A RE-EVALUATION OF FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AND RETENTION

CHAPTER ONE

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

A significant challenge faced by management today is the issue of motivating individuals to effectively complete their assigned tasks and exceed established standards. Motivation is the driving force that stimulates and sustains behaviours. Human behaviour is driven by goals and motivations. Motivating individuals can be a challenging task, as the success of any motivational effort hinges on how well the motivator addresses the needs of the employees it is aimed at. Motivation is a process that can be inferred from observed performance, as it is influenced by internal psychological factors. Driven individuals demonstrate a proactive approach, determination, enthusiasm, and unwavering commitment to achieving their objectives. They take decisive action and do whatever it takes to reach their goals. Having a clear vision and a strong desire to achieve it is crucial for building strong motivation. In such a situation, motivation becomes a driving force that propels individuals towards their goals, transforming their vision into a tangible reality. Consequently, reconsidering the concept of public service motivation can significantly enhance the performance and retention of employees.

Regarding Nigeria, motivation was implemented to enhance performance and productivity. The success of any organisation relies heavily on the effectiveness of employee motivation. Motivation is crucial for several reasons, one of which is the powerful impact of rewards as a motivator. It is worth noting that a significant portion of our actions in life are driven by the desire for a reward, be it internal or external. Motivation plays a crucial role in boosting confidence and job satisfaction within an organisation. For individuals who may be out of shape or overweight, embarking on an exercise routine can require a significant amount of courage. Without motivation, an organisation may struggle to effectively achieve its goals. However, when motivation is present, it can lead to successful goal achievement. If exercise hasn't been enjoyable for you, it may be time to explore ways to make it more enjoyable and fun. People generally find pleasure in engaging in various activities. It's interesting how different activities like swimming or biking can bring enjoyment, even if you're used to running. Similarly, motivation has a powerful impact on an employee's performance and commitment. It not only boosts group dynamics but also fosters a positive relationship between the job and the employee.

Despite the various reasons mentioned, there are several issues that impact public service. One of the factors contributing to these problems in Nigeria today is the lack of adequate managerial knowledge. Additionally, the prevailing economic depression and high rate of unemployment have resulted in many workers becoming susceptible to

The working conditions in many organisations are deplorable, leading to low performance among workers. Managers are well aware of the situation in the labour market and have taken advantage of it to subject workers to these unfavourable conditions. Optimal performance is achieved when an individual experiences satisfaction on both physical and psychological levels. Intimidating workers or resorting to threats will only exacerbate the situation. In Nigeria, it is often the case that the compensation provided to workers does not align with the level of work performed. The cause of conflict between organisations and workers often stems from low performance resulting from job dissatisfaction. One issue that affects public service motivation is the presence of ineffective leadership styles. Additionally, negative factors can also impact public service motivation. Strengthening a job and expanding its scope.

To effectively address the issues mentioned above, it is crucial for public service motivation to focus on its core activities of effectiveness and skill development. Additionally, creating ample employment opportunities can help ensure high employee performance and retention. Furthermore, fostering a positive relationship between employees and their job is essential in eliminating worker intimidation. It is crucial to consider the performance of employees when determining their compensation in order to minimise employee turnover and promote a positive relationship between the organisation and its workers.

The public service should consider adopting a democratic leadership style in order to maximise employee motivation.

Based on the information provided, it is evident that the focus of the discussion is on reconsidering public service motivation in order to enhance employee performance and retention.

STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS

Motivation is concerned with the various factors that influence individuals' performance within an organisation. The lack of effective management in various public sector organisations poses a significant obstacle to employee motivation. This challenge not only impacts individuals, but also hampers organisational productivity and leads to low employee performance. Consequently, it becomes the root cause of numerous organisational problems. Inadequate managerial knowledge resulted in the hiring of inappropriate employees, leading to a detrimental impact on the organization's planning, controlling, and directing processes, which are crucial for its success. The motivation of employees in public service is often influenced by the behaviour of their superiors. This can create a sense of intimidation between superiors and subordinates, resulting in a loss of confidence among the subordinates in the public service. The level of intimidation that exists between public servants poses a significant challenge to employee performance and retention, ultimately impacting the overall functioning of the organisation.

Efficiency and success in managing tasks and operations. Employees benefit from non-monetary incentives as they foster the generation of new ideas and initiatives for organisational development. Conflicts in public organisations continue to pose challenges, but the ability of an organisation to effectively manage these conflicts is a testament to its effectiveness and efficiency. When examining the structure and performance of public servants in the public service, it becomes clear that employees are not sufficiently motivated. This lack of motivation stems from the gap that exists between their current position and their desired future. The current presence of conflicts greatly impacts employee performance and retention. In general, the ineffective performance of many employees today can be attributed to the conflicts plaguing the public sector in Nigeria. Effective leadership plays a crucial role in driving organisational efficiency. The performance of an organisation is determined by the combination of its structure, goals, and leadership. The current style of leadership in public service is ineffective and lacks a democratic nature, resulting in low productivity and insignificant performance. The ineffective leadership style negatively impacts employee motivation as it fails to identify and implement a suitable and effective motivational package in the public service, in comparison to what is available elsewhere.

The private sector. The difference in performance between the public and private sectors is readily apparent. The leadership style in many public sector organisations is ineffective and inefficient in setting organisational goals and ensuring high employee performance and retention. This has led to the development of new public sector management approaches to address the issues of ineffectiveness, inefficiency, and lack of accountability in Nigeria's public sector.

​​​​​​​RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study is meant to answer the following research questions

1. To what extent could poor managerial knowledge on public service motivation affect increased in employee performance and retention?
2. How detrimental is intimidation between employees and organization in public service motivation affect employee performance and retention?
3. What is the effect of conflict on motivation and increased employee performance and retention?
4. What is the relationship between poor leadership style on public service motivation to increased employee performance and retention?
5. What is the effect of negative reinforcement on public service motivation to increased employee performance and retention?

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The study is designed to achieve the following objectives

1. To examine the extent to which poor managerial knowledge on public service motivation affects employee performance and retention.
2. To explored the impact of intimidation on public service motivation for employee performance and retention.
3. To investigate the effect of conflict on motivation for employee performance and retention.
4. To identify the relationship between poor leadership style for employee performance and retention.
5. To investigate the effect of negative reinforcement on motivation employee performance and retention.

​​​​​​​RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

The study meant to test the following hypothesis

1. If managerial knowledge is not observed on public service motivation then there will be poor employee performance and retention
2. If there is intimidation on public service motivation then the employee performance and retention will be low
3. If conflicts are not carefully observed in the public service motivation then there will be problem on employee performance and retention.
4. If there is weak or poor leadership style on the public service then there will be poor employee performance and retention.
5. If there is negative reinforcement on the public service, motivation then there will be decrease for employee performance and retention.

​​​​​​​SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research project is of two benefits; theoretical and practical. The research project will add up to the existing body of literature on the topic of the study and this will be beneficial to educational, researchers, academicians, as well as students and leisure readers. So also the research which serves as a way through which an organization can prosper. Job dissatisfaction is always basis for conflict between organization and workers. Manages always blame the workers for not putting in their best, and on side of the workers they blame management for not providing an enabling environment as motivation. Whoever may be guilty, the bottom line is satisfying the objective of the organization. Intimidation usually arise between workers and organization as a result of poor motivational package, usually intimidation and threatening of employees have a serious effect on both employees an organizational productivity, the style of leadership adopted by any organization determined to a larger extent the motivational technique to be applied there in, most of the public service agency today in Nigeria possessed poor and unsuitable leadership style in which the concerned for both human capital and productivity as very low (1.1); poor job enlargement and negative reinforcement serve as important techniques for motivation; in today’s public service motivation there is no encouragement of desired behaviour which turned the re-inforcement to a very negative point, there is absence of removal of dullness in a job which affect the expansion of a job thereby led to poor job-encouragement in the public service today. These show that rethinking public service motivation recorded a number of challenges which affects employee performance and retention.

​​​​​​​SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The scope of this study “Rethinking public service motivation for increased employee performance and retention” is the contribution of the office of accountant general Sokoto state. While its limitation is the time allotted for the study is not enough, likewise the needed financial resources is not at the disposal of the researcher, also there was difficulty of methodology in terms of administration of questionnaire, this was because the respondents were so much occupied with their daily work which made it a little bit difficult to get responses as due. Not withstanding, in the highlighted limitation above, it is hoped that this research will be useful to the organization studies and other similar organization that may want to achieve high performance through motivation of the employee.

​​​​​​​SCHEME OF CHAPTERS

This research work rethinking public service motivation for increased employee performance and retention consist of five basic chapters. Chapter one of the research project is general introduction which comprise of background to the study, statement of research problems, research questions, objectives of the study, hypothesis, significance of the study, scope and limitations and scheme of chapters. Chapter two of the research project is literature review, it is in this chapter that all the related literature would be review through the use of some secondary source of data such as text books, magazines, journals, and other source of data. Three basic parameters need to be observed which prove the literature to be meaningful which are methodology, conclusion and environmental variation. Chapter three is the research methodology, this has to do with the method that the researcher observed in course of conducting this research. The chapter consist of the following research design, sample and sampling techniques, population of the study, method of data collection, instrument of data analysis and method of testing hypothesis respectively. Chapter four is data presentation and analysis, this is the section where data would be presented and analyze in a tabular form for proper understanding of the responses of the respondents. Chapter five is the final chapter of the research which comprise of summary, conclusion, and recommendation.