Effect of Motivation on Employee Performance: A Case of Pam Golding Properties Limited, Nairobi

Research Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in Organizational Development (MOD)The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of motivation on the performance of employees using the case of Pam Golding Properties, Nairobi. Motivation plays an integral role in all organizations, whether private or public. In order for organizations to achieve their objectives, they must motivate their employees to work towards them. It is easier for an organization to achieve its goals when its employees are motivated towards their personal, professional and organizational objectives. It is important for organizations to establish motivational programs that improve motivation and consequently, performance of both the organization and the individual employee. This study was guided by the following research questions (i) what is the impact of motivational goal-setting on performance of employees? (ii) What is the effect of financial incentives on employee performance? (iii) How do recognition and reward programs affect performance? A descriptive research design was adopted with Pam Golding Properties being the focus organization. The population of this study comprised of all the employees of Pam Golding Properties in Nairobi. The study populace and sampling frame comprised of a list of all representatives that worked at Pam Golding Properties in Nairobi and was gotten from the Human Resources department. The census technique was used in the study to select the respondents from the list of employees provided by the human resource department in order to capture the entire population, thus, the sample size of the study was 50. The data collecting instrument that was used was a tailor-made structured questionnaire developed by the researcher, particularly for this study. The questionnaire made use of a five-point Likert scale to rate the importance of various motivational factors. The research was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 24. The study revealed that the management of Pam Golding Properties partially used motivational goal-setting to motivate their employees. The management allowed the employees to be involved when setting goals, although they did not find them challenging or difficult at all, despite them being specific. The study also showed that there was a lack of regular training and development for the employees to improve their key skills and knowledge and this is an area that should be addressed. Additionally, there was no mentorship program for employees either during on-boarding or to achieve their goals and this would be greatly beneficial to them. Therefore, the management should re-structure the goals they provide and implement mentorship and training programs. The study concluded that the employees at Pam Golding Properties were highly dissatisfied with the monetary package provided by the organization. The study showed that the pay received and the benefits package was not viewed by the employees as being competitive when compared to other real estate organizations. The study concluded that money was a highly motivating factor for the employees and management should look into increasing the monetary and benefits package they give. The study concluded that the company partially used recognition and reward programs but they were not effective in motivating employees to perform. The current recognition and reward programs were perceived by the employees as being inequitable and unfair, thereby making them ineffective in motivating the employees. Therefore, the study recommends that management re-evaluates and re-engineers the current recognition and reward program and therefore change the perception of the employees about it