MOTIVATION AND WORKER’S PERFORMANCE Public Administration Project T…

ABSTRACT

The main objective of this research was to assess the relationship between motivation and worker’s performance. Findings from this work revealed that motivation is the most important factor in workers performance and that financial incentives alone cannot fully motivate workers to perform well which indicates that there are other factors that motivate good performance. This includes; job security, good working conditions, good working relation with colleagues and employers, participation in decision making, training etc. On the basis of the findings the study recommends among other things that:

–         Promotion should be based on merit not on wrong criteria or improper selection procedures which can generate feelings of alienation, frustration, dissatisfaction and industrial conflicts

–         Employees should be allowed to play an active role in decision making in an organization because it gives them a sense of belonging.

–         Training schemes for all categories of workers at the interval of between two to three years should be introduced. As continuous training and development of employees at all levels is essential to improve performance and to increase their level of commitment.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The importance of human resources to organization is great and cannot be over emphasized. Although there are different resources available to an organization, people-the human resources are the most important. This is because they manipulate other resources for the advancement and the achievement of goals and objectives of an organization. Among animals and among primitive men, work is motivated directly by the need for food, shelter, self defence and by supporting social needs-the interest of the group. In pre-industrial societies, work was motivated by need in order to attain maximum satisfaction and is closely linked with other social activities. In modern times, work has become divorced from other spheres of life, most people do not consume the fruit of their labour, they paid for it. The prime aim of an organization is goal orientation and its attainment. However, the major dilemma of every organization is the successful accommodation of organization rationality along side with human happiness. Having a competent human resource is necessary but not sufficient, organizations

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must provide a conducive atmosphere for performance and the human resource must be willing to realize its potentials.

Motivation refers to a complexity of forces inspiring a person at work to intensify his desire and willingness to use his/her potentialities to perform in order to achieve organizational objectives Mile, (2004). It actually refers to conditions which influence the arousal, direction and maintenance of behaviour relevant in work setting. The motivational force is aroused as a results of needs, which have to be satisfied Kootz et al., (1990). Human needs form the motivational basis of human behaviour. All of us have needs, Deep (1978), opines that need at work, at home, at play and every activity we pursue. Therefore, motivation of employees is an important control tool and should be adhered to in order to attain advantages like increased employee commitment, increased productivity, and efficiency. Motivation emphasizes result oriented management through setting of objectives and effective communication systems in organization.

Employee performance refers to the efficiency and effectiveness of employee in achieving organisational objectives Kootz et al., (1990). Employee performance can be evaluated by considering the level of absenteeism, quality of reports and time of reporting for and leaving for duty. It’s important to note that after recruitment, most employees

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subsequently expect or demand for other benefits as compensation for their time and effort towards achievement or organizational goals apart from the standard wage or salary Miles (2004). If the above benefits are not offered, it usually leads to various forms of dissatisfaction which may include; high abseenteism, constant grievances, high labour turnovers, strikes and as a result low performance of their due duties.

1.2 STATETEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The main aim of any organization is goal orientation and its attainment and for any organization to achieve its aim, there must be a well articulated and co-ordinated activities which require administration. The proper implementation of policy may not go along way if the workers are not adequately mobilized, encouraged and stimulated for work. In other words the morale of the working crew have to be boosted or aroused so that they could put in their best in reaching the organization’s goal.

Although, organizations differ in what they can do to motivate workers, so also people differs in what motivate them to work. For instance, people may work hard because of companionship, money, recognition, advancement, for future security in the system, and sometimes because of an incentive system that rewards their efforts. The challenge to management therefore, is to

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recognize and comprehend the impacts of the various motivational techniques on individual and group behavior within the organization. Towers (2003) emphasizes that employee motivation is perhaps the biggest driver of organizational performance. He adds that an organization which is able to motivate its employees and maintain it is able to leverage their zeal and drive in order to ensure staff performance. This study is aimed at examining the impact of workers/employee motivation on their performance.

1.3       RESREACH QUESTIONS

Employees in organizations aspire to work in conducive environment that could facilitate their productive effort and self realization. To this end and in line with the research objectives, the following questions are to be examined.

i.   What is the relationship between motivation and employee performance?

ii.     Can financial incentive alone fully motivate the workers?

iii.  Which motivational technique and practices are used in Noma Children Hospital?

iv.   What are the factors affecting workers performance?

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1.4       OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The research seeks to critically asses:

i.                   The relationship between motivation and workers performance

ii.                 How effective is financial incentives motivating performance

iii.              The motivational technique and practices in Noma Children Hospital Sokoto.

iv.               To make recommendation on how to improve motivational approaches and practices in Noma Hospital.

1.5       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research work will be of great important to various groups of people like policy makers, future researcher and the management of Noma Children Hospital Sokoto.

The research will help the management of Noma Children Hospital to discover the effect of motivation on employee performance. This will help them come up with better motivation techniques which will result into improved employee performances.

The research will also benefit the future researchers who will carry out research about the same topic on motivation and workers performance and will learn more about motivation practices, factors affecting employee’s

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performance, the relationship between motivation and employee performance among others.

The study will benefit policy makers like the International Labour Organisation, Workers’ Union and other government organizations to come up with effective realistic policies of motivating employees.

This research work will be of great benefits as it will hopefully contribute immensely to the development of the theory and practice of human resource management in organizations, focusing on motivation as it affects performance and satisfaction of employees.

1.6       SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH

This study is confined to Noma Children Hospital Sokoto to determine the effect of motivation or the type of motivation on workers performance.

The study have some limitations which are:

The first limitation is time, the available time lapse for conducting this research work does not permit the researcher to choose a large case study. But it is believed that what is obtained in most organization are inherently similar, except for few environmental divergence.

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Secondly, the financial resource constraints also pose a formidable threats against a wider coverage. It is also not out of place to state here that in a developing country like Nigeria there is bound to be a couple of problems such as diminutive organized literature and lack of adequate, current and reliable materials.

1.7       CHAPTER OUTLINE/SKIP

This study is divided into five chapters. Chapter one contained the general introduction: the backgrounds of the study, objectives of the study, significance of the study, research questions, scope and limitations of the study, chapterisation and definition of terms:

Chapter two contained the review of literatures.

Chapter three talked about the research methodology

Chapter four contained data presentations and analysis

Chapter five which is the last chapter contained the summary, conclusion and recommendations.

1.8       DEFINITION OF TERMS

Every discipline has its own terminologies and the use of words, the field of public administration is not left out, it has its terminologies. These

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terminologies will now be defined as used in the study to facilitate understanding of the context and content of the case study.

Intrinsic motivation: are those rewards that can betermed “psychologicalmotivations” they are inherent in the job itself and which the individual enjoys as a result of successfully completing the task or attaining his goals.

Extrinsic motivation: are those that are external to the task of the job, suchas pay, work condition, fringe benefits, security, promotion, contract of service, the work environment and conditions of work.