1
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACT OF MOTIVATION ON
EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
Background of the Study
Management and leadership are often thought of as the same thing. Although it is true that
the most effective manager will almost certainly be an effective leader and that leading is an
essential function of managers, there is more to managing than in leading. Managing
involves doing a careful planning, setting up an organization structure that will aid people in
achieving set goals and staffing the organization with people who are as competent as
possible. The measurement and correction of people‟s activities through controlling is also
an important function of management. However, all these managerial functions accomplish
little if managers do not know how to lead people and to understand the human factor in their
operations in such a way as to produce desired results (Mullins, 1996).
Motivation means incitement to move or inducement to act or move. In an industrial setting,
it means to make a subordinate act in a desired manner in the interest of the organization or
employer. To motivate, therefore, is to induce, persuade, stimulate and even compel an
employee to act in a manner which may help in attaining organizational objectives.
Motivation involves putting inputs that are necessary for changing the work, attitudes and
behaviour.
It is complex trying to understand human motivation. Sometimes a person‟s motive may be
clear to him but quite puzzling to others. In other incidences, both the individuals and those
affected by his behaviour understand what is driving him. In some situations, especially
2
where stress is involved, the individual concerned may be totally unaware of his motives
while others may see them quite clearly. It is, therefore, prudent for those in managerial and
supervisory positions to be aware of these issues and to take into consideration their own
prejudices in this area of their work. This is because our efforts to understand others are
clouded by our attitudes towards them and the assumptions we make about their behaviour.
This research is necessitated by the complex nature of the aspect of motivation (Cole, 1995)
Motivation includes the things that induce an individual to perform while motivators are the
identified rewards or incentives that sharpen the drive to satisfy these wants. They are also
the means by which conflicting needs may be reconciled or one need heightened so that it
will be given priority over another. A business environment in which managerial
performance is effective and efficient tends to breed a desire for high quality management
among most or all managers and personnel. A motivator then is something that influences an
individual behaviour. It makes a difference in what a person will do, obviously in any
organized enterprise (Mullins, 1996).
Lack of motivation is usually expressed mainly in departure to pursue other careers that are
more motivating and it is also seen in the low output in performance. Motivation is such a
complicated subject because it deals with people and people are all different and have
different attitudes and emotions and, different people are motivated by different things. What
then leads to employees‟ poor performance, inefficiency and lack of professionalism? Studies
have identified two ways in which motivation can be achieved:
The management strategy: This also refers to the support that employees receive from the
management. This entails the management styles and the motivational policies put in place to
create a healthy competition among employees and also to motivate them to work harder.
From this point of view, the effectiveness of the employees is determined by the way work is
organized and the way people work together i.e. team work and team spirit.
3
The psychological concept is the other aspect of employee motivation. This is sometimes
referred to as psychological contract and it concerns whether the employee is satisfied with
his or her career or not. Research has then been worsened by the poor remuneration due to the
poor state of economy of our country and poor working conditions.
The management can relieve some of the tension and anxiety associated with these jobs by
understanding and being sympathetic to the employees and also by providing continuous
education, training, upgrading skills and opportunity for self-development.
The interaction of motivation and organizational climate not only underscores the systems
aspect of motivation but also emphasizes on how motivation both depends on and influences
leadership styles and management practice. Leaders and managers must respond to the
motivation of individuals if they are to design an environment in which people will perform
willingly. Likewise, they can design a climate that will arouse or reduce motivation. This
study will mainly focus on the factors that motivate employees in the workplace hence
enhancing their productivity. Motivation can be defined as “as a process both instinctive and
rational by which people seek to satisfy the basic drives, perceived needs and personal goals
which trigger human behaviour” (Dessler, 2000)
The study will be undertaken at the national social security fund (NSSF). NSSF is a
Government parastatal in Kenya and it was established by an act of Parliament in 1965. The
breakdown of the old social security system had to be replaced by appropriate formal
schemes. Certain categories of workers in the public service were covered by pension
schemes while some in private sector were offered some forms of medical and retirement
benefits. The majority of workers, however, are not covered by any formal retirement benefit
arrangements. It was, therefore, considered prudent to establish a national scheme that was to
ensure that every worker was provided with a minimum social security protection and thus
NSSF was established (NSSF, 2006).
4
Under the international labor organization (ILO) convention, social security is defined as
“The protection provided by the society to its members through a series of public measures
against economic and social distress that would otherwise be caused by the loss of substantial
reduction in earnings, old age and death; The provision of medical care and provision of
subsidies to families with children and so on (NSSF, 2006). Initially the fund was a
department within the Ministry of Labor but as its membership grew and its operations
became complex, the NSSF act was amended in 1987 to transform it into an autonomous
state corporation. Therefore, since 1988 the fund has been operating under a Board of
Trustees, which is constituted by workers, employees and Government representatives. The
composition of the Board of Trustees is meant to accommodate the views and aspirations of
the three key social partners (i.e. the government, workers and their representatives) in the
policy formulation and the running of the organization (NSSF, 2006).
Membership has grown steadily over the years and by the end of 2006, the fund had a
cumulative registered membership of about 3.6 million. NSSF is the only social security
organization, which provides basic social security to workers in the country with a
nationwide outreach covering every district throughout Kenya. However, given the
limitations of the provident fund, the social partners have embarked on an ambitious reform
program intended to convert it into a social insurance pension scheme guaranteeing minimum
benefits payable in periodical installments. Membership has been opened to a wider segment
of the working population including those in self-employment. The fund has 44 branches
countrywide and has an estimated workforce of one thousand eight hundred (1800) both
management and unionisable staff (NSSF, 2006).
5
Statement of the Problem
The public service employees in Kenya have remarkably contributed to the national
development of this country since independence, almost over forty years ago. However,
because of the globalization and rapid development in knowledge and technology, the said
public service organizations are, therefore, faced with the challenge of not only developing a
dynamic workforce but also ensuring their management practices are in line with the modern
times. For instance, the organizations must ensure that their human resources are well
catered for in terms of their welfare as well as working conditions, so as to enhance their
optimal and positive contribution to the mission and goals of their respective organizations.
An organization should be in a position to identify human resource needs that satisfy the
employees at their places of work as they are the most valuable assets in an organization.
Without them, an organization is prone to deterioration leading to lack of success.
Essentially, there is always a gap between an individual‟s actual state of satisfaction and
some desired state. Managers try to reduce this gap through motivation. Motivation is, in
effect a means to reduce and manipulate this gap. Human nature can be very simple, yet very
complex too (Dessler, 2002).
In organizations where employees are motivated, there are very low incidences of industrial
unrests, the morale of the employees is high and the organization realizes increased profit
margins and the cost of production by the organization is reduced since no resources are used
unnecessarily to arbitrate on industrial related complaints.
Therefore, there is need for research on the impact of motivation on employee performance
since motivated workforce will have an increased propensity to work hence increase in
productivity to the organization.
6
Significance of the Study
The findings from this study will be beneficial to future researchers and scholars who may
wish to conduct related research studies on the issues at stake as it will be a reference
material for them.
The research findings can be helpful to the various employees‟ unions‟ movements, which
intervene in the dispute resolutions between organizations and employees. For example,
where the reward systems are poor, the findings can equip them with the relevant information
helpful to them during negotiations on employee welfare. Most organizations lack a clear
HR policy especially where employee‟s motivation is concerned. In formulating these
policies, the organizations can benefit a great deal from the critical analysis of the factors
influencing employee performance and the various theories of motivation and their
interpretations.
In enacting legislation governing employee relations, the government policy and law makers
can benefit from the research findings on the subject matter under study. It will enable them
to make informed decisions when formulating policies, for example, in the issue of employee
benefits. The research h findings can be communicated to the organization under study so
that it can re-evaluate its HR policy and look at how best to motivate its employees with the
overall aim of increasing productivity.
Scope of the Study
This study was undertaken at NSSF Headquarters based at Social Security House on Bishop
Road, Community area in Nairobi. NSSF has 44 branches countrywide but the research was
conducted at the Headquarters. This was an ideal location because it is the only office in
NSSF that has all cadres of employees from the senior management to the subordinates.
7
Limitations of the Study
The following limitations were important:
Time and other Resource constraints – The short time and unavailability of enough
funds to support an exhaustive study may not allow for an investigation of all the NSSF
branches in Kenya and thus the study was limited to the head office in Nairobi. This,
however, gave a fair representation of the entire country. These limitations were militated by
use of an appropriate sampling technique to select the sample size.
Analytical methods to be used – This was also foreseen as a limitation due to the
technicality of the data analysis tools such as the Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS). The services of an expert were sought to assist in the use of this computer program.
Lack of cooperation – The researcher had expected respondents not to respond to the
questions from the questionnaire due of divulging information that may put their jobs at risk.
The management may also fear that the employees may expose some of their weaknesses by
responding to the questionnaires. The researcher overcame this limitation by providing a
cover letter that assured the respondents that the information given would be treated with
utmost confidentiality and used for research purposes only.
8
REFERENCES
Alderfer C (1972). Existence Relatedness and Growth. 4th Edition. Collier Macmillan
London.
Armstrong M (1992). Human Resource Management Strategy and Action. 2nd Edition. Ltd
London.
Armstrong M (1996). A Handbook of Personnel Management Practice. Kogan
Cole G. A. (1995). Management Theory and Practice, DP Publishers, New York, USA.
Cole G. A. (1996). Management Theory and Practice. 5th Edition. Ashford Color
Press London.
Curtis C. W. (1982). Guidelines For Managing Motivation. 3rd Edition. South
Western Publishing Company pg 373.
Beach D. S. (1980). Managing People at Work. Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. New York,
USA.
Davis E. L & Cherns B. A (1975). Quality of Working Life. 4th Edition. Free Press New
York.
Gary Dessler (2000). Human Resource Management. 7th Edition. Prentice Hall, Inc
Douglas H. J. and Hall N. K. (1968). An Examination of Maslows Hierarchy in an
Organizational Setting, Organization Behavior and Human Performance. 5th
Edition pg 12 – 35.
Herzberg F. (1974). Work and the Nature of Man. Granada Publishing. New Jersey
USA. Herzberg F. (1959). The Motivation to Work. 2nd Edition. John Wiley‟s. London.
Reynolds L. G. (1978). Labor Economics and Labor Relations. Prentice Hall Ltd.,
London. Foulks L. (2001). Managing People, Foulks lynch Ltd, London
9
Mamoria C.B (1992). Personnel Management. Himalayan Publishing House.
Miner B. J. (1980). Theories of Organizational Behaviour. 4th Edition. Chinspale III
Drypress, Istanbul pg 40-45
Mullins L. J. (1996). Management and Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall. London,
UK. NSSF, (2004). Members Guide Book Nairobi, Kenya.
Ochola B.O. P & Ngige W. L. (2002). SCV 600 Research Methods. Institute of
Open Learning. Kenyatta University, Nairobi.
Warentho O. T. ( 2003). CBA 503: Organizational Behaviour. Institute of Open Learning,
Kenyatta University, Nairobi
Weihnrich H. (1993). Management. A Global Perspective. 2nd Edition. McGraw Hill
Inc U.S.A.
