Factors affecting employee performance in the civil service a case study of rivers state civil service (for publication)

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the factors affecting employees'
performance in civil service: a case study of Rivers State. The study selected a
sample of one hundred and twenty five (125) respondents from the staff of the selected
ministries in Rivers State. The administration and collection of data for the study through
questionnaire covered a period four months ( January to April, 2015). Out of the
one hundred and twenty five (125) copies of questionnaire administered, one
hundred and thirteen (113) respondents returned their copies of questionnaire.
However, after editing the copies of questionnaire, 102 copies were found
useful for the study, and this figure represents 81.60% response rate based on
the ones found useful. Descriptive and inferential/statistics were used to analyze the data
for this study. The descriptive statistics have been used for the analyzing and understanding
of any treatment of numerical data, which does not involve generalization while the
inferential statistics are used to make generalization, predictions or estimations about a given
data. In this study, percentage, ratios, frequency distribution and other statistical tools have
been used. The study has revealed that individuals in government or public Service have
different needs, problems and ways to contributions. To a large extent the recognition of
these differences through effective job evaluation and performance appraisal helps
individuals to undergo corrective measures to improve their performances. Some workers
have the needs for power, while many others have the needs for afflation. The identification
of the individuals with various classes of needs enables the manager to know the type of
monetary and non monetary incentives / instruments to be applied on the worker in order to
elicit their optimum commitment in the organisation. Effective and efficient performance of
employees are very crucial for the achievement of public sector objectives. Therefore, the
study recommends that government should evolve progressive policies that could
adequately encourage the public sector to use compensation/reward systems for
greater productivity in this sector in order to maximize employees'
motivation/performance.
Keywords: Employees' Performance, Motivation, Employees' Commitment
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Introduction
There is no doubting the fact that despite modern technology explosion,
the employee remains the most vital ingredient of modern industries. Every
employee that renders services in an organization does so for a reward that will
motivate him or her to perform that very task in the organization. Variance in
reward system can therefore cause various degrees of employee satisfaction and/
or performance for the same calibre of secretaries and or employees.
However, due to the fact that human responses and reactions are not
predictable, the possibility that improved system would increase employee job
satisfaction and/or performance cannot be guaranteed. Baridam, (2002)
contends that the introduction of incentives scheme implicitly assumes that
increased output will be obtained and that production system is deterministic in
its responses, whereas in reality it is not. Equally, Nteile, (1998) opines that
money ranks lowly in workers reward expectation. Accordingly, what
motivates employees is not outside motivation but the desire to do a good job.
The organization does not have to pay more for the employee to work. But
Nwachukwu, (1999) holds the view that the Nigerian worker is said to have high
aspiration for money and wealth that is not just to live but more too for
conspicuous leisure – a situation, which completely negates Herzberg’s
postulation that money is not a motivator.
Thus, public organizations have always been faced with the problem of
enlisting their members’ loyalty and commitment in the wake of various
government pronouncements on employee salary adjustment and administration.
The signs are obvious; low productivity, poor morale, sabotage, and above all
high employee turnover.
There various research findings and their interpretations bring us closer to
the controversy of whether employees' motivation is directly related to
organizational monetary and non monetary incentives. As a passionately
observed there are increasing tendencies of employees' job turnover on account
of low pay, this study therefore seeks to examine the factors affecting
employees' performance in civil service: a case study of Rivers State.
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Objectives of the Study
The purpose of this study is to examine the factors affecting employees'
performance in civil service: a case study of Rivers State. The major objectives
of the study are:
1. To determine the extent to which monetary and non monetary
incentives influence employees' motivation in Rivers State.
2. To ascertain to what extent the involvement of employees in
decision-making influences employees' motivation in Rivers State .
3. To ascertain to what extent the treating of employees with respect
influences employees' motivation in Rivers State.
4. To determine the extent to which linking rewards to performance
influences employees' motivation in Rivers State.
5. To identify the factors affecting employees' performance in with
emphasis in Rivers State.
Research Questions
The following research questions have been investigated in this study:
1. To what extent do monetary and non monetary incentives influence
employees' motivation in Rivers State?
2. To what extent does the involvement of employees in decision-
making influence employees' motivation in Rivers State?
3. To what extent does the treating of employees with respect
influence employees' motivation in Rivers State?
4. To what extent does the linking of rewards to performance
influence employees' motivation in Rivers State?
5. What are the factors affecting the effective performance of
employees in Rivers State?
Background and Setting of the Study (Rivers State)
The Rivers State government consists of elected representatives and
appointed officials responsible for the government of Rivers State, Nigeria.
Rivers State has a population of about 5 million people, and is one of the 36
states that make up the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The State government has
executive and legislative arms, with an independent judiciary. At the local level,
elected officials are responsible for Local Government Areas.
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Executive
The executive arm is headed by the Governor, assisted by the Deputy Governor,
both elected. The governor appoints Commissioners responsible for each of the
ministries, and appoints the heads of parastatals, state-owned bodies with
specific regulatory or administrative duties. The Civil Service is headed by the
Head of Service, a career civil servant, with each ministry headed by a
Permanent Secretary. The Minister is responsible for policy, while the
Permanent Secretary provides continuity and is responsible for operations.
Literature Review
Conceptual Definitions
Employee’s Commitment: Tendency of an employee giving total loyalty to
his work with zeal and desire required in performing such work in order to
achieve a given target.
Motivation: Motivation is a theoretical concept that accounts for the fact that
people choose to engage in particular behaviour at a particular time .
Performance: This is a process of achieving a given standard at a given
period of time. It is also an ability to carry out a given activity effectively and
efficiently.
Motivation, Monetary and non monetary incentives
The term “motivation” is derived from the word “motive” which means a
reason for action. A vast array of literature exists examining the concept of
motivation within organizations. The term has been used to mean “…the
contemporary (immediate) influences on the direction, vigour and persistence of
action”, (Atkinson, 1964). It equally, means “…how behavior gets started, is
energized, is sustained, is directed, is stopped, and what kind of subjective
reaction is present in the organism while all this is going on”, (Baridam, 2002).
Vroom, (1964), sees motivation as “…a process governing choices made by
persons or lower organisms among alternative forms of voluntary activity.” For
McClelland, (1975), it entails “…psychological processes that cause the arousal,
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direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed.” While,
Baron, (1983) opines that motivation is “…a set of processes concerned with the
force that energizes behavior and directs it toward attaining some goal.”
Motivation is “…an internal drive to satisfy an unsatisfied need”, (Higgins,
1994). All these different definitions offer some implications about human
behavior. First, there are some drives (needs) that make individuals behave in
certain ways, and second, individual behavior is goal oriented. Motivation is a
continuous process which starts with needs, continues with goal-oriented
behavior and ends with the satisfaction of needs.
It is important to consider the role of individual characteristics because
different individual needs and interests have to be compromised with the
organizations’. People are motivated by unmet needs and these varies from
person to person according to their particular circumstances, values and beliefs,
family, education, personality, and work experience etc. While some individuals
may value a job with more creativity over a high-salaried job, others may seek
to work more to earn more money. These demonstrate that differences in
individuals can affect their work behaviors.
Variables originating from the nature of the job affect motivation in the
sense that job related characteristics such as increased autonomy, the
significance of the tasks, variety of activities and teamwork may result in
improved motivation for some individuals. But here, it is important to consider
the influence of individual characteristics at the same time, since everyone does
not want -to the same degree-to have an enriched job, nor perform better when
assigned to such a job. As a third level of influence, work environment is
important for motivation regarding the quality of peer-group interactions,
leadership styles and salary and reward systems. As shown in Hawthorne studies
(Samson and Daft, 2002) peer-group influence can affect an employee’s effort.
In addition to this, supervisors can have a considerable influence in the
motivational process. They have role in the structuring of work activities and the
ability and freedom of employees to pursue their own personal goals on the job.
Supervisors can provide feedback about the employees’ performance, as well as
letting them to participate in the decision making process by asking their ideas.
The nature of relationship between the superior and subordinates, effectiveness
of communication among them also affects the motivational process. Finally, as
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part of the work environment, the existence and the degree of utilization of
recognition systems can also affect how employees behave at work.
Equity Theory and Monetary and non monetary incentives
Equity theory suggests that employees’ perceptions of a working situation
in terms of how fairly they are treated compared with others influence their
levels of motivation; motivation is a consequence of perceived inequity (Adams,
1965). According to equity theory, employees make comparisons. Employees
determine their own work outcomes versus the effort or inputs required to
achieve the outcomes, and compare these with outcomes and efforts of other
employees. If they recognize that their compensation is equal to what others
receive for similar inputs, they will believe that their treatment is fair and
equitable. Education, experience, effort, ability etc. are the inputs to the job by
the employees. Outcomes that employees receive from a job are pay, benefits,
promotions and rewards etc. A state of equity refers to the ratio of one person’s
outcomes to inputs being equal to the ratio of another’s outcomes to inputs.
Inequity takes place when the situation is reverse. For example, when an
employee with a high level of education or experience receives the same salary
as a new, less educated employee, he/she may perceive it as inequality. Or
perceived inequity may occur when an employee thinks that he/she is paid more
than other people who contribute the same inputs to the organization According
to a major criticism, equity theory does not precisely characterize mental
processes because it assumes that humans make mental lists of outcomes and
their likelihood and sum them up systematically.
Adams (1965) pointed out that perceived inequity creates a tension that
can motivate individuals to bring equity into balance, in four common ways:
1) Altering effort: Individuals may change their level of input to the
organization. For example, underpaid individuals may decrease their level of
effort or increase their absenteeism. Overpaid individuals may correct the
inequity by working harder or getting more education
2) Altering outcomes: An underpaid person may request a salary increase, other
forms of recognition or a bigger office. A union may try to improve wages and
working conditions in order to be consistent with a comparable union whose
members are paid higher (Samson and Daft, 2002).
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3) Changing how people think about inputs or outcomes: According to research,
people may alter perceptions of equity if they are unable to change efforts or
outcomes (Samson and Daft, 2002). Thus, individuals may unnaturally increase
the status attached to their jobs or distort others’ perceived rewards to ensure
equity.
4) Leaving: Individuals who feel they lack equity in the work place may choose
to quit their jobs rather than bearing the inequity of being underpaid or overpaid.
They may seek balance of equity applying for new jobs.
The implication of equity theory for organizations is that, to motivate
employees it is necessary to ensure a state of equity in the work place by
establishing mechanisms to deal with perceived inequity situations. Otherwise
organizations may face low motivation, low performance, high absenteeism and
turnover. As it is mentioned before, a typical example of perceived inequity in a
work organization is the situation of an employee who believes that his/her peers
do not exert as much effort as him in the work place, although they are all
getting the same amount of wage. Or an employee may think that he/she is
performing well above the expectations but being treated the same as other
employees who are just satisfying the expectations. This may lead employees to
lose their motivation to do their best, to do more than what is expected from
them, to be creative and to be problem solvers. In that kind of perceived inequity
situations, employee may decide that his/her efforts do not make any difference
to the organization, thus may stop working hard to make things fair in his/her
mind.
In line with equity theory, a public employee in Nigeria, like other public
employees who have job security and a fixed level of wage regardless of
performance, may not be motivated to exceed expectations unless he/she is
treated different from other employees when he/she makes a contribution. In
other words, without an effective recognition mechanism, it may be expected
that for most of the public employees, any attempt to exceed expectations will
create perceived inequity in time, because their compensation will be equal to
what others receive for less contributions.
This study proposes that non-monetary incentives, whether tangible,
social or job-related, may be considered as the tool that is most appropriate for
public sector to accomplish this objective. Non-monetary incentives offer
variety of ways to recognize public employees besides compensation, such as
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letters of appreciation, plaques, gift certificates, tickets to events, a thank-you
note, pat on the back, public recognition in a meeting, newsletter or bulletin
board, opportunity to attend training program of interest, tasks with more
responsibility etc.
Reward System and Monetary and non monetary incentives
A reward system should influence employee to work effectively in the
organisation. It should also have a positive impact on employee's satisfaction
and morals. Enyioko, (2005), further asserts that a reward system must
accomplish four things if it is to be truly effective. First, it must enable people
to satisfy their basic needs. In terms of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, for
example, rewards should enable employees to satisfy the first two levels of
needs.
Secondly, an effective reward system should provide rewards comparable
to those offered by other organizations. In equity theory, employees at one firm
will experience inequity if they think that their inputs to outcome ratios are
higher than those of employees at some other firm. This can result in decreased
effort on increased productivity. Thirdly, rewards must be distributed fairly and
equitably within the organisation as people are more likely to compare
themselves with others in the same firm than with workers elsewhere, hence,
perception of equity come into play. Fourth, an effective reward system must
recognize the fact that different people have different needs and may choose
different paths to the fulfilment of those needs. Some people want economic
gain whereas others want more leisure time. Some people may want to earn
more money by simply working longer hours in their current positions while
others may prefer to earn more money through promotions and new job
opportunities.
According to Ogbeide (1990:21), a reward system contains arrangement
in .the form of processes, practices, structures, subsystem and. procedures which
will be concerned with providing and maintaining appropriate types and level of
pay benefits and other forms of reward.
Reward and Performance
A great deal has already been said and written about reward and
performance. Theoretically, the correlation between them is clear.
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Reward should serve to motivate performance by satisfying work, related
needs. What we often ignore is practice, however, people vary in the
importance they attach to various rewards and no universal reward system
is available that will motivate all employees equally (Baridam, 2002). In
fact, the empirical evidence regarding the influence of specific rewards on
work performances is mixed. The most studied reward is money. Studies
of the influence of pay as observed by Ahiauzu (1981) has been found to
the positively associated with performance. A number of considerations
are important in reacting to the finding, first wage incentives are only one
of a broad array of rewards important to employees. In cases where a
wage incentive would be expected to have little effect on performance. A
successful incentive formula depends upon a judgement regarding “a
reasonable amount of work for each incentive payment”. Time and
motion study is used to make this determination. What time and motion
analysts judge to be ‘reasonable’ are often in disagreement (Koontz, etal
1980).
Another factor in work - groups distrust of incentive formula is the
fear of working oneself liberally out of job. The belief is that if one
works too fast and produces so much in a short period of time,
management may have no further use for employees until demand for the
work arises again. Group after like to slow the pace of work in order to
maintain stable employment. Finally, equity norms can be violated by
some members in a group that are on incentive while others remain under
their normal time form of payment. In such cases, it is quite possible that
an employee who has been earning less than another under the time basis
can earn more when placed on an incentive plan. A further consideration
regarding the uncertain effect of incentive wage plan on performance is
the finding that although many firms believe that they have tied pay to
performance. In fact, pay policies tie rewards closely to such factors as
age, seniority, qualification, job placement, sex, position, etc (Ogbeide,
1990).
Secrecy is another consideration regarding the influence of reward
on performance which many organisation continue to uphold as a strict
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policy. The most common justification for such a policy is that public
disclosure of pay package would constitute an invasion of individual’s
privacy. A less frequently sited reason for secrecy is that the pay itself is
in equitable, and management fears that publicity concerning it would
lead to unrest and disaffection among employees.
Symbolically, Performance = f (A x M) which means that
performance is a function of ability and motivation. If either is
inadequate, performance will be negatively affected. Ability is
individuals’ intelligence and still if we are to be able to explain accurately
and predict employees performance we need to add “opportunity to
perform” to our equation – performance = f (A x u x o). even though an
individual may be willing, there may be obstacles that hinder
performances, in this case he should be given opportunity to prove his
worth. This is shown in figure 2.1 when one attempts to assess why an
employee may be performing to the level that one believes he/she is
capable of supporting the management and the environment it becomes
clearer why opportunity should be recognised.
Research Methodology
Quasi-experimental research design, which is called ‘survey’, is adopted
in this study.
Sampling Procedure
The sample (respondents) for this study consisted of workers and
management staff in government or public Service . However, the sampling
technique adopted for this study i.e. for the selection of the sample
(respondents), is the simple random sampling technique.
Data Collection Methods
The primary data in this study were collected through the questionnaire
Validity of Questionnaire and Procedure for Administration
The supervisor made necessary inputs and validated a structured
questionnaire containing multiple choice, open ended, close-ended and
dichotomous questions. Ten copies of the questionnaire were initially
10

administered on 10 staff of the selected ministries to act as a pilot study. The
pilot was used to ascertain the level of acceptability, validity and relevance of
the presumed data for the study.
Data Analysis Techniques
Descriptive and inferential/statistics were used to analyze the data for this
study. The descriptive statistics have been used for the analyzing and
understanding of any treatment of numerical data, which does not involve
generalization while the inferential statistics are used to make generalization,
predictions or estimations about a given data. In this study, percentage, ratios,
frequency distribution and other statistical tools have been used.
Results of the Analysis
The study selected a sample of one hundred and twenty five (125)
respondents from the staff of the selected ministries in Rivers State. The
administration of questionnaire was carried on at the respondents’ organisation.
The copies of questionnaire were administered on managers, accountants,
marketers, public relations officers, supervisors and general staff working in the
selected ministries of Rivers State. The administration and collection of data for
the study through questionnaire covered a period four months ( January to
April, 2015).
Out of the one hundred and twenty five (125) copies of questionnaire
administered, one hundred and thirteen (113) respondents returned their copies
of questionnaire. However, after editing the copies of questionnaire, 102 copies
were found useful for the study, and this figure represents 81.60% response rate
based on the ones found useful. The finding are presented, analysed and
discussed by using the 102 respondents found relevant for the study as follows:
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Table 1: Administration and Collection of Questionnaire and their
Response Rate
Groups /
Respondents
Number of
Questionnaire
Administered
Number of
Questionnaire
Returned
Number of
Questionnaire
Found Useful
Response
Rate Based on
Number of
Questionnaire
Found Useful
Clerks /
Receptions
25 23 21 84
Supervisors /
Accounts
Officers
30 27 26 87
Secretaries 22 20 18 82
Managers 15 13 11 73
Controllers 12 11 8 67
Marketers 15 14 13 87
Directors 6 5 5 83
Total 125 113 102 81.60
Source: Survey Data, 2015.
Table 1 shows that a total of 125 copies of questionnaire were administered
on the workers of five ministries in government or public Service . Of this
number, one hundred and thirteen (113) respondents returned their copies of
questionnaire. After going through the returned copies of questionnaire, one
hundred and two (102) copies were found relevant for the study. This number
found useful represents 81.60 % response rate. All the discussions in this study
are done based on this figure. Directors, Managers, Accounts Officers, Marketers
Managers, Supervisors, Clerks/Receptionists constituted the respondents for the
study.
RESEARCH QUESTION 1
To what extent do monetary and non monetary incentives influence employees'
motivation in your ministry?
Table 2: The Extent to Which Monetary and non monetary incentives
Influence Employees' Motivation in Government Service
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Options Number of
respondents
Percentage
outcomes
To a very large extent 19 19%
To a large extent 17 17%
To a moderate extent 28 27%
To a low extent 26 25%
To a very low extent 12 12%
Total 102 100%
Table 2 shows that 19% of the respondents indicated that to a very large
extent monetary and non monetary incentives influence employees' motivation
in government Service, 17% of the respondents indicated that to a large extent
monetary and non monetary incentives influence employees' motivation in
Nigerian organisations while 27% of the respondents indicated that to a
moderate extent monetary and non monetary incentives influences employees'
motivation in government or public Service. Table 3.2 equally shows that 25%
of the respondents indicated that to a low extent monetary and non monetary
incentives influence employees' motivation in government or public Service
while 12% of the respondents indicated to a very low extent to the question.
RESEARCH QUESTION 2
To what extent does the involvement of employees in decision-making
influence employees' motivation in government Service?
Table .3: The Extent to Which the Involvement of Employees in
Decision-Making Influences Employees' Motivation in
Government Service
Options Number of
respondents
Percentage
outcomes
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Total 102 100%
Table 3 shows that 18% of the respondents indicated that to a very large
extent the involvement of employees in decision-making influences employees'
motivation in government or public service ; 10% of the respondents indicated
that to a large extent the involvement of employees in decision-making
influences employees' motivation in government or public Service while 8% of
the respondents indicated ‘to a moderate extent’ to the question. Also 34% of the
respondents indicated that to a low extent the involvement of employees in
decision-making influences employees' motivation in government or public
Service . Only 30% of the respondents indicated that to a very low extent the
involvement of employees in decision-making influences employees' motivation
in government or public Service .
RESEARCH QUESTION 3
To what extent does the treating of employees with respect influence employees
for employees' motivation in government or public Service ?
Table 4: The Extent to Which the Treating of Employees with Respect Influences
Employees' motivation in government or public Service
Options Number of
respondents
Percentage
outcomes
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Total 102 100%
Table 4 shows the extent to which the treating of employees with respect
influences employees' motivation in government or public Service . Forty (39%)
of the respondents indicated to a very large extent to the question; 25 (24%) of the
respondents indicated to a large extent; 20 (20%) of the respondents indicated to a
moderate extent that the treating of employees with respect influences employees'
motivation in government or public Service , 10(10%) of the interviewed staff
indicated that to a low extent there is relationship while 7(7%) of the respondents
indicated to a very low, extent that the treating of employees with respect
influences employees' motivation in government or public Service .
RESEARCH QUESTION 4
To what extent does the linking of rewards to performance influence employees'
motivation in government or public Service ?
Table 5: The Extent to which the linking of rewards to performance
influences employees ‘motivation in government or public
Service in Nigeria
Options Number of
respondents
Percentage
outcome
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Total 102 100%
Table 5 shows the presentations of the respondents’ opinions on the extent to
which the linking of rewards to performance influences employees' motivation
in government or public Service . 8% of the respondents indicated to a very
large extent; 20% of the respondents indicated to a large extent to the question;
16% of the respondents indicated to a moderate extent that the linking of
rewards to performance influences employees' motivation in government or
public Service ; 51% of the respondents indicated to a low extent to the
question; while 4% of the respondents indicated that to a very low extent the
linking of rewards to performance influences employees' motivation in
government or public Service .
RESEARCH QUESTION 5
What are the factors affecting the effective performance of employees in
government service?
Table 6: Major Factors Affecting the Effective Performance of Employees
in government or public Service
Options Numbers of
Respondents
N=102
Percentage
Response
Rating
Level of productivity of the
organisation
100 98 1st
Size of the Organisation 94 92 4th
Cost/standard of living in the country 97 95 2nd
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Prevailing market wage rate 88 86 6th
Employee turnover 95 93 3rd
Government policies and
rules/regulations
85 83 7th
Bad organizational structure 84 82 8th
Change toward adopting equitable
compensation
81 79 9th
Lack of objectives 94 92 4th
Problem from the labour union 91 89 5th
Employee truancy/attitude 91 89 5th
Table 6 shows Major factors affecting the effective labour performance in
government or public Service . The first challenge or problem from the exercise
as indicated by 98% of the respondents is “Level of productivity of the
organisation” this is followed by ‘Cost/standard of living in the country’, indicated
by 95% of the respondents. The third challenge identified by 93% of the
respondents is ‘Employee turnover’ while the fourth challenges affecting the
effective incentives of employees in government or public Service indicated by
92% of the respondents are: ‘Size of the Organisation’ and ‘Lack of objectives’.
Also the data in table 4.12 reveal that 89% of the respondents indicated ‘Problem
from the labour union’ and ‘Employee truancy/attitude’ as the 5th
factors
constituting challenges or problems to the effective incentives of employees in
government or public Service .
. The 6th
problem identified by 86% of the respondents is “Prevailing market wage
rate”. Equally, ‘Government policies and rules/regulations’ have been identified by
83% of the respondents as the 7th
factor affecting employees incentives. The data
show that “Bad organizational structure is a major challenge facing the Rivers State
Civil Service in incentives of employees as indicated by 82% of the respondents.
Finally, 79% of the respondents indicated that “Change toward adopting equitable
compensation” is the 9th
major challenge facing the Rivers State Civil Service in
incentives of labour.
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Discussion of Findings
The study has revealed that individuals in government or public
Service have different needs, problems and ways to contributions. To a
large extent the recognition of these differences through effective job
evaluation and performance appraisal helps individuals to undergo
corrective measures to improve their performances. Some workers have
the needs for power, while many others have the needs for afflation. The
identification of the individuals with various classes of needs enables the
manager to know the type of monetary and non monetary incentives /
instruments to be applied on the worker in order to elicit their optimum
commitment in the organisation. The study’s findings agree with
McClelland’s needs theory of incentives which insists that the recognition
of special needs of workers are of immense relevance to managers since
all must be identified to make organisation work well (McClelland 1965:
6-24). Nelson (2006:8) in his work “1001 Ways to Energise Employees”
identified variables such as the monetary and non monetary incentives,
performance appraisal, job content evaluation, matching people with job
and individualization of reward systems as the major panaceas for
motivating employees in an organisation. To a very large extent, the
findings of the study tarry with Nelson’s submissions; because one of the
sweetest things an upcoming employee likes to hear is the news that
he/she is recognised and appreciated by his organisation.
Participative decision making allows the employee to contribute
his/her ideas in the day to day running of the organisation. By allowing
the employees to be part of the decision making in their organisations,
they feel free to make suggestions that would help move the enterprise
forward, the study has equally revealed. Likert (1967:32) opines that
involving employees in decision making allows for participative
management for which the management has confidence in their staff and
the staff feel responsible in accomplishing organisational mission.
Involvement of employees in decision making encourages communication
and team work, the study revealed. It is found in this study that involving
employees in decision making is one of the best approaches to influence
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employees to achieve maximum profit and attraction of customers in the
organisation.
The study has equally revealed that respect for workers’
contribution gives them the opportunity to transform their ideas into
concrete organisational activities. It is evident from the study that the full
commitment of staff cannot be realised unless one addresses people’s
psychological needs. Heller and Hindle (1998:267) say that research has
shown that most management activities are directed towards intellectual
needs and respect. Some attention is paid to the expression of
individuality and emotional attributes. In this regard, respect for
employees becomes very essential for the achievement of organisational
objectives as the co-operation and inputs of workers are needed before
any meaningful project could be executed. It is therefore imperative that
a manager shows his staff that they are needed and respected in the
organisations and their opinion equally sought in most vital enterprise
decisions. Cook (1991:39) observes that employee’s incentives should
evolve around; asking employees for suggestions, building respect pattern
for employees, recognising employees’ contributions in the organisation
and outlining job responsibilities for employees. The study agrees with
Cook’s research.
The study reveals that employees desire and crave for respect just
like the management. The implication of this is that employees that are
treated with respect feel committed to put in their best towards the
attainment of any objective set out by the organisation.
From the findings in this study, it is very clear that: Monetary and
non monetary incentives affect employees' motivation in government or
public Service . Equally, the linking of rewards to performance induces
employees' motivation in government or public Service . Also the
involvement of employees in decision-making encourages employees'
motivation in government or public Service .
Recommendations
In the light of the findings of this study, the following recommendations
are evident:
i) Rivers State government should embrace and adopt effective use of
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necessary motivational instruments that are result oriented.
ii) Government should evolve progressive policies that could
adequately encourage the public sector to use compensation/reward
systems for greater productivity in this sector in order to minimize
employees' motivation.
iii) Government should minimize the quest for “lukewarm attitude”
and “the marginalisation of employees” which lead to employees'
de-motivation and the eventual collapse of such Rivers State Civil
Service. They should recognise the importance of human resource
and utilise same appropriately through the best incentives
arrangement.
iv) Managers in Government should not constitute stumbling blocks to
progressive changes that can see for the betterment of workers
through the progressive use of monetary and non monetary
incentives / instruments.
v) Government should integrate effective motivational instruments
strategies in their human resource managerial kits so that workers
could adequately be influenced to do their works.
vi) Progressive organisations should employ in their managerial sector
proactive and studious managers who could effectively use the
various kinds of motivational instruments, to influence workers to
perform optimally in government or public Service .
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22

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