ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY ASSESSMENT AS INPUT TO POLICY DIRECTION IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES, CATARMAN NORTHERN SAMAR

This study focused on the organizational capacity assessment of the University of Eastern Philippines as an input to policy direction. This employed descriptive research design using the middle level management of every college covering the Deans and department chairs as respondents. This included the members of the University Administrative Council. OCA assessment template was modified and used as instrument of this study. This study found out that mostly of the middle managers are older, female, and a majority of the middle managers are younger in the service which signifies that the institution is after the fresh ideas of newer in the service. The university were assessed in the seven (7) capacity areas: governance, operations and management, human resources development, financial management, business services, delivery, communication (vertical and horizontal), and external relations. The middle managers are consistent with their responses on their capacity along business services delivery, financial management, and human resource development. Along the recommendatory assessment, the University should focus on assessing the governing body whether it functions and attracts funding, review regularly and update the University Code, benchmark effective strategy for implementing business plans for IGPs, facilities and equipment management control in place, develop and follow staff training plan, prepare system to motivate staff in place, follow budgetary allocation seriously, determine adequate capacity for bulking of inputs and agricultural products, use of assessment tools for evaluating members satisfaction with services provided to them, improve capacity to set baselines, targets and monitor, meet local market share adequately, improve grievance mechanism, establish e-communication platform, in place faculty and student exchange program, and mainstream the alumni to the university activities.


Introduction
Every organization must be aware of its capability through its strengths, weaknesses and values in order to effectively serve its clientele. An organizational assessment review has to be periodically conducted to attune the direction and operational management of the different organizational units. The transition of the university governance necessitates revising of its organizational management in improving if not revising some of the policies and development direction of the university. Capacity as conceptually defined based on the findings of Christensen and Gazley (2008), as the ability of an organization to fulfill its goals and researches focused on determining the variables that impact organizational performance. In the case of the present study, organizational capacity was assessed for policy direction. In the study of Gargan (1980:652) as cited by Bryan (2011), it was defined as the ability of an organization "to do what it wants to do." This was studied in the paper of Bryan (2011). Utilizing a two-phase sequential mixed method design through interview and survey, the study of Bryan (2011) found out that organizational capacity consisted of a number organizational resources and capabilities that impact the functioning of the internal organization as well as its relationships with other relevant organizations and external stakeholder; six dimensions of capacity were identified: human resource, financial resource, information technology, knowledge, stakeholder commitment, and collaborative. The findings highlighted on six dimensions which are connected to the theoretical construct of organizational capacity. However, results from the discriminant validity tests of the six subscales are mixed. Mustapa et al (2014:76-83) found out that company needs to have adequate infrastructure and utilize it appropriately because its interaction with corporate governance is proven to have an influence on corporate performance. Findings of this research recognize that infrastructure emerges as an important element to the research of corporate governance.
Two dimensions of organizational capacity positively affect the firm innovative performance: system orientation and knowledge acquisition-utilization orientation (Comlek, (2012). This is further confirmed by the findings of Kitapci and Celik (2014) that firms can enhance quality performance through improving organizational learning capacity. This is also true with Tayles et al (2007) that strategy is a pattern of allocating resources that allows a company to maintain and improve performance generating fitness among a company's activities.
The result of this study is significantly important as input in mainstreaming and revising some policy issues as input in the transformational focus of the major mandated functions of the university. This study focused on the organizational capacity assessment of the University of Eastern Philippines as an input to policy direction.

Methodology
This study employed descriptive research design. It made use of the middle level management as respondents. OCA assessment template was modified and used as instrument of this study.
In assessing the university in the seven (7) capacity areas: governance, operations and management, human resources development, financial management, business services, delivery, communication (vertical and horizontal), and external relations, the following scoring were used:

Results and Discussion
Profile of the Respondents   This means that a majority of the middle managers are younger in the service which signifies that the institution is after the fresh ideas of newer in the service.

Assessment of Organizational Capacity along Governance
It is presented in Table 1 on governance that the university with a mean of 3.93 which is interpreted as "highly capable." Specifically, the university is very highly capable along the following items: mission statement of the university with a business orientation clearly articulated (4.02), legal status compliant with official registration requirements (4.08), and democratic elections held (4.23). This means that the University along governance is competent in explicitly incorporating business orientation on its mission statement, complying legal requirements in its SEC registration and adhering to democracy in its elections.

Assessment of Organizational Capacity along Operations and Management
In the area of operations and management as shown in Table 2.2, with a mean of 3.67, the university is highly capable. Specifically, the university is highly capable in the following areas: participative planning process is practiced (3.86), monitoring and evaluation of activities is in place (3.78), and operations manuals are established (3.71). This implies that the university is competent in practicing participative planning process, implementing monitoring and evaluation and establishing operations manual.  Table 3 along human resource development, the university is highly capable. Specifically, the university is highly capable in the following areas: staff has appropriate numbers to achieve the mission of the organization (3.70), staff has appropriate skills to achieve the mission of the organization (3.70), and every staff member has a clear work plan for meeting the strategy of the organization (3.69).

Financial Management
In the area of financial management, the university is highly capable as shown in Table 4. Specifically, the university is highly capable in the following areas: existence of updated accounting policies, procedures, and manuals (3.90), books of account are current (3.90), and internal controls adhered to (3.90).  Table 5 below on business services delivery, the university is highly capable. Specifically, the university is highly capable in the following areas: support services provided by financial units (3.58), rationalize the operation of IGPs (3.57), and business friendly attitude provided by personnel (3.57). In the area of communication as presented on Table 6, the university is highly capable. Specifically, the university is very highly capable in the following areas: academic and administrative units regularly hold meetings (4.10), participative mood is observable in all meeting (4.02), and communication protocol being followed in official transaction/ matters with the university (4.01).

External Relations
As presented in the Table 7 below on external relations, the university is highly capable. Specifically, the university is highly capable along the following areas: formal working relationships with government agencies in place (3.97), business partnerships with private sector is in place (3.93), and written agreement with private sector and NGOs in place (3.88).  In the table below (Table 8), it could be gleaned that the capacity areas with high acceptability through its standard deviation includes: business services delivery (=0.07), financial management (=0.08), communication (=0.08) and human resource development (=0.09). This means that along the different capacity areas, the middle managers in UEP agree with each other in their responses along business services delivery, financial management, and human resource development. This further means that the University is competent along support services provided by financial units, rationalize the operation of IGPs, and business friendly attitude provided by personnel. There is an existence of updated accounting policies, procedures, and manuals, books of account are current, and internal controls adhered to. It is implied that academic and administrative units regularly hold meetings, participative mood is observable in all meeting, and communication protocol being followed in official transaction/ matters with the university. Staff has appropriate numbers to achieve the mission of the organization, staff has appropriate skills to achieve the mission of the organization, and every staff member has a clear work plan for meeting the strategy of the organization.

Recommendatory Assessment of the Organizational Capacity
Based on the results of the different capacity areas, the University should focus on assessing the governing body whether it functions and attracts funding, review regularly and update the University Code, benchmark effective strategy for implementing business plans for IGPs, facilities and equipment management control in place, develop and follow staff training plan, prepare system to motivate staff in place, follow budgetary allocation seriously, determine adequate capacity for bulking of inputs and agricultural products, use of assessment tools for evaluating members satisfaction with services provided to them, improve capacity to set baselines, targets and monitor, meet local market share adequately, improve grievance mechanism, establish ecommunication platform, in place faculty and student exchange program, and mainstream the alumni to the university activities.

Conclusions
This study found out that mostly of the middle managers are older compared to the rest of the middle managers considering the bountiful experiences along the journey of becoming middle managers, female, and a majority of the middle managers are younger in the service which signifies that the institution is after the fresh ideas of newer in the service.
In assessing the organizational capacity, it found out that the university is very highly capable along governance by clearly articulating mission statement of the university with a business orientation, complying legal status with official registration requirements, and holding democratic elections. Along operations and management, UEP is capable in practicing participative planning process, in placing monitoring and evaluation of activities, and establishing operations manuals. Under human resource development, the university is highly capable in providing appropriate number of staff in achieving the mission of the organization, developing skills of staff appropriate in achieving the mission of the organization, and identifying clear work plan of every staff member in meeting the strategy of the organization. In the area of financial management, the university is highly capable in providing updated accounting policies, procedures, and manuals, updating books of account, and adhering to internal controls. On business services delivery, the university is highly capable in providing support services by financial units, rationalizing the operation of IGPs, and providing business friendly attitude. In the area of communication, the university is highly capable in regularly holding meetings academic and administrative units, observing participative mood in all meetings, and following communication protocol in official transaction/ matters with the university. And on external relations, the university is highly capable in placing the formal working relationships with government agencies, business partnerships with private sector, and written agreement with private sector and NGOs. The middle managers are consistent with their responses on their capacity along business services delivery, financial management, and human resource development.
Along the recommendatory assessment, the University should focus on assessing the governing body whether it functions and attracts funding, review regularly and update the University Code, benchmark effective strategy for implementing business plans for IGPs, facilities and equipment management control in place, develop and follow staff training plan, prepare system to motivate staff in place, follow budgetary allocation seriously, determine adequate capacity for bulking of inputs and agricultural products, use of assessment tools for evaluating members satisfaction with services provided to them, improve capacity to set baselines, targets and monitor, meet local market share adequately, improve grievance mechanism, establish e-communication platform, in place faculty and student exchange program, and mainstream the alumni to the university activities.