Assessing the Correlation Between Organizational Competency Development and Learning Activities & Programs - An Investigation of the Kenyan Private Sector

For any enterprise to be successful in its activities, human resources must exhibit great competence. In a workplace setting, competency entails the ability of an employee to execute a task effectively and efficiently. In this regard, competence is highly related to the level of effectiveness and efficiency depicted by the employees of an organization when executing their jobs. If business executives in specific and the shareholders, in general, without clearly understanding the relationship between the competency of the employees and the training programs, not only will they be misappropriating a firm's scarce resources but also imperiling the core vision of the organization as well as the corporate objectives. Business organization managers must conceptualize and understand the relationship between their firms' competency development and learning activities and programs that they use. As such, this study was made to study the workplace context of Kenyan-based business organizations and set out whether there exists a correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs. A quantitative approach was used that entailed the analyses of participants' responses collected through a survey questionnaire. T-Test, Chi-square test, and One Way MANOVA analysis were conducted on the data to test the set hypothesis. It was concluded that learning activities and programs are positively correlated with the organizational competency


Introduction
For any enterprise to be successful in its activities, human resources must exhibit great competence. Competence is the capability of a person to perform a job or work properly [32]. In this regard, competence is highly related to the level of effectiveness and efficiency depicted by the employees of an organization when executing their jobs. An employee should be able to combine practical and theoretical knowledge when executing a given activity, and must ensure it is in the best interest of the organization [32]. From an analytical perspective, competency encompasses cognitive skills, behavior, and values, which are important in improving the performance of an individual. It further encompasses emotional intelligence and skills in influence. Essentially, staff skills may be improved through training and learning. In the 21st century, firms are providing learning and training avenues to their staff to improve their on-job skills and boost the overall organization performance [25].
For business organizations to remain competitive and operate efficiently and cost-effectively, ensuring individual and collaborative competency within the firm is very crucial. This is well articulated by Kowal and Roztocki, who believes that for an organization to respond appropriately to the prevailing market trends and take advantage of any presented opportunity with optimal ease, both the employees and firm executives have to exhibit great competency [20]. As at present, the business environment is experiencing pervasive transformation as a result of the ongoing change in social, political-economic, and technological dimensions. It has thus become pertinent for business enterprises to possess the necessary competency to overcome the new challenges and also take advantage of emerging platforms, such as new technologies in the industry.
On the same note, while business organizations have been using development and learning activities and programs as the main drive towards achieving fostering competency, the correlation between the organizational competency development and learning activities and programs is yet to be established. Business organization managers, in general, must conceptualize and understand the relationship between their firms' competency development and learning activities and programs that they use. This study was therefore aimed at shedding light on this correlation and, in turn, promoting sound and quick decision making by a firm executives.

Problem Statement
The essence of instituting measures to enhance organizational competency cannot be underestimated. Over the last decade, business organizations have greatly employed the use of development and learning activities and programs to enhance overall organizational efficiency and performance. However, there is inadequate literature regarding the correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs. The majority of the studies do not address the relationship between these concepts but rather discuss them differently and under different circumstances. Analytically, organizational performance is about improving a firm's competency and efficiency to ensure all the activities are to the best interest stakeholders and eliminate unwarranted costs and breakdowns. Thus, learning exercises, plans, activities, and programs designed to improve the competency of the organization personnel are very crucial. The gap in literature ought to be addressed to enhance managerial efficiency, promote sound decision making, and remove ambiguity existing over the same. If business executives in specific and the shareholders, in general, continue investing without clearly understanding the relationship between the competency of the employees and the training programs, not only will they be misappropriating a firm's scarce resources but also imperiling the core vision of the organization as well as the corporate objectives. Therefore, there is a need to establish a correlation to formulate more appropriate strategies that are aimed at enhancing the performance of the organization through improved efficiency, effectiveness, and human resource skills.

Research Hypothesis
The first set of hypotheses  H0: There exists no statistically significant correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs.  H1: There exists a statistically significant correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs The second set of hypotheses  H0: Learning activities and programs can be used to explain the level of organizational competency in an organization  H1: Learning activities and programs cannot be used to explain the level of organizational competency in an organization. The third set of hypotheses  H0: Learning activities and programs can be used to explain the level of organizational competency in an organization  H1: Learning activities and programs cannot be used to explain the level of organizational competency in an organization.
be trained on human resource issues and practice by the person in charge of a firm's organizational development [25]. The issues of dispute resolutions, regulations, and litigation avoidance are easily dealt with by the management when there is a well-established organizational development mechanism put in place.
In a quantitative study conducted by Wang on a sample of 277 respondents, the researcher found out that competency is related to career adjustment and control competency dimensions [33]. Competence assists the enterprise in planning, employee relations, and equal employment opportunity of the people. This is as well pointed out by Cohen, who argues that the competencies demonstrated by individuals holding leadership positions include a show of excellent communication, direction, teamwork, the ability to critically analyze an issue and ability to engage in consultation forums with others [9]. In slight contrast, Johnson et al. study indicates that there is a need for organizational development in improving the organization's effectiveness through a planned change intervention and management [18]. The authors say that professional competence is fluid and vulnerable to degradation over time. The findings are as well shared by Jamali, El Dirani, and Harwood, who stress that understanding the business competitors is crucial to the success of the organization as it enables the leaders to learn and adopt strategies that are aimed at achieving the organization's vision and long-term success [17]. Additionally, cultural competence by the employees aids an organization in operating in a multicultural environment as the employees exhibit strong personality and competency aimed at improving their productivity De Vos, De Hauw, and Willemse employed multiple longitudinal cases design to study employees' competency in 22 Flemish organizations [11]. The study utilized the grounded theory approach to mapping out the different steps of competency development in organizations. The researchers unveiled that organizations that have competent employees have an established framework of activities, programs, and policies that are steered towards instilling the best practices in the workforce. The theory gives the researcher a degree of freedom and permits spontaneity rather than force the researcher to select a set of pre-determined responses, as demonstrated by Alagaraja, who observed that the theory does not employ a formal and rigid approach [1].
If an organization supports its employees by promoting continuing education and training, then the employees are deemed to be more satisfied and will strive to perform better in their studies and their duties in the workplace. On the same point of view, Jackson, Schuler, and Jiang explain that supporting employees' personal and career growth and development often have a convinced confirmation effect on the staff's job satisfaction and performance as they are of the view that the organization is supporting them [16]. On a different note, Braun, Peus, Weisweiler, and Frey give an insight that there is thinking that when the organization embraces training and development programs and activities, sustainable success is deemed to occur as a result of a systematic evaluation of training interventions [8]. As such, a team should take adequate steps to assess and analyze the quality of its training According to Hornsby, the employees should be entrusted to perform their duties based on their competencies, and they need to have an in-depth understanding of their responsibilities in the organization [15]. This is well articulated by Tripathi and Agrawal, who claims that while developing a competency framework, a firm needs to involve the people doing the work; the human resource department should involve another stakeholder [30]. A business should also communicate with its employees about the performance issues and use relevant competencies that relate to the framework.
On a different note, promoting employee retention has emerged to be a crucial performance-enhancing technique often employed by business enterprises. As argued by Alias et al., business organizations are discovering that employees would not stick to it when they are not exposed to factors that will enable them to learn, try new things, and develop. Challenges offer an employee an opportunity to learn and grow [2]. This is in line with Aruna and Anitha's argument that capacity building is an essential tool for assessing training and development; this can be attained by organizing relevant workshops, training, courses, forums, and exhibits that are aimed at boosting the current employees' skills and abilities [4]. This helps a business organization in getting information and knowledge about the equipment, and this knowledge can be passed to its other employees.
It has been observed that training and career development activities to the employees improve their level of competency. According to Bozionelos, et al. training and learning programs enable the business to deal with the emerging challenges in the contemporary society and address various business problems in a way that boosts the overall organization competency and responsiveness [7]. The essence of having a set framework for developing organization competence is as well stressed by Ariffin et al., who says that the organizational competency development must be in line with the values of a firm, which includes teamwork and innovation [3].
Psychometric assessments or Aptitude Tests are yet additional methods for analyzing competencies as well as an attempt to apprehend the personality, strengths, and motivation of the applicants [34]. The most common are psychometric tests that assess the explicit competencies with the likes of teamwork, sales orientation, computation of emotions, etc. Cognitive ability tests present useful information concerning the attitude of conceptual problem solving, financial and business insight, etc. Advanced methodologies with the likes of Appreciative Inquiry and Development Dialogue with the applicants are also being established in an attempt to interpret and grasp their strengths and weaknesses, as well as methods to indicate performance concerns and provide criticism.
Various studies have been carried out to establish the link between employees' innovation, productivity, and European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online) Vol. 12, No.25, 2020 managerial practice in an organization. However, only a few studies have specifically examined the correlation between the organization's innovation rates and human resource practices and associated roles. To begin with, Michie and Sheehan studied the relationship between product and process innovation and human resource management systems in firms in the United Kingdom [39]. The findings of the study indicated that at least thirtyfour percent of the firms that utilized effective communication, flexible job assignments, teamwork, staff training, performance-related rewards, performance management, and effective recruitment procedures were more likely to experience an innovative workplace, characterized by increased productivity [39].
A different study carried out by Laursen and Foss also established that there exists a substantial correlation between employee innovations and bundled high human resource management practices [38]. The findings of the study indicated that employees who were involved in both internal and external training were more likely to exhibit workplace innovation and creativity [38]. The researchers, therefore, concluded that employee training is integral in innovation development; organizations the exhibit strong link with universities, consultancies, technical support institutions, and knowledge institutions were found to be better placed in realizing increased employee innovation [38]. From these findings, it can be deduced that both internal and external training is critical in equipping the employees with the knowledge and skills necessary to foster organizational performance through streamlined business processes and innovative product and service delivery.
An investigation to examine the relationship between innovation and human resource practices by 22 UK manufacturing business organizations unveiled that team working, contingent pay, appraisals, induction, and training aid in enhancing organization innovation [40]. Further, organization innovation was also found to be affected by knowledge management practices, training beyond job requirements, customer and supplier relations, and exploratory learning [40]. From these findings, it is clear that employee commitment and engagement that emanates from continuous training and development positively contribute towards competency development, which in turn spurs creativity and innovation. These findings are in line with Carlotti et al., who suggests that employees can only be innovative if they first understand their job, what is required of them, and what they need to do to foster their performance [41]. As such, Carlotti et al. argue that innovation can only occur if the employees can analyze the current problems or challenges facing the organization processes, product or service development, and try to come up with ways that are aimed at overcoming such or improving the current situation [41]. As such, innovation can only be initiated in a workforce that is committed to the corporate objectives and is ready to put both tacit and explicit knowledge into use. However, Shipton et al. note that "high exploratory learning in combination with weak approaches to training is a worse combination than low exploratory learning and weak approaches to training" (p. 23) [40].
Innovative outputs have also been associated with employee skills and experiences, knowledge, and human capital. On the same, organization-specific knowledge, which is fostered through on-job training, is critical in improving and streamlining organization-specific processes, and such knowledge greatly aids in enhancing the organization's competitive advantage by ensuring the resultant products and services match and possibly exceed the customer expectation. Ozkaya et al., however, adds that client-specific knowledge is crucial as well and aids an organization in customizing its products and services to match the needs of the customers directly [42]. However, the author warns that over-reliance on such knowledge in an organization also brings in the threat of not recognizing other innovation opportunities in the business model and processes [42].
A study by Andries and Czarnitzki unveiled that a collaborative work environment that encourages information sharing and which recognizes the hardworking employees through bonuses and rewards is more likely to experience increased employee competency and innovativeness [43]. In elucidating this, Andries and Czarnitzki explain that there is working to accomplish the assigned task and achieve the set targets, and there is working to promote organizational performance, streamline processes, promote personal and organizational development and steer the overall organization towards achieving the set-out mission and vision [43]. Essentially, rewards in the form of recognition, rewards, promotions, and bonuses, among others, instill a sense of pride, hard work, and creativity in the human resources to strive and achieve their potential. This is supported by a study by Karlsson and Skålén on the relationship between organizational performance and employee recognition, which unveiled that firms that seldom recognize the hardworking employees and whose promotions are hard to come by often experience high staff turnover, characterized by reduced innovation rate and declining performance as compared the counterparts that have explicit employee recognition and remuneration policies [44]. This is in line with Aruna and Anitha's perspective that capacity building is critical in enhancing employee competitiveness and innovativeness [4].

Research Design
Creswell and Clark (2007) explain that any given study must follow a predefined framework or steps that are aimed at attaining the set objectives or answering the research questions. In support of this, Patton explains that the research design adopted must be systematic and in line with the purpose of the study [27]. Boeije encourages European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online) Vol. 12, No.25, 2020 the use of quantitative research design in studying phenomena, whose constructs can be expressed in measurable variables [6]. In the proposed study, the researcher used a quantitative descriptive research approach. According to Marczyk, DeMatteo, and Festinger, the quantitative descriptive design stresses numerical, mathematical, or statistical analysis and objective measurement of the data collected [23]. The authors further posit that quantitative data is often collected via surveys, polls, questionnaires, or polls. It may also entail the manipulation of existing data set by employing various computational methods and techniques. In this study, the researcher mainly focused on collecting numerical data that can aid in establishing the correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities & programs in a business context.

Research Population and Sampling
Mujis (2010) explains that the research population in a study is the number of activities, objects, subjects, or events that are being studied. Often, it is impossible to carry out a study on the entire population, especially when it is extremely large; this then necessitates the need for employing sampling criteria to select a smaller group of objects, subjects, activities, or events to represent the general population. In the current study, the population was employees in the Kenyan private sector.
According to Kumar, sampling is the systematic process of choosing the subjects or objects from a given population to include them in a study [21]. Kumar continues to argue that there are numerous sampling techniques, and the appropriateness of each depends on its ability to accurately present the true characteristics of the research population by ensuring minimal bias and ensuring the sampled number is proportional to the research size [21]. On the same point of view, Mujis explains that sampling techniques are broadly classified into random and nonrandom techniques [24]. In the present study, convenient sampling, which is a non-random sampling technique, was adopted. A total of 100 employees holding a permanent position in different firms were sampled and subsequently enlisted for the study. The inclusion criteria entailed (i) at least five years of experience in any profession and (ii) currently holding a permanent position in a small-sized, medium-sized, or large-sized registered business enterprise in Kenya. There were no limitations with respect to gender, occupation, race, ethnicity, or nationality. The designed questionnaire was administered to all the sampled participants.
As compared to other data collecting tools, a survey questionnaire was deemed to be more appropriate. According to Patton, the choice of any data collection technique should be based on its ability to aid the research in sufficiently answering the research question, the research area, the targeted population, and, finally, the research problem [27]. In the current context, a survey questionnaire was deemed to satisfy all the four dimensions and hence more preferable than the other tools.

Data Collection
The research questionnaire was fully structured, comprising two sections. The first section comprised the participants' demographics. The second section entailed questions that are specifically focused on providing significant data that can be analyzed to approve or disapprove the research hypotheses set in the introduction chapter of this proposal. Each of the questions was formulated to elicit specific information regarding the relationship between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs The closed-ended approach in the questionnaire design ensured that the data obtained can easily be coded and analyzed to gain insights relevant to the research question. The questionnaire was designed electronically and composed of 20 closed-ended questions and with two critical sections; the respondents' demographics and the issues relevant to answering the research question The researcher used a five-point ordinal scale as the main unit of measurement for all the variables. According to Zikmund, this aided the researcher in directly assessing the perspectives of the sampled participants with respect to the phenomenon under investigation [37]. This is in line with Creswell and Clark, who explains that an ordinal scale enables the researcher to obtain pre-coded data that is tapped from the participants' cognitive and affective components regarding the research problem [10].
The designed questionnaire was printed in hard copies and distributed to the participants by the researcher. By personally administering the questionnaire, the researcher eliminated the chances of the participants not receiving the survey questionnaire; this enhanced the response rate in the study. After giving their consent to participate in the research freely, the participants were given at least two weeks to complete the survey. The researcher then collected the duly filled questionnaire from the participants for analysis 4. Data Analysis and Discussion 4.1 Introduction 100 questionnaires were randomly distributed to 100 employees working in the small, medium, or large-sized registered business organizations in Kenya. It is critical to note that the questionnaires were designed and administered electronically, which allows for fine-tuning to reduce the chances of incomplete questionnaires. As such, the respondents were only able to submit the questionnaires after answering every question. All the questions were closed-ended; this provided the researcher with pre-coded data that is easy to quantitatively analyze and interpret.
13 participants did not return their questionnaires. This implies that only 87 respondents participated in the study and filled out the questionnaire (n=87). This resulted in an 88% response rate, which is significantly high and can be relied upon for the generalization of the study findings. The survey questionnaire was divided into two; the first section comprised of the demographic information of the participants, while the second part contained all the questions necessary to test the research hypotheses earlier on set, and come up with the conclusion that answers the research question.
The main aim of the study was to examine whether there exists any correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs. The two key variables identified are learning activities and programs, which was considered to be the independent variable, and organizational competency, which was the dependent variable. The dependent variable was found to be complex to measure as a whole and hence was broken down to ten distinct sub-variables, which include quality orientation, initiative and change, process improvement, professionalism, commitment to organizational values, self-development, team relationships, accountability, collaboration, and communication. As such, the independent variable was analyzed against each of these ten variables that constitute the organizational competency.
As a result, this study had 10 dependent variables that were measured through a 4 point ordinal (rarely=1; Occasionally=2; Often=3; Always=4), while the independent variable was considered to a categorical variable and hence measured using a nominal scale of 0 and 1, whereby 0 referred to the participants who had not participated in one or more training or learning activity, while 1 referred to those that had attended at least one training program or learning activity.
As such, the data collected were grouped into two samples; those that had participated in one or more learning activities or programs, and those that had not. To answer research question outlined in chapter 1 of this dissertation, three main tests were performed; TTest, Chi-Square Test, and MANOVA

Participants Demographics
Out of 87 participants, it was noted that 43 of them were male, while 44 were female. This implies that the sampled population was well balanced in terms of gender. As a result, the male gender accounted for 49.435 of the research sample, while females accounted for 50.57% of the sample. 2.3% of the participants were high school graduates, 18.4% had at least a college diploma, 33.3% had at least a diploma and vocational training, 25.3% of the participants had at least a university degree. Finally, 20.7% of the participants had a post-graduate degree. As such, it is observable that the majority of permanent employees have a substantial educational background, as only 2.3% were only high school graduates. The rest had a college diploma or higher

Independent Samples TTest (Appendix i & ii)
As explained by Bates, Maechler, Bolker, and Walker, a TTest is done to ascertain whether two groups in a given study have different means [5]. As such, the test can be used to ascertain whether there are differences in the predicted variable between the two groups. In the present case, the two groups entail the participants who participated in one or more learning programs or activities, and the other groups are the participants who did not participate in any learning activity or program in the last two years.
From the group statistics presented in Appendix i and ii, it is notable that across all the ten dependent variables, the means for the participants who had participated in one or more training programs or learning activities are higher as compared to their counterparts who had not attended any training or learning program. In quality orientation, employees who had participated in learning programs had had a mean of 3.41 as compared to their counterparts with 3.14. A standard deviation of 0.73 was recorded in participants who had not participated, while a standard deviation of 0.497 was recorded for the individuals who had participated in learning programs.
Higher scores were recorded for often and always category, an aspect that indicates that the trained employees were seemingly more quality-oriented as compared their untrained counterparts, who seemed to have more scores towards the negative extreme This same trend was also witnessed in the initiative for change, whereby employees who had received some training were found to be more change-oriented, recording a mean score of 3.14 and a standard deviation of 0.554 against their counterparts who had a mean score of 0.886. This clearly shows a significant difference. This finding is backed by the fact that a 0.005 significance was obtained, which is significantly lower than the set alpha level (p=0.05). This implies that there exists a statistically significant difference between the means of the participants who had received some training and those that had not. Specifically, those with training had a higher score, which indicates a greater contribution toward the organizational competency.
For process improvement, a weighted average of 3.34 and a standard deviation of 0.608 were noted in participants who had participated in the training. In contrast, a weighted average of 2.98, with a standard deviation of 0.886, was obtained from the group of participants who had not participated in any form of training program or activity. Further, a 0.028 significant level was obtained, which is less than the set alpha level (p=0.05). This shows that there exists a significant difference between business employees who attended at least one training program or activity and those who did not. The high mean score for those that participated indicates that they are more process improvement-oriented than their counterparts who did not participate in any learning activity. As such, it is clear that training programs enhance process improvement orientation by the employees, which in turn enhances the organizational competency.
Regarding professionalism, it was noted that the weighted average scored for the two groups was significantly close. However, the group that had participated in some straining had a slightly higher score of 3.11 and a standard deviation of 0.538 compared to the group that had not participated in any training program or activity, which recorded a mean of 3.02 and a standard deviation of 0.859. The closeness of the scores recorded regarding professionalism recorded in the two groups indicates that employees exhibit a significant level of professionalism irrespective of whether they are trained. This finding is supported by the fact that a significance level of 0.557 was obtained, which is significantly higher than the set alpha level of 0.05. This implies that there exists no statistically significant difference between the weighted average of the employees who had participated I some form of training and those that had not concerning professionalism. As such, it can be deduced that participation in education and training programs has little or no effect on the professionalism of the employees. In this question, professionalism was defined in terms of integrity, relationship with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders, adherence to ethical and legal standards and crediting other people for their efforts. The weighted average for both groups was more significant than 3.0, indicating that whether trained or not, the employees often exhibit professionalism in their daily chores.
With respect to a commitment to organization values, a significant difference in the means of the two groups was obtained, with the participants that had participated in earning and training programs scoring a higher weighted score of 3.0 as compared to their counterparts who score 2.80. This difference was found to be significant as a valid use of 1 was obtained, which is significantly lower than the alpha level, hence suggesting that a statistically significant difference does exist between commitment to organization values by this that had been trained and those that had never been trained. The trained individuals indicated a greater commitment towards organization values, an aspct that positively contributes towards a firm's competency.
From a different point of view, a strong difference between the participants who had participated in some form of training and those that had not was noted regarding self-development. Greater self-development wa noted in individuals who had received some training, recording a weighted average of 3.41. In contrast, those that had not received any form of training recorded a weighted average of 2.81. This gap in the means was also notable for the significant value that was obtained, which was 0.000 and significantly lower than the set alpha level of 0.05. As a result, staff training can be perceived t have a significant effect on self-development by the employees and likewise contributes to organizational competency.
A similar trend was also witnessed in team relationships, whereby individuals who had received some training scored higher than those who had not. A mean score of 3.36 was obtained in the trained participants, while 2.91 scores were recorded for those that had not. The disparity in the scores between the two groups is supported by the fact that a 0.002 significance was obtained, which, when compared to the set alpha level, is significantly lower, hence indicating a statistically significant difference between the means of the two groups. Therefore term relationships can be view to be impacted by employee training.
A 0.017 probability value was obtained concerning accountability, which, when compared to the set alpha level, is significantly lower, hence indicating the existence of a statically significant difference between the scores recorded by the two groups. This finding can be backed by the fact that a 2.90 weighted average was recorded by the participants who had not taken part in any training, while a 3.30 mean was recorded for the participants who had attended the training. This is a clear depiction that employees who had received some training exhibited higher accountability in their jobs, as compared to their counterparts who had not received any training. As such, the accountability of employees can be perceived to be influenced by training programs and activities.
A significant change was noted in the collaboration metric, whereby unlike other dependent variables it was noted that in both groups, the mean score was almost same with those that did not receive training recording a 3.14 score with a standard deviation of 0.888, while their trained counterparts are scoring 3.36 with a standard deviation of 0.487. A significance value of 0.147 was obtained, which is greater than the set alpha level, hence indicating that there exists no significant difference between the trained and untrained employees regarding the collaboration?
Finally, communication was noted to be among the factors that are highly affected by earning. This is because a significance value of 0.00 was obtained, which indicates the existence of a statistically significant difference between the scores of the participants who had been trained and those that had not. As a result, a 3.39 score was recorded for the respondents who had participated in some training, while a score of .05 was recorded for those that had not. As such, it can be deduced that communication is critical in organizational competency and is greatly affected u organizational training.
In any given test, it is critical to note Laverne's significance scores to ensure equality of variance and maintain homoscedasticity or homogeneity of variance in the data collected. According to Gastwirth, Gel, and Miao, the Levene's test is made to test the null hypothesis that there is equality in the population variances [14]. As such, if the obtained significance value is lower than the set alpha level, then the null hypothesis is rejected, and it is concluded that there are no equal variances in the data. This is supported by Parra-Frutos, who argues that unequal variances are unlikely to be obtained from a random sampling of a population that exhibits equal variances [26]. All the Levene's test scores recorded for the ten dependent variables are greater than0.05, which is these alpha level. This implies that the test adhered to the homoscedasticity assumptions of the chi-square test.

Pearson's Chi-Square Test (See Appendix iii)
The chi-square test is done to elicit the existence of any association between the independent and the dependent variables. As such, this test was done to ascertain whether learning activities and programs have any correlation with different constructs of organizational competency.
A correlation between the employees' quality orientation and the learning activities and programs was observed; χ2 (2) = 10.351, p = 0.000. The 0.006 asymptotic significance obtained is lower than the set alpha level of 0.05, an aspect that indicates the existence of a statistical correlation between the two variables. This correlation is as well notable form the Crammer's V value of 0.345, which indicates a weak relationship. Pearson's R-value noted was 0.211, which indicates the existence of a weak positive correlation between the two variables. From this chi-square test, it can be deduced that the employees' quality orientation is affected by the Training Programs. However, the effect is little.
A correlation between the employees change initiative, and the learning activities and programs were observed; χ2 (2) = 31.381, p = 0.000. The 0.000 significance obtained is less than the 0.05, an alpha level that had been set, hence implying that there exists a statistically significant correlation between the two variables. Further, the symmetric measures indicate the existence of a strong positive correlation between the two variables, as the Pearson's R-value of 0.588 lies in the strong positive category, hence suggesting that employee training and learning programs are positively related to their change initiative, which in turn affects the organizational competency.
With respect to process improvement, A correlation between the employees change initiative, and the learning activities and programs were observed; χ2 (2) = 15.029, p = 0.001. This significance level is less compared to the alpha level of 0.05. Hence, it can g= be deduced that there exists a statistically significant association between the process improvement and the employee's engagement in learning activities and programs. The said association is moderate. The crammer's V value obtained supports the existence of the relationship, while the Pearson R value scored indicates that the association is moderate and positive as well. As such, it can be deduced that learning programs and activities have a significant effect on the process improvement, which in turn is part of organizational competencies as easily on described Regarding professionalism, a correlation between the employees change initiative, and the learning activities and programs were observed; χ2 (2) = 16.714, p = 0.000. The significance value obtained, p=0.000, is lower than the set alpha level and indicates that there exists a strong association between the participation of employees in learning activities and programs and professionalism. The results from the symmetric measures show the strength and type of relationship between the two variables. To g begin with, the crammer's V value of 0.438 indicates that the relationship between the two variables exists and is significant. Pearson's R-value of 0.334 indicates that the relationship is moderate and positive as well. As such, an increase in training and learning activities and programs is likely to result in increased professionalism.
With respect to employees' commitment to organizational values, a correlation between the employees' commitment to organizational values and the learning activities and programs was observed; χ2(2) = 29.556, p = 0.000. The asymptotic significance level obtained is lower than the alpha level of 0.05, hence suggesting the existence of a statistically significant correlation between the employee's commitment ot the organizational goals and the training and learning activities accorded to them. The Cramer's V value of 0.58 obtained showcase that the two variables have a significantly strong relationship, especially when considering the fact that In Crammer Correlation measures, the strength of the relationship is measured between 0 and 1, with 0 indicating the absence of correlation while 1 indicating a strong correlation between the variable in question. Pearson's R-value of 0.336 indicates that the relationship is not only moderate but also positive. As such, an increase in the trading of the employees is highly likely to result in increased employees' commitment to organizational values by the employees.
A correlation between the employees' self-development and the learning activities and programs was observed; χ2 (2) = 25.015 a , p = 0.000. Just as in the prior cases, the significance level obtained was lower than the set alpha level, hence indicating the existence of a statistically significant association between the independent and the dependent variables. The symmetric measures in this particular test support the existence of the association between the two variables. Cramer's V value of 0.536 indicates the existence of an average association between the two variables. Pearson's R-value of 0.386 shows that besides the relationship being average, it is as well European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online) Vol. 12, No.25, 2020 positive. This implies that the engagement of the employees in a training program improves their self-development.
A correlation between the employees' ability to promote positive team relationships and the learning activities and programs was observed; χ2 (2) = 20.493 a , p = 0.000. Owing to the fact that the set alpha level was 0.05, the pvalue, p=0.000 obtained indicates the existence of a statistically significant association between the employees learning activities and programs and team relationships. The symmetric measures support the existence of the correlation between the employees' ability to establish and support team relationships and training and organization programs offered by the organizations. Specifically, the Crammer's V value of 0.485 indicates the existence of an average correlation, while Pearson's R-value of 0.327 also indicates a moderate correlation that is as well positive. As such, employees' participation learning and activity programs positively contribute to their devilment of team relationship skills, which in turn enhances organizational competency.
A correlation between the employees' accountability and the learning activities and programs was observed; χ2 (2) = 28.891 a , p = 0.000. The asymptotic significance obtained in this test categorically shows that there exists a correlation between accountability, which is a factor of organizational competency and learning activities and programs. Being the independent variable, a change in the organization's learning activities and programs is likely to impact the employee's accountability in their jobs. However, the relationship between the two variables can be said to be weak, as according to the symmetric measures of the variable, a Crammer's V score of 0.376 was recorded, which indicates a weak correlation in a scale of 0 to 1. Pearson's R-value of 0.254 indicates that despite the correlation between accountability and employee training being low, it is also positive. From this, it can be deduced that an improvement in the employees learning activities and programs would result in a small but significant increase in their accountability, which would ultimately increase the organizational competency A correlation between the employees' collaboration and the learning activities and programs was observed; χ2 (2) = 24.193 a , p = 0.000. This indicates the existence of an association between the two variables; hence, a change in the independent variable, in this case, the learning activities and programs would have an effect on the employee's collaboration levels, which in this case is the dependent variable. The Crammers value of 0.527 indicates that the association between the two variables is moderate; thus, learning activities and programs have a statistically significant effect on the collaboration levels of the employees.
Finally, an association between the employees' communication and the learning activities and programs was observed; χ2 (2) = 21.728 a , p = 0.000. Again, the significance level in this variable is also less than the set alpha level of 0.05. Hence, it can be concluded that there exists a statistically significant association between the two variables. As a result, learning programs and activities positively affect the employees' collaboration levels at the workplace. This association is supported by the Crammer V and Pearson R values, which are 0.500 and 0.337, respectively. Both values suggest that the independent variable, in this case, the learning activities and programs have a moderate effect on the dependent variable, which is the employees' collaboration. It is also worth noting that the correlation here is positive.

One Way MANOVA (See Appendix iv)
One way MOANOVA is used to test the effect of one or more independent variables on more than one continuous dependent variable. In the present case, the dependent variables were ten. These were obtained by breaking down organizational competency into specific constructs.
 R Square of .045 in quality orientation implies that 4.5% of the variations in the quality orientation by the employees can be explained by participation in learning activities and programs  R Squared of .083 in initiative and change implies that 8.3% of the variations in initiative and change by the employees can be explained by participation in learning activities and programs  R Squared of .056 in process improvement implies 5.6% of the variations in process improvement by the employees can be explained by participation in learning activities and programs  R Squared of .004 in professionalism implies 4% of the variations in professionalism by the employees can be explained by participation in learning activities and programs  R Squared of .113 in commitment to organization values implies 11.3% of the variations in commitment to organization values by the employees can be explained by participation in learning activities and programs  R Squared of.164 in self-development implies 16.4% of the variations in self-development by the employees can be explained by participation in learning activities and programs  R Squared of .107 in team relationships implies 10.7% of the variations in team relationships by the employees can be explained by participation in learning activities and programs  R Squared of .065 in accountability implies 6.5% of the variations in accountability by the employees can be explained by participation in learning activities and programs  R Squared of .025 in collaboration implies 2.5% of the variations in collaboration by the employees can be explained by participation in learning activities and programs www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online) Vol. 12, No.25, 2020  j. R Squared of .056 in communication implies 5.6% of the variations in communication by the employees can be explained by participation in learning activities and programs 4.4 Hypothesis Testing 4.4.1 First set of hypotheses  H0: There exists no statistically significant correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs  H1: There exists a statistically significant correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs. To reject or approve the null hypothesis, the results of the chi-square test will be used. As earlier explained, the set alpha level is 0.05. Therefore, the set null hypothesis will be rejected, and the alternate hypothesis approved if and only if the obtained significance level in all the ten cases is less than the set alpha level. It is critical to note that competency was broken down into ten constructs, and a test for correlation between learning activities programs for each of the constructs done. Therefore, all the tests have to be considered in approving or disapproving the hypothesis Quality orientation sig.=0.000<α=0.05;change initiative sig.=0.000<α=0.05; process improvement sig.=0.001<α=0.05; Professionalism sig.=0.000<α=0.05; commitment to organizational values sig.=0.000<α=0.05; self-development sig.=0.000<α=0.05; Team relationships sig.=0.000<α=0.05; Accountability sig.=0.000<α=0.05; Collaboration; sig.=0.000<α=0.05; Communication sig.=0.000<α=0.05.
Statistically, since Organizational Competency was broken down into ten constructs, to check the effect of the independent variables on the latter as a whole, we have to sum up individual significances and see whether they meet the set threshold of 0.05. Therefore, Sig. Total (SigT) = sum of all probabilities Sig(T)=(0.000+0.001+0.000+0.000+0.000+0.000+0.000+0.000+0.000+0.000) SigT=0.001; α=0.05 SigT< α Therefore the null hypothesis is rejected, and the alternate hypothesis approved. As such, it is concluded that there exists a statistically significant correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs. 4.4.2 Second set of hypotheses  H0: Learning activities and programs can be used to explain the level of organizational competency.  H1: Learning activities and programs cannot be used to explain the level of organizational competency.
This set of hypotheses was tested using the One Way MANOVA. As earlier explained, one-way MANOVA is used to test the effect of one or more independent variables on more than one continuous dependent variable. In the present case, the dependent variables were ten. These were obtained by breaking down organizational competency into specific constructs. The independent variable is only one; the learning activities and programs Firstly, the obtained significance in all the ten constructs is less than the set alpha level. As such, all these constructs are affected by the independent variable, learning activities, and programs. The null hypothesis is, therefore, rejected, and the alternative hypothesis approved.
From the one way MANOVA, the R square value obtained in each predicted variable explains the percentage of variation in the dependent variable that can be explained by the independent variable. From the test, 4.5% of the variations in the quality orientation, 8.3% of the variations in initiative and change, 5.6% of the variations in process improvement, 4% of the variations in professionalism, 11.3% of the variations in commitment to organization values, 16.4% of the variations in self-development, 10.7% of the variations in team relationships and implies 6.5% of the variations in accountability, 2.5% of the variations in collaboration and 5.6% of the variations in communication can be explained by learning activities and programs.
The percentage of organizational competency that can be explained by t learning programs and activities is; therefore, the sum of all the R squared values for all the ten constructs. RSqT (R Square Total)=Rs1+Rsq2+Rsq3+++Rsq10 RsqT=(4.5%+8.3%+5.6%+4%+11.3%+16.4%+10.7%+6.5%+2.5+5.6) RsqT=75.4% This implies that 75.4% of the organizational competency can be explained by learning activities and programs. 4.4.2 Third set of hypothesis  H0: There no significant difference between the competency of employees who participate in learning activities and programs and those who do not participate  H1: There exists a significant difference between the competency of employees who participate in learning activities and programs and those who do not participate. This set of hypotheses was tested using a TTest. According to Deng, Asma, and Paré, TTest is used to check European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online) Vol. 12, No.25, 2020 whether there exist significant differences in the means of two or samples [13]. In the present case, the samples in question entailed one group of employees who participate in learning activities and programs and another group in which the employees had not participated in any training. In all the ten constructs that made up the dependent variable, all significance values obtained were less than 0.005, which is the set alpha level.
From this, the null hypothesis is rejected, and the alternate hypothesis approved. It is hence concluded that there exists a statistically significant difference between the employees who have been trained and those who have not. Organizational competencies are essential because they assist a firm in organizing its tasks effectively while involving every employee. In assessing the correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs, the study found that learning activities and programs could not be utilized to explain the 75.4% of the organizational competency. The organizational competency development has been influenced by learning activities programs, where participants who received training portrayed higher competency than those who received none. The competency factors should guide the organization when planning for the learning activities.
Quality orientation involves carrying out different tasks by considering all components, regardless of how small they may be. This implies that the organizational managers have to demonstrate total concern for all activities involved in accomplishing a task by accurately evaluating processes and being conscious of time. Quality orientation allows employees to cease being directed by their skills, but rather respond to a number of activities base on their abilities. Thus, organizational competency development can be attained through quality training and programs that are designed to meet the organization's objectives.
Change leaders who persist in engaging their employees in the change usually foster the necessary cooperation, as well as collaboration across organizational boundaries. Such leaders demonstrate initiative and energy in conveying a sense of urgency, as change is their priority. Change leaders are highly visible, as well as interactive, as they implement change initiatives to the firm's stakeholders. They understand that change initiative is a necessity in leadership to transform the status quo, and having additional training is necessary since change is an ongoing process that has no visible ending point.
Business organizations engage in process improvement to identify, analyze, as well as develop new tactics to replace the existing processes, to optimize their operations, and to satisfy the quality standards. Process improvement can be accomplished through organizational learning, where the organization develops knowledge, as well as reconstructs existing knowledge, which is later instilled into employees. In the majority of Kenyan businesses, employees are requested to report any problem that they encounter during the process and to suggest how a firm can enhance their capacity to undertake their responsibilities effectively through process improvement.
Every firm requires the adoption of professionalism, where certain individuals possess specialized knowledge to handle specialized roles. Professionalism incorporates a set of individual standards and a belief system that advances the individuals' expertise, as well as the social status of such individuals' occupations. Commitment to organizational values is also related to the capacity of the staff to have positive views concerning a firm's clients, in addition to being dedicated to high performance. Research studies have indicated that organizational commitment can be influenced by leadership effectiveness, as well as the organizational environment; hence, an effective leader can assist in maintaining commitment even in times of crisis. In this context, training employees on organizational culture can help in transforming the mindset of the employees to dedicate their efforts toward improving organizational performance.
Self-development has been a vital component in organizational competency because it demonstrates that a firm appreciates the strengths of each employee in directing his/her actions to seek knowledge. Self-development involves discretionary learning by employees, where they gain new knowledge and skills, which are vital for organizational adaptability and competitiveness. Learning for self-development implies that employees can have unlimited access to the information they require to meet their own needs, in addition to improving their performances.
Team relationships help businesses to be innovative and creative in carrying out their operations. When employees are in good terms with each other, they are likely to encourage each other and, consequently, improve their performance. Team relationships assist in promoting healthy information exchanges, thus, counteracting some of the communication issues that could interfere with organizational operations.
Accountability is paramount in organizational competency development because it clearly defines what employees expect from themselves, as well as from others. One of the greatest aspects of accountability in organizations emanates from the amount of control that employees possess in their work. Employees can enhance accountability by allowing their actions to be evaluated by external bodies, which can reward them for good work or sanction them for failing in their roles.
Collaboration involves forming a purposeful relationship with another party for a common objective. Collaboration between different stakeholders contributes through impacting innovation, encouraging increased supply chain possibilities, reducing costs, expanding revenues, as well as increasing customer satisfaction. Thus, taking advantage of collaboration creates a better chance of maintaining a competitive advantage. Business leaders European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online) Vol. 12, No.25, 2020 pay attention to the employees' side of change by observing and sensing their feelings and subsequently responding to their attitudes, perspective, and behaviors.
No firm can develop effectively without proper communication among its stakeholders. Sometimes people may resist change due to the uncertainties in terms of responsibilities, but having a proper communication system helps in motivating them to accept change for mutual benefits. When employees feel like their leaders are responding to their voice, they tend to improve in their responsibilities, compared to when they are being commanded on what to do, as well as how to do it. Communication encourages feedback, which can help in understanding employee needs and act on those needs.

Conclusion
It is hereby concluded that there exists a statistically significant correlation between organizational competency development and learning activities and programs. Learning activities and programs can be used to explain the level of organizational competency as there exists a statistically significant performance difference between the employees who have been trained and those who have not. Employees who have been trained were found to have a higher competency than those that had not been trained. More scores towards the positive extreme were noted for the participants who had been trained, while those Organizational competency development cannot be accomplished without engaging in learning activities since operations in organizations are changing rapidly. Developing competency through training is critical for keeping people and organizations in tandem with the skills, knowledge, as well as behaviors that have an impact on their job performance. Change initiatives should be aligned with strategic business objectives and should be acceptable to all employees. Today's dynamic environment requires organizations to adapt quickly to change to sustain their operations in the future. Change can be implemented within the organization by paying attention to learning and competence development. Through training, leaders in the organization can embark on team-building programs, which enable members to cultivate good relationships outside their team responsibilities, in addition to creating emotional bonds. Team building programs can assist members in fostering cognitive-based trust, as well as have the opportunity to learn new skills from team members. Business organizations should allow their employees to work in different departments to improve their knowledge and skills instead of allowing them to work only in departments that fit their qualifications. Quality orientation can only happen when employees are allowed to undertake responsibilities that not only match their skills but also with their abilities. Learning activities in organizations can help in improving the capacity of employees to work in different sectors. Employees are capable of maintaining discipline if organizations allow them to develop freely and where they can be held accountable for their deeds. A firm should develop a policy where all employees are necessitated to undergo training for different skills on top of what they currently do in the organization.
Organizational values influence the level of commitment to the organization; hence, leaders should initiate human resource practices that facilitate desired values within the organization's operations. A firm should also undertake a survey regularly to evaluate employees' perceptions concerning various organizational values. Collaboration seems to be a challenging task to accomplish with the organization since some members may perceive it as a competing activity, rather than an act of cooperation. Thus, leaders should ensure that different teams within a firm are cooperating to enhance accountability and to improve productivity. Leaders should ensure that organizational cultures are reviewed to avoid rigidity in accepting change. Business organizations should permit employees to engage in self-development to prepare themselves for future challenges within their roles. Studies on control and persuasion within autocratic and democratic organizations indicate that organizations operate effectively where everyone has an influence. Having an influence on organizational operations implies that the individual is being heard through communication. Thus, business organizations should establish a proper communication structure, where every employee is given a chance to offer his/her opinion. A business organization should ensure that it responds to feedback from employees to encourage them to contribute to a firm's management.