectiveness Team management, characterized by cohesive collaboration between managers and governing boards, functions as a significant predictor of organizational effectiveness in agricultural cooperatives. In well-managed cooperatives, committed managers and harmonious relationships with the board enhance coordination, streamline decision-making, and foster trust thus boosting productivity, lowering transaction costs, and increasing financial performance (Barrie & Cooper, 1994; Zivkovic et al, 2017) Theoretical Framework Resource-Based View Theory (RBVT) This study was anchored on Resource-Based View. The theory was propounded by Jay Barney, in 1991. The theory stated that organizations gain sustainable competitive advantage and effectiveness when they leverage unique, valuable, and inimitable internal resources. In agricultural cooperative societies, diversity (differences in gender, age, ethnicity, skills, and experiences) and team management practices (coordination, communication, conflict resolution, and leadership) are intangible resources that enhance collective productivity and adaptability. These resources are difficult for competitors to imitate, making them strategic assets that can predict organizational effectiveness. Diversity alone does not guarantee equitable participation or innovation uptake in agricultural cooperatives thus RBVT is relevant to this study because it explains how diverse membership in agricultural cooperatives creates a pool of heterogeneous knowledge, perspectives, and skills that improve innovation, decision-making, and problem-solving ultimately enhancing organizational effectiveness. Equally, even the most structured teams may stagnate without the creativity and insights that diverse membership brings, RBVT Points out team management as a strategic internal capability tool that fosters effective coordination, shared leadership, and trust among cooperative members which transforms diversity into tangible outcomes like improved productivity, higher member satisfaction, and sustainability of farm businesses.in summary both diversity and team management complement each other as predictors of organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperatives. Empirical review Kenkel (2020) conducted a research on the Need for Board Diversity in Agricultural Cooperatives in Oklahoma State University in United States of America. Descriptive analysis was adopted. The result of the research revealed that diversity on cooperative boards brings a Ifunanya, U., & Chinenye, U. (2025). DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE. GPH-International Journal of Agriculture and Research, 8(8), 1529. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17293339 22 Volume 8 Issue No 08 (2025) Access: https://gphjournal.org/index.php/ar wider range of skills, knowledge, and contacts, thus improving the organization’s ability to address complex strategic decisions. For instance, a board member involved in livestock may have valuable connections in the feed industry, whereas one with political ties can help navigate regulatory environments. Umar et al, (2024) carried out a study on the Moderating role of trust in the relationship between corporate governance and performance of agricultural cooperatives in Nigeria. This study used concurrent triangulation design with a significant quantitative approach complemented by the qualitative segment involving seven open-ended questions. Data were collected from 384 cooperative for rice farmer’s by used of a survey design. Structural Equation Modelling was used to assess the measurement model to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that corporate governance and trust significantly influenced agricultural cooperative performance. The moderating effect of trust on corporate governance was supported. The findings illustrate how social capital theory explains the processes of African trust, especially in corrupt environments with weak legal penalties. This study examines corporate governance within the internal control mechanisms of an agricultural cooperative society. Further studies should understand corporate governance within an external tie. To our knowledge this is the first study to examine the moderating effect of trust on the interacting variables in the African social capital theory model. Research Methodology Correlational research design was adopted for this study. population of the study comprised 3397 members from 873 agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. The sample size for the study is 358 members. Taro Yamane’s formulae was used to determine the sample size. The instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire. The study made use of two instrument, the first instrument was titled Diversity as a predictor in organizational effectiveness of Agricultural Cooperative Societies (DPOEACSQ) and was divided into two Section, section A sought for demographic data and section B sought for information on diversity. Each of the sections had seven items. On the other hand, the second instrument was titled Team Management as a predictor of organizational effectiveness of Agricultural Cooperative Societies (TMPOEACSQ) and sought for information on team management. These instruments were structured on a four-point scale of Strongly Agree (4), Agree (3), Disagree (2) and Strongly Disagree (1). Copies of the questionnaire were administered on the sampled respondents. The instruments were subjected to face validation using three experts, two from Business Administration department and one from Marketing department. The final edition of the instruments was obtained after the researcher effected the necessary corrections required. Reliability of the Instrument were determined by a means of trial test. In this case the same questionnaire was administered to ten students from Anambra State. Cronbach Alpha was used to test the reliability of instrument. The instrument yielded coefficient reliability scores of (.829 &.819) for diversity and team management. The researcher and the research assistant administered the copies of the questionnaire to the respondents. The researcher waited and collected the completed questionnaires from the respondents when they were through with it. However, the researcher also returned back to DIVERSITY AND TEAM MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ANAMBRA STATE © 2025 Published by GLOBAL PUBLICATION HOUSE | International Journal of Agriculture & Research collect those of the respondents who were not disposed to fill the questionnaire at the spot. Regression was used to analyze the research questions and test the hypothesis. Analysis of Research Questions Research Question 1: How does diversity predict the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State? Table 1: Summary of the regression results of diversity as a predictor of the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients B Std. Error Beta(β) t Decision Constant -.495 .112 -4.406 Strong Positive Relationship Diversity 1.176 .040 .854 29.420 R= .854, R Square = .729, Adjusted R2=.729, F = 865.548. Table 1 shows the Summary of the regression results of diversity as a predictor of the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. The results revealed that the R= .854, R Square = .729, Adjusted R2=.729, F = 865.548. This result indicated that diversity is a strong positive predictor of organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. the result also showed that diversity can predict 85.4% organizational effectiveness. Research Question 2: How does team Management predict the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State? Table 2: Summary of the regression results of team Management as a predictor of the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients B Std. Error Beta(β) t Decision Constant -.410 .098 -4.170 Strong Positive Relationship Team Management 1.122 .034 .878 32.893 R= .878, R Square = .771, Adjusted R2=.770, F = 1081.967. Table 2 shows the Summary of the regression results of team Management as a predictor of the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. The results revealed that the R= .878, R Square = .771, Adjusted R2=.770, F = 1081.967. This result indicated that team management is a strong positive predictor of the organizational effectiveness of agricultural cooperative societies in Anambra State. the result also showed that team management can predict 87.8% organizational effectiveness.