AN INVESTIGATION OF FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND

PERFORMANCE – A CASE OF NATIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY (NHA)

BY

THOMAS MUPASHI

A Dissertation Submitted to the University of Zambia in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the
Award of Master of Business Administration in Management Strategy

THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

LUSAKA

2021
 DECLARATION

I, Thomas Mupashi, do here by declare that this work is my original work achieved through personal
reading and research. This work has never been submitted to the University of Zambia or any other
universities. All sources of data used and literature on related works previously done by others, used in
the production of this dissertation have been dully acknowledged. If any omission has been made, it is
not by choice but by error.

Signature: ……………………… Date: …………………………….

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 COPYRIGHT

All rights reserved. No part of this dissertation may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or
transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise
without the consent of either the author or the University of Zambia.

© Thomas Mupashi, 2021.

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 APPROVAL

This dissertation by Thomas Mupashi has been approved as a fulfillment of the requirements for the
award of the degree of Master of Business Administration in Management Strategy.

Examiner 1 Signature Date

……...…………………… ……………………………. …………………..

Examiner 2 Signature Date

……...…………………… ……………………………. …………………..

Examiner 3 Signature Date

……...…………………… ……………………………. …………………..

Chairperson Signature Date

Board of Examiners

………………………………… ………………………….. ……………………..

Supervisor Signature Date

……...…………………… ……………………………. …………………..

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 ABSTRACT

Motivated workers tend to show extra commitment towards their work which translate to higher personal
performance and consequently improved organizational performance. Financial or monetary rewards such
as salary, fringe benefits, bonuses and commission do not necessary motivate employees. There are other
ways employees maybe be motivated without financial incentives. In today’s competitive world,
organizations both private and public need to maximize the use of their employees’ skills and contribution
to achieve organization objectives. Human Capital is one of the most critical resource for any organization
in today’s highly competitive business environment. The primary task of any manager is to have an
organization that functions effectively and to do that, subordinates must work efficiently and produce
results that are beneficial to the organization. It is obvious that motivation is one of the main factors that
determine the work performance of employees and highly motivated employees are crucial to an
organization's success. If we understand what drives people, then we can make them to do what we want
them to do (Kocel, 2010). It is against this background that this research wanted to understand the factors
that affect employee motivation at National Housing Authority (NHA) and what strategies management
at NHA have put in place to enhance employee motivation and performance. The specific objectives of
the study were to identify the factors that affect employee motivation at NHA, to examine how
organizational culture influences employee performance at NHA and to assess the effect of motivation on
the performance of employees at NHA. The study employed a mixed method research design and a
questionnaire was used to collect the required data. The data collected was coded, quantified and analyzed
quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative data was coded and arranged by the use of Statistical Package
for Social Sciences (SPSS). The key and major findings of the study were that; Job security, salary,
effective performance appraisal, recognition and career advancement were major motivation factors for
employees at NHA. These results implied that non-financial factors are key in the motivation of employees
and signifies the importance of management to take deliberate steps to put in place these non-financial
factors. The study recommended that NHA should exploit extrinsic factors such as Job security, effective
performance appraisal in their human resource management practices particularly in strategic human
resource management to ensure that the employees have a sense of security with their jobs and are well
motivated to perform their tasks.

Key Words: Employee motivation, Performance, National Housing Authority, Lusaka Zambia.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank God almighty for His overflowing grace and mercy which enabled me to complete
this project There were days when I was really sad not knowing when and whether I will complete this
work. However, my supervisor, friends, family members and colleagues encouraged me to tread on the
path. I express my gratitude to all those who encouraged and helped me directly or indirectly in this
journey.

Most sincerely, I wish to thank my Supervisor Dr. Chaste Nsama for guiding me conscientiously in the
writing of the Thesis. I will remain greatly indebted to him for his commitment and dedication to the
academic work. To my friend Mr. Muchoka Maila, your patience and continuous guidance helped me a
lot- thank you so very much. Many thanks also to Mr. Benjamin Kaira for his valuable input and guidance.
I also want to sincerely appreciate my workmate Yvonne Chona for her valuable guidance and support to
me which gave me hope and morale that I will finish my thesis and graduate just like she did also. To my
friend Obed Chiluba, thank you so much for your support and feedback. To the lecturers at The University
of Zambia, Graduate School of Business (GSB) and my fellow intellectuals, I say thank you so very much
for your valuable input in ensuring that this important study is realized. Once more these people’s
individual contributions, forbearance, encouragement and ingenuity shall forever momentously be
cherished. Their constructive criticisms also led to this thesis to have concrete form and direction.
Unwittingly, their priceless efforts are but a reward to the general society.

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 DEDICATION

This dissertation is dedicated to my lovely wife Faith Mupashi and my daughter Sante Rejoice Mupashi
for their understanding and unwavering support physically, emotionally and spiritually.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................ i
COPYRIGHT ................................................................................................................................. ii
APPROVAL .................................................................................................................................. iii
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………………iv
ACKNOLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………………v
DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………………..….……vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. vii
LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………………xi
LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... xii
LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... xiii
ABBREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS……………………………………………………………xiv

CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Background of the study .......................................................................................................... 1
1.1.1. Background of National Housing Authority ..................................................................... 1
1.2. Research problem..................................................................................................................... 3
1.3. General objective ................................................................................................................... .4
1.4. Objectives of the study........................................................................................................... .4
1.5. Research questions ................................................................................................................. .4
1.6. Significance of the study ....................................................................................................... .4
1.7. Scope of the study .................................................................................................................. .4
1.8. Justification of the study ........................................................................................................ .4
1.9. Definition of terms ................................................................................................................. .5
1.10. Organization of the thesis .................................................................................................... .5
1.11. Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................ .5

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CHAPTER TWO ....................................................................................................................... .7
LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................... .7
2.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ .7
2.2. Employee motivation and performance ................................................................................. 7
2.2.1. Employee motivation and productivity ........................................................................... 8
2.2.2. Employee motivation and employee turnover ................................................................. 9
2.3. Factors of motivation ............................................................................................................. 9
2.3.1. Leadership influence ........................................................................................................ 10
2.3.2. Work environment ........................................................................................................... 10
2.3.3. Monetary compensation ................................................................................................... 11
2.3.4. Co-workers ....................................................................................................................... 11
2.3.5. Management and leadership skills ................................................................................... 12
2.3.6. Job enrichment and skills training .................................................................................... 12
2.3.7. Nature of job .................................................................................................................... 13
2.3.8. Career advancement ......................................................................................................... 12
2.4. Effect of organizational culture on employee motivation…………………………………..13
2.5. Effect of motivation on employee performance. ................................................................... 15
2.6. Theoretical framework. .......................................................................................................... 17
2.6.1. Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory .................................................................................. 17
2.6.2. Herzberg’s two-factor model ........................................................................................... 18
2.6.3. Vroom’s Expectancy theory ............................................................................................ 19
2.6.4. Summary of theories ........................................................................................................ 19
2.7. Conceptual framework ........................................................................................................... 20
2.8. Operationalization of variables .............................................................................................. 21
2.9. Independent variables ............................................................................................................ 21
2.9.1. Motivation ....................................................................................................................... 22
2.9.2. Career advancement ........................................................................................................ 22
2.9.3. Relationship with peers ................................................................................................... 22
2.9.4. Job security ....................................................................................................................... 22
2.9.5. Leadership ........................................................................................................................ 22
2.9.6. Work environment ............................................................................................................ 23
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 2.9.7. Competitive salaries ......................................................................................................... 23
2.9.8. Nature of Work ................................................................................................................. 23
2.10. Dependent variables ........................................................................................................... 23
2.11. Chapter summary ................................................................................................................ 24

CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................................... 25

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY .................................................................... 25
3.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 25
3.2. Pragmatic research philosophy .............................................................................................. 25
3.3. Research design ..................................................................................................................... 25
3.4. Target population ................................................................................................................... 26
3.4.1. Sampling techniques .................................................................................................... 26
3.4.2. Selection of key informants ......................................................................................... 26
3.5. Data collection instruments ................................................................................................... 27
3.5.1. The questionnaire ......................................................................................................... 27
3.5.2. Personal interviews....................................................................................................... 27
3.5.3. Document reviews ........................................................................................................ 28
3.6. Data analysis .......................................................................................................................... 28
3.7. Pilot study .............................................................................................................................. 28
3.7.1. Pilot study data ................................................................................................................ 29
3.7.2. Pilot study data analysis .................................................................................................. 29
3.7.3. Pilot study conclusion ..................................................................................................... 29
3.8. Validity and Reliability .......................................................................................................... 29
3.9 Ethical consideration ............................................................................................................... 30
3.10. Limitations of the study ....................................................................................................... 30
3.11. Chapter summary…………………………………………………………………………..31

CHAPTER FOUR ....................................................................................................................... 32

RESULTS PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS ..................................................................... 32
4.0. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 32
4.1. Demographic characteristics .................................................................................................. 32
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 4.1.1. Gender ............................................................................................................................. 32
4.1.2. Age ................................................................................................................................ 33
4.1.3. Level of education ......................................................................................................... 34
4.1.4. Permanent and contractual employees .......................................................................... 34
4.1.5. Duration of contracts ..................................................................................................... 35
4.2. Financial factors ..................................................................................................................... 36

4.3. Non-financial factors ............................................................................................................. 36

4.3.1. Promotion prospects ....................................................................................................... 38

4.3.2. Nature of work ................................................................................................................ 39

4.3.3. Recognition of work done............................................................................................... 39

4.3.4. Relationship with peers ................................................................................................... 40

4.4. Level of staff turn-over .......................................................................................................... 40

4.5. Work stoppages ...................................................................................................................... 41

4.6. Organizational culture and its influence ................................................................................ 41

4.7. Effect of motivation on employee’s performance ................................................................. 42

4.8. Summary ................................................................................................................................ 43

CHAPTER FIVE ....................................................................................................................... 44

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS .................................................................................................. 44
5.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 44
5.2. What are the factors affecting employee motivation? ........................................................... 44
5.3. Staff turnover………………………………………………………………………………..46
5.4. Work stoppages……………………………………………………………………………..48
5.5. Relationship with peers ……….……………………………………………………………48
5.6. Organizational culture and its effect on employee motivation……………………………..49
5.7. Effect of motivation on employee performance……………………………………………50
5.8. Summary……………………………………………………………………………………51

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CHAPTER SIX ........................................................................................................................... 52
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMEDATIONS ......................................................................... 52
6.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 52
6.2. Conclusions ............................................................................................................................ 52
6.2.1. Determine the factors that affect employee ……………………………………………52
6.2.2 To establish if organization culture influences employee performance…………………52
6.2.3. To assess the effect that motivation has on the performance of employees…….………53
6.3. Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………54
6.3.1. At NHA management level………………………………………………………….….54
6.3.2. At Ministry level……………………….…………………………………………….…54
6.4. Areas for further research……………………….…………………………………………...54

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………56
APPENDICES: ......................................................................................................................... ..63
Appendix 1: Informed consent and questionnaire ..................................................................... .63
Appendix 2: Interview guide .................................................................................................... .66

xi
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1.2: Age distribution ........................................................................................................ 33

Table 5.2 Salary ranges for employees ......................................................................................... 44

xii
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.7: Conceptual framework………………………………………………………………21

Figure 4.1.1. Gender distribution .................................................................................................. 31
Figure 4.1.3. Level of education ................................................................................................... 33
Figure 4.1.5. Permanent and contractual employees .................................................................... 34
Figure 4.1.6. Duration of contracts ............................................................................................... 35
Figure 4.2.1. Financial factors of motivation ................................................................................ 36
Figure 4.3. Non-financial factors .................................................................................................. 37
Figure 4.3.1. Promotion prospects ................................................................................................ 37
Figure 4.3.2. Nature of work ......................................................................................................... 38
Figure 4.3.3. Recognition for work done ...................................................................................... 39
Figure 4.3.4. Relationship with peers ........................................................................................... 39
Figure 4.4. Duration worked for NHA.......................................................................................... 41
Figure 4.6. Cultural influences on employee’s performance ........................................................ 42
Figure 4.7. Effect of motivation on employees............................................................................. 43
Figure 5.3. Staff turnover………………………………………………………………………..47

xiii
 LIST OF APPEDNDICES

Appendix 1: Informed consent and questionnaire ........................................................................ 63

Appendix 2: Interview guide ....................................................................................................... 66

xiv
 LIST OF ACRONYMS

HR Human Resource
MoE Ministry of Education
MoU Memorandum of Understanding
MBO Management by Objectives
NHA National Housing Authority
SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences
SHRM Strategic Human Resource Management
USA United States of America

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 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

So many questions can be asked when it comes to understanding what employees want from their jobs
whether it’s a higher salary, job security, good relationships with co-workers, opportunities for growth
and advancement – or something different? All these are important questions which influence employee
motivation. The extent to which an organization can accomplish its objectives largely depends on how
employees are motivated. This is because employees are considered as the lifeblood of any organization.
Every organization regardless its size, reputation, net-worth and line of operation, needs motivated
workers to put in their very best towards the success of the organization.

Conversely, de-motivated employees are most likely to discharge their duties unprofessionally and may
end up developing a negative attitude towards their job and can even resign provided they are other better
opportunities elsewhere (George & Jones, 2008).

Motivated workers are mostly contented, dedicated, and enthusiastic about their job, which automatically
produces maximum performance from them, resulting in improved organizational performance in entirety.
Due to the downward economic performance of the economy of Zambia such as high inflation rates and
depreciation of the Kwacha against the US dollar, many organizations including National Housing
Authority (NHA) are facing different challenges and inadequate resources that are key to help motivate
or reward their employees. The fact that an organization has scarce resources does not unilaterally mean
that employees should not be motivated or rewarded. According to Santrock (2009), studies conducted by
Herzberg, Mausner and Snyderman in 1959 showed that there are alternative forms of motivation attached
with zero-financial cost that management of organizations can use to motivate their employees. Financial
rewards have been hyped and considered as potent tools for motivating employees while non-monetary
forms of motivation have not been fully utilized as effective tools of motivation by management of
organizations. Grant (2010) asserts that good flow of communication between employees and
management makes employees feel commended that their inputs are well acknowledged and equally
makes them feel recognized and valued in the organization. This kind of recognition strengthens their
commitment and boosts their morale and consequently paves way for improved performance.

The creation of conducive work environment where employees are free to use their initiatives to carry out
relevant tasks for which they are greatly commended is an effective strategy to boost their morale and job
performance. In recent times, organizations have now designed measures to motivate their staff devoid of
1
any related financial implications. Thus, focus of management as regard staff motivation has moved from
financial rewards to non-financial rewards.

According to Mathis and Jackson (2009: 119), performance is associated with quality of output and
timeliness of output, presence /attendance on the job, efficiency of the work completed, and effectiveness
of work completed. Armstrong (2011: 192) however, defines performance as an accomplishment of a
given task measured against pre-set standards of accuracy, completeness, cost and speed. Employee
performance is normally looked at in terms of outcomes. It can, however, also be looked at in terms of
behavior (Armstrong, 2011).

Kenney et al (2012) state that employees’ performance is measured against the performance standards set
by the organization. There are a number of measures that can be taken into consideration when measuring
performance. For example, using of productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, quality and profitability
measures (Atif et. al, 2013). Efficiency is the ability to produce the desired outcomes by using as minimal
resources as possible while effectiveness is the ability of employees to meet the desired objectives or target
(Stoner, 2011). Productivity is expressed as a ratio of output to that of input (Stoner et al, 2015). Quality
is the characteristic of products or services that bear an ability to satisfy the stated or implied needs (Kotler
& Armstrong, 2015).

Many organisations today are seeking ways of how to develop, motivate and increase the levels of
performance of its employees through various human resource interventions. This is because, for any
organisation to achieve its objectives, a motivated workforce is critical and plays an important role.
Therefore, management of any organisation needs to have a clear understanding of what enhances
employees to go an extra mile in their duties and create ways and avenues to reward and recognise its
employees. Failure to retain skilled employees and managers can lead to financial losses. An average
company loses approximately $1 million each time 10-15 managerial and professional employees leave
an organisation (Ran, 2012).

1.1.1 Background of National Housing Authority

The National Housing Authority (NHA) in Zambia is a strategic institution in terms of alleviating the
housing deficit in Zambia. Prior to the attainment of Zambia’s independence in 1964, the institution was
set up by then by the colonial Government for the purpose of housing for the African majority in the
country and this was overseen by what was called “African Housing Board”. At independence, it was
changed to Zambia Housing Board which following the enactment by Parliament under CAP 426 of the
laws of Zambia in 1971 was renamed National Housing Authority (NHA). NHA is now governed by Cap
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195 of the Laws of Zambia. As an agent of the Republic of Zambia on matters of housing, NHA is
mandated to make better provisions for the development and control of housing throughout the country.
Some of the key functions under NHA Act include to develop, build, manage and control housing estates
and also clear squatter areas and plan improvements and re-development of such areas.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Motivation has the role to develop and intensify the desire of every member of the organization to work
effectively and efficiently. This is because motivation has the capacity to energize and direct one’s
behavior and performance (Luthans, 2010).

National Housing Authority has in the past five years experienced work stoppages, boycotts, labour
strikes, inconsistency in paying workers’ salaries and workers dismissals. The pilot study conducted by
the researcher in November 2020 showed a reduction in the number of employees from 108 as at January
2018 to 75 as at November, 2020. All these occurrences have potential to affect employee's motivation
and overall performance of the organisation. This is because having motivated employees is critical in
achieving the organisations objectives.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between NHA with Mercury Asset Partners from the
United States of America (USA) amounting to US$600 million (Zambia Embassy in U.S.A, 2018),
outlined that NHA was to construct 5,000 low, medium and high-cost housing units for civil servants in
Zambia, upgrade most of the unplanned settlements across the country and upgrade areas like Chawama,
Misisi, Kuku, Chibolya and Kanyama compounds to decent housing by 2019 with access to safe and clean
drinking water (Zambia Embassy in U.S.A, 2018).

As per the pilot study conducted by the researcher in October and November 2020, the results of the pilot
study showed that 42% of the housing projects and objectives were achieved as of December 2019
(MoLGH, NHA 2020). Even after receiving funding and injection of capital, NHA has continued to
experience work stoppages and high labour turn over. Furthermore, the pilot study conducted at NHA in
November 2020 by the researcher revealed that 85% of employees were not happy with delays in salaries
and consequently high labour turnover and work stoppages were experienced. It is against this background
that it was imperative to investigate and understand the factors that affect employee motivation at NHA
and its effect on the performance of the organisation.

1.3 Main Objective

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The main objective of the study was to determine the factors influencing employee motivation and how
they impact employee performance at National Housing Authority.

1.4 Objectives

The specific objectives of this study were:

1. To establish the factors that affect employee motivation at NHA.

2. To examine how organizational culture influences employee performance at NHA.
3. To assess the effect of motivation on employee’s performance at NHA.

1.5 Research Questions

1. What are the factors that affect employee motivation at NHA?

2. How does organizational culture influence employee’s performance at (NHA)?
3. In what ways could motivation be improved in order to enhance employee performance at NHA?

1.6 Significance of the Study

The knowledge gained from the study may help policy makers to understand the role motivation has on
employees and its effect on organizational performance. Furthermore, the findings could be used in
coming up with interventions to improve the level of motivation and organizational performance at NHA.
Subsequently, it is envisaged that the study may bring out theories that may be helpful in analyzing the
impact motivation has on employee performance at NHA. Additionally, the results of the study could
contribute towards filling the information gap on the title of the study. Finally, the study may provide an
opportunity for areas for further research.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The general scope of the study was to investigate on factors that affect the motivation of employee’s
performance. The study was focused at NHA head office in Lusaka. The study focused at employees and
managers at the said institution.

1.8 Justification for this Study

In today’s highly competitive labour market, human resource is regarded to be critical regardless of the
size of the organization. Employees at NHA have continued to go on work stoppages, non-payment of
salaries, dismissals for those who have been deemed to be unruly and disloyal. All these and other factors
currently have affected the employee morale as such conditions are perceived not to be favorable. This

4
research will enable managers to re-examine the area of employee motivation and staff retention. As such,
the outcomes of this study are beneficial as it will have management and policy makers at both NHA and
at government level make decisions based on researched data.

1.9 Definition of terms

1.9.1 Employee: A person who is hired to perform a job or work for a person or company and gets paid
(SHRM, 2012)

1.9.2 Motivation: This refers to the forces, internal or external to a person that arouses enthusiasm and
persistence to pursue a course of action (Luthan, 2010).

1.9.3 Employee Motivation

Motivation as stated by Ran (2009) is generally defined as the process that accounts for an individual’s
passion, direction, and determination of effort toward attaining a goal.
1.9.4 Employee Turnover
According to Society for Human Resource Management, employee turnover is defined as the rate at which
employees enter and leave a company in a given fiscal year (SHRM, 2012).

1.10 Organization of the Thesis

This study was divided into six Chapters. Chapter one is composed of the introduction, the background of
study, statement of the problem, the purpose of the study, the objectives of study, research questions,
significance, scope and justification of the study, limitations of the study and organization of the study.

Chapter two focused on the discussion of underlying theories and empirical studies that were unique to
the area of study. The literature review focused on what other researchers have written about the topic.

Chapter three focuses on how the study was carried out. It explains the research design, target population-
sample size, data collection tools, data analysis, data collection procedure, reliability of study, validity and
ethical consideration. This section also explains the sample size and sampling procedure. This section
covers the research instrument used by the researcher to collect data, which includes interviews and
questionnaire schedules.

Chapter four presented the findings of the study and discussed data collected by the researcher using the
methods described in chapter three. The purpose was to transform the raw data into information that is

5
manageable, presented in an attractive, communicative manner. The interpretation was aimed at drawing
logical and sensible inferences from the information gotten from the study.

Chapter Five and Six discussed the findings, conclusions and recommendations and suggested areas for
further research.

1.11 Chapter Summary

Chapter one has clearly introduced the problem through various sub-headings. These are: the problem
statement, research objectives and research questions, significance of the study, scope of the study,
limitations of the study, organization of the study and the summary of the chapter. In the next chapter, the
researcher will focus on the literature review to understand what other researchers have said about the
subject at hand and discuss the theoretical & conceptual frameworks.

6
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

This chapter focused on the discussion of underlying theories and empirical studies that were unique to
the area of study. It outlined the literature reviewed by the researcher in relation to the study at hand.
Literature review helps to demonstrate familiarity with the body of knowledge and establish credibility,
as well as showing how the current research project is linked to past research (Neuman, 2013). This
chapter reviews the necessary literature for the study. The review relied greatly on empirical studies, data
obtained from published materials such as books, online magazines, and journals. The review provided an
overview on factors that affect the motivation of employee’s towards performance, a case of National
Housing Authority (NHA)

2.2 Employee Motivation and Performance

Motivation is the most important factor that influences organizational performance in many different
institutions. It is important to note that employee motivation is one of the policies that managers use to
increase effective performance management amongst employees in organizations (Shadare et al., 2013).
A motivated employee is responsive to definite goals and objectives individual employees must achieve.
Organizational facilities will go to waste if it lacks motivated employees to utilize these facilities
efficiently. Employee motivation and performance are key factors in moving a business forward. Owners,
managers, and supervisors know positive motivation leads to better performance and higher productivity
but may rely on the wrong tools that will create dissatisfaction among employees and leads to poor
performance. Motivation increases the willingness of workers to work, thus increasing effectiveness of
the organization. Organization goal is to develop motivated employees and support their morale regarding
their respective works for better performance (Shadare et al., 2013).

According to Pate (2010) the study of motivation is concerned, basically, with why people behave in a
certain way. The basic underlying question is why do people do what they do? Kovach (2013) states that
despite numerous studies done on motivation, managers still are not close to understanding employees’
motivation than their colleague more than fifty years ago. Motivation has the role to develop and intensify
the desire of every member of the organization to work effectively and efficiently in his position. Even
though money occupies a major place in the mix of motivators, money alone cannot motivate employee
well to work unless it is coupled with other non-monetary motivators (Frey and Osterloch, 2012).

7
A Study by Reis and Pena (2011) on motivation depicts that there are several ways to motivate employees.
These are known as theories, which can be divided into two categories. They are the content theories and
the process theories. The content theories focus on what motivates employees and it was propounded by
eminent writers such as Maslow (1946), McClelland (1988) and Herzberg (1968). Vroom (1969), Adams
(1965), Locke and Latham (1990) are the proponents of the process theories and they focus on how
motivation occurs. Reis and Pena (2011) question whether motivating people to work in the 21st century
with theories conceived during the past 100 years are likely to be infeasible. They conclude that the core
message is that managers should reconsider the use of outdated motivational patterns utilized to maintain
role performance in organizations and adopt a fresh motivation formula for the 21st century based on
friendship, work, and respect. However, the Chartered Management Institute checklist maintains that these
theories are still valid today (CMI, 2011). Even though the two theories are complementary, they are in a
way opposite and their differences leads others to conduct further studies on motivation. This led to a
number of ways through which employees could be motivated to increase performance. Several writers
such as Roche and Mackinnon (2012) and others such as Mayfield et al (1998) suggest that leadership
styles and freedom given to employees are significant in motivating employees. Luthans and Stajkovic
(2013) and Armstrong and Murlis (2012) held the view that recognition can be used to motivate a worker
to perform well whilst Oldham and Hackman (2010), Lawler (2010) argued that job design has an
important role to play in employees behavior.

The researchers’ view sees motivation in employees as an important factor when it comes to success and
attainment of organization’s goals. This is because when an employee is motivated, he or she shows
enthusiasm and eagerness towards work and a strong determination to implement and accomplish every
task given.

2.2.1 Employee Motivation and Productivity

According to Wentzel and Wigfield (2009), the relationship between employee motivation and
productivity is not definitely established. The consensus, however, is that in the long-run, motivation leads
to increased productivity. The strongest implication of much of the research is that the two variables,
motivation and performance, are relatively independent of each other. There seems to be at least two
possible reasons for this. The first is that in many jobs, variations in motivation cannot lead to variations
in productivity. In other words, motivation and productivity may be well largely separate casual paths:
one set of factors (e.g. investment in technology) determines productivity and another set (e.g. perceived
equity of rewards) produces job-satisfaction (Westover, 2010). There are some conditions under which

8
high productivity more clearly leads to motivation. One condition is that the employees perceive that
intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are contingent upon their productivity. The second condition is that the
extrinsic rewards (pay for example) be distributed equitably. Inequitable distribution fails to convince the
employees close correlations between hard work and rewards (Muhammad and Wajidi, 2013).

2.2.2 Employee Motivation and Employee Turnover

Turnover is the process in which employees leave the organization for various reasons and have to be
replaced. Like absenteeism, turnover is related to employee motivation. Excessive turnover can be a very
costly problem and can have a major impact on productivity. Cost however is not the only reason turnover
is important. Interrupted schedules, additional overtime, mistakes and not having knowledgeable
employees in place are some of the frustrations associated with excessive turnover (Westover, 2010). High
employee turnover is of considerable concern for employers because it disrupts normal operations, causes
morale problems and increases the cost involved in selecting and training replacements. The employer’s
goal is to try as much as possible to minimize turnover by making employees feel motivated on their jobs.
The withdrawal behavior of employees is modified by certain factors. Loyalty to the organization is one
such. According to Van and Adonisi (2008), some employees cannot imagine themselves working
elsewhere, however demotivated they are in their present job. Availability of other places of employment
also influences turnover.

2.3 Factors of Motivation

According to the study conducted by Eisenberger, Rhoades, and Cameron (2013), factors such as good
performance, high perceived self-determination, and performance-reward expectancy positively impact
employee’s intrinsic motivation. In other words, if employees expect to be rewarded for performing a task
well, their motivation will increase to perform it well. However, Mayo (as cited in Riley, 2012) states that
Fredrick, in his theory ignored the point of meeting employees’ social needs in order to get them
motivated.

In support of Mayo and contradiction to the Fredrick Theory, Al-Harthy (2011) proves that motivation
caused by appreciation has exceeded salary and benefit packages with a significant ten percent point
difference. Similarly, Wu and Chen (2010) state that factors like encouraging work environment which
makes the work interesting, the feeling of accomplishment through demanding task, are usually neglected
by managers. However, the researcher in this study observed that financial motivational sources also bring
most constructive individual’s creative behavior in a short term.
9
In addition to the above discussion of motivation, Tella et al. (2012) with respect to Abraham Maslow’s
theory declare that, motivation is what pushes the employees in accomplishing and satisfying the needs.
Hansmann (2010) also agreed with Maslow’s theory which assumes humans to be continuously motivated
by needs. If a particular need is satisfied, the individual steps to another need to get motivated.
Furthermore Hansmann (2010) clarifies about Maslow’s theory that along with the hierarchically arranged
needs, Maslow emphasized on the need for the consideration and knowledge of the needs which has an
impact on interest and motivation

According to Adewunmi, Omotuyole and John (2011), Employees satisfaction and motivation are major
determining factors that assist in channeling the employee efforts towards the attainment of organizational
goal. Similarly, Tella et al. (2007) consider motivation as a factor which affects the individual’s
performance. However, there are other important factors also which should be considered for example
individual’s ability and competency, funds and working situations. In addition to this, Chen et al. (2010)
indicate that creative behavior at special levels is been affected by the motivation while doing the job.
However, Meija et al. (2014) highlight that a manager should have a clear understanding of work
motivation because employees with higher motivation tools produce a superior quality product or service
than employees who lack in motivation.

The researcher’s views are that motivation in employees is brought through a combination of both, the
extrinsic and the intrinsic rewards. Organizational performance and its goal’s achievement depend upon
the will and motivation of employees to achieve the personal goals aligned with the achievement of the
organizational goals. Without motivation, employees will be doing jobs just for the sake of necessity but
not for the success of organization which will finally result in dissatisfaction and decreased loyalty.

2.3.1 Leadership Influence

Leadership plays an important role in any organization set up. Leadership is all about influencing people
to do things in a particular way. A leader should therefore possess the skills to lead and influence but to
achieve that, a leader need people to follow and to have them trust him/her. And to gain the trust of the
subordinates and do things for the leader and the organization, the employees need to be motivated.
Theories imply that leader and followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation.
Motivation is purely and simply a leadership behavior. It stems from wanting to do what is right for people
as well as for the organization. Leadership and motivation are active processes in management (Rukhman,
2010).

10
2.3.2 Work Environment

Employee’s level of motivation is also influenced by the quality of the working environment both its
physical attributes and the degree to which it provides meaningful work. While a comfortable physical
environment is correlated with employee motivation, the relationship is not merely as strong as the
relationship between motivation and managerial behavior (Yazdani et al 2011). Work environment plays
an essential role since it influences employee motivation. Employees are concerned with a comfortable
physical work environment that will ultimately provide extra optimistic level of motivation. Lack of
favorable working conditions, amongst other things, can affect badly on the employee's mental and
physical well-being.

Negative performance can be provoked by poor working conditions since employee’s job demand
mentally and physical tranquility (Irons and Buskist, 2013). Furthermore, when employees feel that
management does not appreciate or acknowledge their efforts or work done, they may use poor working
conditions as an excuse to get back at management (Whittaker, 2014).

2.3.3 Monetary Compensation and Fringe Benefits

Most employees want to earn a reasonable salary or remuneration and employees desire is to paid what is
equivalent to the work they put in because no one works for free or desires to be paid less that what they
are supposed to be paid. Money is a fundamental inducement and it has been argued that no other incentive
or motivational technique come even close to it with respect to its influential value. This is because it has
the ability to magnetize, retain and motivate individuals towards higher performance. Frederick Taylor
and his scientific management associate described money as the most fundamental factor in motivating
the industrial workers to attain greater productivity (Abadi et al., 2011).

Research has suggested that reward causes motivation of the employee which directly influences
performance of the employee (Kalimullah et al., 2010). Rewards are management tools that hopefully
contribute to a firm’s effectiveness by influencing individual or group behavior. All businesses use pay,
promotion, bonuses, or other types of rewards to motivate and encourage high level performances of
employees. To use salaries as a motivator effectively, managers must consider salary structures which
should include the importance the organization attach to each job, payment according to performance,
personal or special allowances, fringe benefits and pensions (Rukhmani et al., 2010).

2.3.4 Co-Workers and Peers

11
A co-worker is a person who holds a position or rank similar to that of an employee in the same company
or organization. Co-workers are a distinct part of the working environment, and employees are expected
to work harmoniously with other employees (Iqbal, 2010). People seek friendly, warm and cooperative
relationships with others, not only for what these relationships produce in the immediate present, but also
for what they provide in those times of need, such as social support. Bagraim, Cunningham, Potgieter and
Viedge (2007) suggest that employees should be technically, emotionally and socially supportive of one
another. Harmonious interactions between an individual and their fellow employees, as well as relations
between other fellow employees with each other, have a positive influence on an individual's level of
organizational commitment and motivation (Iqbal 2010). Pleasant associations with co-workers have been
found to have a positive influence on an individual's level of motivation (Ladebo, Awotunde and Abdul
Salaam-Saghir, 2008)

2.3.5 Management and Leadership skills

Good leadership and managerial skills are an important factor in fostering employee motivation. Those
who act to maintain good relations with their employees exhibit certain behaviors such as help with job
related problems, awareness of employee difficulties, good communication, and regular feed-back about
the performance so that employees always know where they stand. Employees want to have input into
decisions that affect them, to feel important and appreciated. They want to be informed and involved at
workplace. When a job brings recognition and respect, employees are motivated with it. This is an easy
condition to create with feedback (Tella, 2007).

The evidence that “good management” plays a part in affecting employee motivation puts a responsibility
on both the managers and the supervisors in the organization. Management needs information on
employee motivation in order to make sound decisions, both in preventing and solving employee
problems. A typical method used is employee motivation surveys, also known as a morale, opinion,
attitude, or quality-of-work-life survey. An employee motivation survey is a procedure by which
employees report their feelings towards their jobs and work environment. Individual responses are then
combined and analyzed (Yazdani et al., 2011)

2.3.6 Job Enrichment and Skills Training

Job enrichment entails an employee having an autonomy on how they perform their tasks and the level
of skill that the job offers to an employee. This may be because employees who have the authority and
responsibility over their own work can be more efficient, eliminate unnecessary tasks, take shortcuts, and

12
overall increase their own performance. However, not all employees desire to have control over how they
work, and if they do not have this desire, they may feel dissatisfied in an enriched job (Whittaker, 2016).

2.3.7 Nature of Job

According to Mehmood, Irum, Ahmed and Sultana (2012), there is a negative association between
intelligence and motivation when complications in jobs are persistent because most of the jobs are not
challenging or interesting, hence if the job do not have the perceived element of interest it may possibly
bring demotivation among intelligent employees. The nature of a job can become a dominant factor of job
employee motivation when employees assess different aspects of their work, like supervision, growth
opportunities, salaries, and colleagues.

2.3.8 Career advancement

Career advancement opportunities such as promotions and trainings can affect employee motivation
considerably. The desire for promotion can generally be strong among employees as it involves change in
job content, pay, responsibility and job enlargement, independence and status among others. It is no
surprise that employees take promotion as the ultimate achievement in their career and when it is realized,
he/she feels extremely satisfied (Turkyilmaz et al., 2011).

If an organization provides employees the necessary factors for promotion such as facilities, trainings,
tools and skill development, then employees will be automatically motivated and satisfied. Promotion and
satisfaction have a direct relationship. Naveed and Bushra (2011) indicated that Maslow’s hierarchy of
need theory also described that when esteem needs (autonomy, power, recognition and status) of people
are fulfilled, they will be more satisfied with their job. The need theory indicates that there is a need of
achievement and need for power in people. People will be more satisfied and motivated when their needs
are fulfilled (Ramasodi, 2010).

2.4 Effect of Organizational Culture on Employee Motivation and Performance

The culture of the organization should be developed to support continuous improvement in employees’
performance so that employees are able to identify with the norms and values of the organization, hence
the need for organizational culture (Ojo, 2009). It is through this process that employees learn about the
organizational culture and decide whether they can cope with it or not, meaning that an organization is a
learning environment. It makes employees understand that organizational culture makes employees
perform better, hence understanding more of performance as the extent to which an individual is carrying
out an assignment or task (Cascio, 2014).
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For two decades, many scholars have studied the nature and scope of organizational culture and those who
have worked on the employees’ participation in the organizational success agree that there is a significant
influence of culture and organizational success. For instance, Fakhar, Zahid and Muhammad (2013), found
out that the implementation of a good rewarding system and continuous motivation encourages the
employee to do best to target achievements of the organization, instead of giving more focus on structures
and policies.

Earlier studies indicated a relationship between organizational culture and employees’ performance.
Magee (2009), as cited in Agwu (2014), argued that organizational culture is inherently connected to
organizational practices which in turn influence employees’ performance but Hellriegel and Slocum
(2010) contend that organizational culture can enhance employees’ performance if what sustains it can be
understood. Thus, the culture of an organization acquaints employees with the organizations’ history as
well as current methods of operation that guide employees on expected and acceptable future
organizational behaviors and norms. Habib et al. (2010) assert that effective human resource system is
based on supporting values that create a positive impact on employees’ attitudes and behaviors which in
turn influence their performance but from numerous surveys on culture, it has been claimed that employee
performance can be improved by developing and creating certain kinds of organizational cultures
(Sackman and Bertelsman, 2016).

In this study, the researcher views organizational culture as shared values, beliefs and norms that influence
the way employees think, feel and behave in the workplace and also assumes that a positive organizational
culture will enhance employees’ performance as values shared by employees in the organization. Several
academics and practitioners (Kotter and Heskett, 2009), cited in Agwu (2014), argue that the performance
of an organization depends on the degree to which the values of its employees are widely shared. Similarly,
it is generally argued that shared and strongly held values enable management to predict employees’
reactions to certain strategic options and reducing these values may bring undesirable consequences
(Ogbonna, 2012).

Some other researchers have noted that treating culture as a unitary concept reduces its value as an analytic
tool (Martin, 1992, as cited in Ogbonna and Harris (2013). Yet culture cannot be equated to power and
politics or climate because there is a disagreement by Legge and Ogbonna (2013) on whether
organizational culture can be easily changed. But experience from the National Housing Authority (NHA)
suggests that culture can change especially when the people who introduce that culture have left the
organization. Some scholars (Denison, 1990; Ouchi, 1981), as cited in Uddin et al. (2013), have argued

14
that the performance of an organization is dependent on the degree to which the values of the culture are
widely shared.

According to Scholz (2007), as cited by Tameemi et al (2014), claimed that organizational culture is linked
to performance and is also founded on the perceived role that culture can play in generating competitive
advantage. But Ogbonna (2012) argues that some widely shared and strongly held values enable
management to forecast employee reactions to certain strategic options, hence minimizing the scope for
undesired consequences. In addition, Krefting and Frost (2005), also cited by Tameemi et al (2014),
suggest that the way organizational culture creates competitive advantage is by defining the boundaries of
the organization in a manner that facilitates individual interaction by limiting the scope of information
processing to appropriate levels.

According to Awad and Saad (2013:172), the different values and beliefs based upon employee
performance helps in organization association. They argue that the organizations’ culture helps in
internalizing joint relationship that leads to manage effective organization processes. They also confirm
that the productivity and culture of an organization helps in improving employee performance. In their
study, they observe that strong impact of strong organization culture leads to increased productivity. In
another study, Mohammad, Uddin, Huq and Saad (2013) on the impact of organizational culture on
employee performance and productivity, the results showed positive association between a strong culture
and performance improvement. It was therefore on the basis of this study, that organizational culture has
a positive impact on the employees’ job performance. Schein (1990), as cited in Ahiabor (2014), also
states that an organizations’ norms and values have a strong effect on all those who are attached to the
organization and, as considered by the scholar, norms are invisible.

2.5 Effect of Motivation on Employees’ Performance

Motivation theorists such as Maslow (1946), Herzberg (1968), Alderfer (1972) and McClelland (1988)
have suggested specific things that managers can do to help their subordinates become self-actualized,
because such employees are likely to work at their maximum creative potential when their needs are met.
They agree that by promoting a healthy workforce, providing financial security, providing opportunities
to socialize and recognizing employees’ accomplishments help to satisfy the employees’ physiological
needs which in turn also increase their performance. These authors (Koch, 1990; Stuart, 1992) all stated
that recognition of a job well done or full appreciation for work done is often among the top motivators
of employee performance and involves feedback. Positive feedback follows the principles advocated in
Reinforcement Theory, which states that behavior is contingent on reinforcement. Examples of positive
15
reinforcement in this context may include workplace visits by top executives to high-performance
employees, personal handwritten notes of thanks accompanying paychecks, and telephone calls by top
executives to employees at home (Knippen and Green, 2010).

Theories such as equity has some important implications for ways of motivating people by not underpay,
overpay and presenting information about outcomes in a thorough and socially sensitive manner.
According to the Equity Theory, companies that attempt to save money by reducing employees’ salaries
may find that employees respond in many different ways to even the score; those that overpay some
employees as a useful motivational technique to increase performance may later realize that when you
overpay one employee, you are underpaying all the others. When the majority of the employees feel
underpaid, they will lower their performance, resulting in a net decrease in productivity and widespread
dissatisfaction. Hence, the conclusion is that managers should strive to treat all employees equitably; and
this suggestion follows from research showing that people’s assessments of fairness on the job go beyond
merely what their outcomes and inputs are to their knowledge of how these were determined, that is, to
their sense of procedural justice (perceptions of the fairness of the procedures used to determine
outcomes). Osei (2011), also agrees with the equity theory that, one of the fundamental issues that is
sensitive and critical which can make or unmake any organization is wage or salary determination. Justice,
fairness and equity in salary determination, to a large extent, put to rest all the misconceptions any
individual or any organization may experience, and that is highly motivational enough to assess the
optimal usage of time and energy

Theories such as expectancy outlined several important implications for ways of motivating employees
by clarifying people’s expectancies that their effort will lead to performance. This is by training employees
to do their jobs more efficiently so as to achieve higher levels of performance from their efforts and linking
rewards and performance by specifying exactly what job behaviors will lead to what rewards.

Locke (2008), goal setting theory believes that you can achieve effective performance goals by assigning
specific goals; difficult but acceptable performance goals and providing feedback concerning goal
attainment. He further indicated that giving praises, Management by Objectives (MBO), and job-design
increases employees’ performance. Extrinsic motivation factors like praise acts as a motivator because it
enhances employees’ needs for self-esteem, self-actualization, growth and achievement. It is most
powerful, less expensive, and simplest, yet the most underused motivational technique. To motivate
people to high levels of performance, objectives should not be difficult but achievable, observable and
measurable, specific, with a target date, anticipatively set when possible and accepted by employees.

16
Employee who meet their objectives should be rewarded through recognition, praise, pay increase and
promotions. Many organizations now link pay to meeting goals (Lussier, 2005).

The study conducted by Mweemba (2019) which focused on the performance of banking sector in Zambia
revealed that extrinsic variables such as training, salary increment, and medical scheme have high levels
of motivation on employees in the Zambian banking sector. Furthermore, a research carried by Masaiti
and Naluyele (2011) on the “employee’s perception on incentives and motivation” on employees at the
ministry of education (MOE) in Zambia reviewed that majority of employees were not satisfied with the
salary given to them and this had an effect on their levels of motivation and performance. In another
research conducted by Mungo’mba (2018) on the effect of Motivation on Workers Performance and
productivity at Zambia Breweries, the research revealed that majority of employees were not satisfied
with their work and that salaries affected their motivational levels. The low motivation levels had a
negative impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of the workers which ultimately affected productivity.

Another research conducted by Mutale (2013) revealed that health workers negative attitude in rural
health facilities in Zambia were associated with motivation.

2.6 Theoretical Frameworks

The study focused on three (3) theories namely, Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory, Herzberg’s two-factor
model and Vroom’s Expectancy theory.

2.6.1 Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory

Maslow (1954) outlined in his theory that humans rarely reaches a state of complete satisfaction and he is
therefore always wanting. This means that, when one desire is met or satisfied, another desire will emerge
and once this new desire is satisfied, still another will come up. Maslow stated that this is part of the
characteristic of human beings.

Maslow (1943) cited in Ramlall (2014, p.54) stated that:

“people, including employees in organizations are motivated by the desire to achieve or maintain the
various conditions upon which these basic satisfactions rest and by certain more intellectual desires”.

Adair (2004) stated that a person is motivated by an inner programme of needs rather than by external
motives such as rewards or punishments.

17
Maslow’s theory revealed that people will always want something new once they have the need met. For
example, once a person’s physiological needs are met, they will move to the next level of needs such as
security needs until the top/furthest needs on the hierarchy which is the need for self-actualization.

Armstrong (2006) stated that people have different needs and will establish different goals and actions to
satisfy the needs and achieve the goals.

Latham (2007, pp.30-33) stated that a person can move from one level of need to another level even before
the other level of need is totally fulfilled. Therefore, an individual who is partially satisfied with one level
of need will still seek satisfaction at the next level of need.

Steers and Porter (1983, pp.31-35) stated that one of the key responsibilities for managers was to help in
creating an environment which can help employees to develop to their fullest potential. Once this is
achieved, employee frustrations will be reduced but at the same time, failure to create an enabling
environment/climate may increase employee frustrations leading to poor performance, employees leaving
or withdrawing from the organization and job satisfaction levels becoming low.

2.6.2 Herzberg’s two-factor model

Herzberg’s two-factor model theory sometimes called the motivation–hygiene theory states that the
factors giving rise to job satisfaction are distinct from the factors that lead to job dissatisfaction
(Armstrong, 2007, p.124). Therefore, there are two groups of factors affecting job satisfaction according
to (Armstrong, 2007, p.124) and these are:

“Satisfiers or motivators which are intrinsic to the job. These include achievement, recognition, the work itself,
responsibility and growth. The second group comprises what Herzberg calls the ‘dissatisfaction avoidance’ or
‘hygiene’ factors, which are extrinsic to the job and include pay, company policy and administration, personal
relations, status and security. These cannot create satisfaction but, unless preventive action is taken, they can cause
dissatisfaction”.

Herzberg further noted that any feeling of satisfaction as a result of any pay increase would only last for
a short period of time while any satisfaction as a result of the work itself would last longer (Herzberg et
al., 1957).

One of the key conclusions derived from the research by Armstrong is that pay is not a motivator, except
in the short term, although unfair payment systems can lead to demotivation (Armstrong, 2007, p.124).

Porter and Lawler (2008) suggested that two factors are involved in determining the effort people put into
their jobs: 1) the value of the reward to individuals as far as they satisfy their need for security, social
18
esteem, autonomy and self-actualization; and 2) the probability that reward depends on effort, as perceived
by individuals.

The Adair 50:50 rule has it that: ‘50% of motivation comes from within a person, and 50% from his or
her environment’ (Adair, 2004). Adams (1965) stated that people will be better motivated if they are
treated equitably and demotivated if they are treated inequitably.

2.6.3 Vroom’s Expectancy theory

Vroom’s Expectancy theory cited the connection between a person’s effort and motivation with the
expected desired outcomes (Vroom 1964). It explains the procedure of how a person selects to perform a
set of behaviors over another one, and how the decision made is related to the goals. According to Vroom
(1964), an individual’s motivation to reach a desired outcome is determined by the three important
components which are expectancy, instrumentality and valence. The first component in the equation is
expectancy, which is defined as a person’s belief that their effort will result in desired outcomes, such as
performance or success. It is also a person’s evaluation of what kind and how much effort should be put in
order to achieve better results or higher performance. The second component which is instrumentality refers
to a person’s belief that his/her performance is linked to later results, such as reward or punishment. For
instance, if a person believes that his/her hard work will be recognized and resulted in rewards, he/she is
likely to put more effort into the work. Finally, valence component demonstrates a person’s perception
about the amount of reward or punishment received as a result of performance. If a person feels that the
reward or punishment is well-earned with his/her effort and performance, he/she will put more effort to
achieving it (Skempt-Arlt et al 2007).

2.6.4 Summary of theories

The three theories vary in nature and differ in meaning. However, all of them share some common traits,
which are for example, that motivation can arise from intrinsic (internal) factors or extrinsic (external)
factors and the theories so far have proved the outweighed value of intrinsic motivators from an
individual’s perspective rather than the extrinsic ones (e.g. money) as it has normally been assumed.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory, and Vroom’s Expectancy theory were
chosen as the basis for this study because they demonstrate a strong connection with each other and are
supportive with the research topic. The three theories share a similar and concrete outcome that attitudes
do have a huge influence on the administration of activities and results. According to Maslow, it is
necessary for every individual to fulfil the basic levels of needs before moving to higher ones; and the
ideal is to achieve and satisfy the highest level of self-actualization in the hierarchy. In parallel, Herzberg’s
19
theory shows that intrinsic and extrinsic factors play an important role towards job satisfaction such as
satisfaction is not done by the lower needs at work but only by achieving the psychological needs of
achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth, advancement and the nature of work itself. Besides,
Vroom’s theory also supports the conclusion by pointing out the dependence of an individual’s work
outcomes on intrinsic motivation.

Although all these theories have be used as a base for empirical research, going forward, the study will
focus on Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory of motivation. This is because after contrasting the conclusions
of the theory, the researcher’s conceptual framework aligns well with Herzberg’s conclusion which states
that intrinsic and extrinsic factors lead to job satisfaction which in this study, the researcher is focusing on
as employee motivation. The researcher’s aim is to understand how these factors affect employee’s
motivation or demotivation in the course of doing their job. Therefore, the factors advanced by Herzberg
in his theory will be used as a basis to understand what factors influence employees’ motivation in the
workplace and the link between employees’ motivation and its effect on organizational effectiveness and
performance.

2.7 Conceptual Framework

Conceptual framework is defined as an interconnected set of ideas (theories) about how a particular
phenomenon functions or is related to its parts (Svinicki, 2010). The main purpose of a conceptual
framework is to clarify concepts and relationships among the variables in the study, provide a context for
interpreting the study findings and explain observations. It illustrated the relationship between motivation
factors and employee performance. Motivational factors were the independent variables conceptualized
by the various factors such as nature of work, leadership, work environment, attractive pay/salary etc.
while employee performance, the dependent variable in this study, was conceptualized by reduced work
stoppages, increased cashflow, reduced absenteeism, high productivity etc. (Nassazi, 2013).

For the phenomenon of motivation and its effects on performance to be studied empirically, there is the
need for a conceptual framework that pulls together the concepts of motivation and organizational
performance. The conceptual framework, as illustrated in the figure below describes the underlying
relationship. Motivation either intrinsic or extrinsic leads to performance and is influenced by factors such
as salaries, fringe benefits, responsibility, promotion in the organization nature of work, recognition of
work done, opportunity for advancement, working conditions, and relationships with superior and peers.

20
The conceptual framework provides a foundation of focusing on specific variables for the study. These
variables are based on the literature reviewed on motivation and its effect on employee performance.

Improved
Organizational
Factors that may Performance due to :
affect employee
motivation - Improved service
delivery.
- Opportunity for
- Improved
Motivation career
Advancement
employee morale
- Conducive - Reduced
Working employee
environment turnover.
- Job Security - Reduced work
- Recognition stoppages &
- Leadership strikes
- Relationship with - High productivity
peers
Reduced absenteeism by
staff
Figure 2.7: Conceptual Framework -

2.8 Operationalization of Variables

As per conceptual framework in figure 2.7 above, motivation and the factors influencing motivation can
be considered as the independent variables while improved organizational performance as the dependent
variable. The independent variables will influence the dependent variables which is organizational
performance. The assumption is that when there is good leadership, job security, conducive working
environment, opportunity for career advancement, attractive salary, there will be enhanced employee
performance and Improved organizational performance due to reduced work stoppages , improved service
delivery, reduced absenteeism, reduced employee turnover.

2.9 Independent Variables

The independent variables include opportunity for career advancement, relationship with peers, fringe
benefits, job security, leadership, working conditions, salary and nature of work. Below is a brief
explanation.

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2.9.1 Motivation
Motivation can be said to be the driving force which stimulates an individual to initiate and sustain a
performance or behavior. As outlined in the framework above, it can be argued that motivation will lead
to improved employee performance which will eventually result in cash flow, high productivity, reduced
staff turnover etc. and achieving targets in a timely manner. However, there are factors that influence
motivation as explained further below.

2.9.2 Opportunity for career advancement

Employee trainings, skills development and career development prospects can have a positive or
negative effect on employee motivation. An employee who undertakes various training and skills
development opportunities will be highly motivated to work extra hard in anticipation of future
promotions, recognitions and financial benefits. At the same time, lack of training can affect motivation
and performance of employees. Furthermore, an employee who does not see him/herself grow in their
career at NHA may consider the need to leave and seek employment elsewhere.

2.9.3 Relationship with peers

Teamwork and having a good relationship with peers can lead to high productivity and improved morale
to an employee. When employee work together, tasks get accomplished faster and this leads to better
performance of the organization and this will result in employees getting better conditions of service.

2.9.4 Job security

An employee who has a secure job will be able to concentrate on his/her job and put in the best to achieve
greater results. Furthermore, an employee with a secure job will be able to plan ahead with financial
obligations. For example, an employee can get a loan from the bank to build a house and repay back the
loan in five years’ time. This will motivate the employee to work extra hard to maintain the job for a long
period of time and repay back the loan. In this study Job security is defined as a state where the employer
does not terminate employment without following clearly documented procedures.

2.9.5 Leadership
Leadership can be used as another significant tool to motivate an employee. Once a leader succeeds and
gains the trust of his/her subordinates and make them follow willingly, the organization will achieve its
objectives. Moreover, if a leader wants to build his/her trust around the organization and make the

22
employees do their work appropriately, they need to be motivated and there should be a reciprocal
cooperation for each other between a leader and the employees to attain higher motivation.

2.9.6 Conducive Work Environment

A better and conducive work environment such as a well ventilated and furnished office will lead to
employee commitment towards their work. A good work environment is a type of environment where an
employee feels that his/her views will be respected and where adequate tools are provided to an employee
to carry out his/her assignment with support from his/her supervisor. In this study a conducive work
environment is defined as a type of environment where an employee feels that his/her views will be
respected and where adequate tools are provided to an employee to carry out his/her assignment and with
support from his/her supervisor.

2.9.7 Competitive salaries and fringe benefits

An employee with a good salary will be able to feed and take good care of his family and afford other
basic needs (JCTR 2020). The Zambia Statistics Agency (Zamstat, 2020) reports that the formally
employed population in Zambia accounted for 31.2 percent of the total employed population and
approximately 58 percent are unemployed. With other cultural demands to help external family
members, a good salary will motivate an employee to work extra hard so as to meet the various financial
needs.

2.9.8 Nature of work and responsibilities:

The nature of one’s work has the ability to motivate or demotivate an employee. Certain jobs demand
employees to work long hours without better renumerations while other jobs can be risky. All these can
have a lot of influence on an employees’ performance.

2.10. Dependent Variables

The dependent variables are influenced by the independent variables which is employee performance.
When employees are motivated, their performance will be high resulting in high productivity, reduced
rate of turnover and absenteeism. Motivated employees can lead to increased productivity and allow an
organization like NHA achieve higher levels of output. For example, having an employee who is not
motivated at work will probably use most the time at their desk surfing the internet for personal pleasure
or even looking for another job. At the same time, motivated employees can lead to increased productivity
and allow an organization like NHA achieve higher levels of output. For example, having an employee

23
who is not motivated at work will probably use most the time at their desk surfing the internet for personal
pleasure or even looking for another job.

2.11 Chapter Summary

This chapter has presented a review of the relevant literature on employee motivation. The theories
included Maslow’s Hierarchy theory, Herzenberg’s two factor theory and Vroom’s expectancy theory
while the conceptual frameworks outlined the independent and dependent variables and how they affect
organizational performance. From the three theories, the researcher opted to use Herzberg’s principles in
formulating the conceptual framework in order to address the gap of “understanding the factors that
affect employee motivation” using Herzenberg’s conclusion on “factors affecting job satisfaction”. The
next chapter will outline and present imperative research methods that was used to conduct the research.

24
 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

Chapter Three discusses the research design and methodology that applies to the study. It starts with the
philosophical assumptions of the study and further discusses the research design, target population and
sampling procedures. It also gives an outline of the data collection techniques and data analysis techniques.
Subsequently, it discusses the pilot study, validity, credibility, reliability, and ethical considerations.
Finally, it draws the conclusion of the chapter.

Kothari (2011:97) defined research methodology as a way to systematically solve the research problem.
It may be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically. In it we study the various
steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem along with the logic
behind them.

3.2 Pragmatism research philosophy

Research philosophy according to Bajpai (2011) is about how the source, nature and development of
knowledge are dealt with. Further, Bajpai (2011) explained that a research philosophy is just a belief in
which a researcher has about the ways in which data about a phenomenon should be collected, analyzed
and used. The philosophical view that underpins this study is pragmatism because it informs the mixed
research method approach for this study. It provides an opportunity to use both quantitative and qualitative
methods approach when conducting research. Pragmatism is holistic, problem specific and uses pluralistic
approaches to get knowledge concerning the problem (Creswell, 2014).

3.3 Research Design

Sibwela (2017) described research design as a structural framework within which the study is to be
implemented. For this study, it was necessary to use a mixed method approach because by using
quantitative or qualitative method as stand-alone approach, it was inadequate to best understand the
research problem and triangulation of research methods provided the best understanding. The study used
the convergent parallel mixed method strategy. Convergent parallel mixed methods strategy provided for
converging quantitative and qualitative data in order to provide for a comprehensive analysis of the
research problem. In this design, the Researcher collects both forms of data at the same time and then
integrates the information in the interpretation of the overall results (Creswell, 2014).
25
3.4 Target Population
According to the Human Resource (HR) records at NHA Lusaka head office on which the study was
based, the total target population was 75 employees broken down into 35 permanent and pensionable
employees and 40 contractual employees.

3.4.1 Sampling Techniques

Cooper and Schindler (2014) have described sampling techniques as the methods that considers how a
sample can be selected. According to Sekaran and Bougie (2015), sampling techniques include the
probability and the non-probability techniques. They further distinguished probability sampling
techniques where a sample is chosen based on known probabilities and were given equal chances in order
to avoid biasness. For probability sampling many different techniques are available for the researcher that
comprised simple random, stratified random, cluster random and systematic random sampling technique.
Non-probability sampling techniques on the other hand involve choosing a sample not based on random
sampling methods and include convenience, judgmental, quota and snowball sampling technique. Another
technique available for data collection is a census which is an attempt to gather information about every
member of some group, called the population (Creswell 2014).

In this study, the census approach was used due to the relatively manageable number of employees at
NHA of 75 and doing a sample would have reduced the population to a minimal number. Also, the census
approach was idea since the researcher had also conducted a pilot study where 15 questionnaires were
administered. Furthermore, the census approach was cost effective and was deemed suitable as employees
at NHA where alternating when reporting to the office due to covid-19 pandemic.

3.4.2 Selection of Key Informants

Four (4) key informants were selected based on their knowledge about the topic. Key informants are
people that have a detailed understanding about the operations of the organisations particularly those in
the human resource department and policy makers. The key informants were selected using purposive
sampling method. For this study, key informants comprised Two (02) directors from the human resource
department and housing/estate department, One middle manager and One senior government official
from the ministry of Local Government and Housing. To preserve the originality of the interview and

26
 avoid information distortion, the discussions were recorded. The interview guide was used while
interviewing the key informants.

3.5 Data Collection Instruments

Data was collected using a structured interview schedule and questionnaire specifically designed for this
study. The reasons why the instruments were chosen and outlined below.

3.5.1 The Questionnaire

In this study, questionnaires were administered by the researcher to gather specific information from 75
respondents who happens to be employees of NHA. The study used a questionnaire that had a combination
of both the qualitative and the quantitative designs based on the convergent mixed method strategy. The
qualitative design involved obtaining in-depth responses to in-depth questions while quantitative design
was used to solicit information on closed ended questions.
The questionnaire was designed by the researcher according to the set objectives. It had six sections.
Section A focused on biodata of respondents, section B focused on the length of service, section C focused
on monetary motivation factors, section D focused on non-monetary financial factors, while section E
focused on organizational culture, and section F considered the effect of motivation on performance. The
main aim was to accurately get the data that could answer the research questions.

3.5.2 Personal Interviews: (Interviews with Key Informants)

Personal interviews were conducted with the key informants from NHA and senior government official
from the relevant ministry in order to get a detailed perspective on certain key areas that required follow-
up questions. Interviews with the respondents were recorded in order to avoid distortion and preserve the
originality of the conversation. These informants were interviewed with structured interviews. Babbie
(2007, p. 186) describes key informant as follows a person who is well versed in the social phenomenon
that you wish to study and who is willing to tell you what he or she knows about it”.

The interviews were standardized semi-structured open-ended interviews. Standardized in the sense that
it made it possible for the researcher to arrange and organized data into important sub themes. According
to Hambulo (2016), the approach enables the researcher the much-needed flexibility to explore more areas
in depth and also allow further questions to emerge in the course of the discussions with the research
participants.

3.5.3 Document Review

27
The study considered existing records for the staff regarding the tenure of contracts and how often
employees’ contracts were renewed when they expired. Documents reviews were also a rich resource as
literature for the study. The document enabled the researcher to do validity checks and triangulation.

3.6 Data Analysis

Data analysis involved organizing the raw data in order to make sense out of it. Raw data on its own may
not bring out the lessons and outcomes unless it is organized. This study used both qualitative and
quantitative data. The quantitative data collected was first checked, cleaned and finally coded. After the
quantitative data was coded properly, it was entered into a software called Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 so that the data can be easily analyzed and come up with descriptive
statistics. Some data were later analyzed with the use of Micro Soft Excel to come up with graphs and
figures. The data was also made into tables so that various graphical presentations were made. Once the
statistics were used to make tables, graphs and figures, they allowed objectivity with regard to
interpretation, valid conclusion and recommendations. The information collected from Key Informants
using an in-depth interview was analyzed qualitatively based on the themes and contents. Content or
thematic analysis was deemed appropriate because it enabled the researcher to group similar items or
themes together from many voluminous words.

3.7 Pilot Study

The pilot study ensured that the research instruments were measuring what was intended to measure in
order to ensure validity. For this study, the pilot study was conducted at NHA and fifteen (15)
questionnaires were distributed and a simple random sampling was used. The researcher was able to get
feedback when collecting the questionnaires and the gaps, in terms of instrument validity identified were
corrected. For example, some open-ended questions such as “how long is your contract and what Job
security meant to employees” were included and defined as they were missing in the initial questionnaire
developed.

3.7.1 Pilot Study Data

The pilot study was done at NHA head office with fifteen (15) questionnaires administered. A
questionnaire comprising both closed questions (quantitative) and open ended (qualitative) questions was
used to collect data with regards to a mixed research method approach that underpins the study. Data was
collected from Seven (7) pensionable and permanent employees and five (5) contractual employees
representing 80% response rate while three questionnaires were not fully completed and could not be
28
accepted. The respondents were selected using simple random sampling. The staff register from human
resource department was used as the sampling frame to select both the pensionable and contractual
employees.

3.7.2 Pilot Study Data Analysis

Data analysis involved organizing the raw data in order to be able to understand the final results. This
study used both qualitative and quantitative data. The quantitative data collected was first checked, cleaned
and finally analyzed. The purpose was to come up with descriptive statistics. Some statistics were later
manipulated with the use of Micro Soft Excel to come up with graphs and figures of the researcher’ choice.
The statistics was also made into tables so that various graphical presentations were made. Once the
statistics were used to make tables, graphs and figures, they allowed objectivity with regard to
interpretation, valid conclusion and recommendations. The information collected from Key Informants
using an in-depth interview were analyzed qualitatively based on the themes and contents. Content or
thematic analysis is good because it grouped similar items or themes together from many voluminous
words.

3.7.3 Pilot Study Conclusion

Preliminary conclusions drawn to answer the research questions revealed the following ranked order of
motivating factors that have an effect on employee performance. The ranked order of motivating factors
was: (i) Job security, (ii) Salary, (iii) Career progression (iv) Appreciation for work done. Furthermore,
92% of employees said motivation affected their performance levels. With regards to organizational
culture, the pilot study showed that organization culture had less effect on employee motivation even
though 80% of employees said the organizational culture at NHA was good and conducive.

3.8 Validity and Reliability of the study instruments

The purpose of this research was to come up with results that were not subjected to biases and errors.
Results that have bias and errors means they have failed to answer the questions of the research and
therefore, the results can be questionable. In order to come up with results that are not questionable, the
researcher had to put measures in place to safeguard the results. Although bias and errors are completely
difficult to measure in a research, the researcher tried to reduce them to an acceptable level. Stoep et al.,
(2009) defined reliability as the extent to which a measure yields the same scores across different times,
groups of people, or versions of the instrument, in short it’s about consistency, and on the other hand a

29
measure shows validity if it actually measures what it claims (or is intended) to measure or it is about
truthfulness.

Therefore, the researcher considered the aspect of reliability and validity in the study. Time was
considered to design the questions for the questionnaire and interview. The researcher tried to be clear in
order to avoid ambiguity; observed standardization in interviews and questionnaire. The questionnaires
were left with the respondents and later collected after going through in order to correct the mistakes. The
interviews were done according to the time proposed by the interviewees. For the questionnaire, the
researcher took time to test it before the final data collection.

Validation was also taken care of by the researcher. The researcher was involved most of the time in
collecting the data with the help of the human resource officer at NHA making sure that everything was
done in order. The use of two instruments facilitated content validation and triangulation because the
research covered adequately the important information needed in the study by lobbing for information
from all the respondents selected purposively.

3.9 Ethical Consideration

While collecting the data and disseminating the findings, the researcher was sensitive to research ethics
and its values. The researcher obtained an introductory form the office of the director, Graduate School of
Business to collect data and the letter was submitted to the administrative authority of National Housing
Authority (NHA) who willingly granted the researcher permission.

Some procedures such as introductory meetings with senior leadership at NHA where conducted and
followed before the researcher was allowed to conduct research activity. All the relevant letters and
documents permitting the researcher are behind this work in the appendices.

The researcher ensured the freedom of participants by adhering to the principal of informed concerned.
This principal required the researcher to ensure that participants are aware of the purpose of the study so
as to get their concern and participate freely. The statement of the research purpose, description of any
potential risks or discomforts, description of potential benefits and the confidentiality were assured to the
respondents. The participants where not required to write their names on the questionnaire.

3.10 Limitations/challenges

The study was limited to NHA head offices in Lusaka and not any other branches in different provinces
as most of them were not fully operational. Furthermore, data collection at some point was challenging

30
and the processed was slow as employees were told to alternate to come to work. This had an effect on
the rate of participation by employees due to covid-19 pandemic as personal contact was limited and
discouraged.

3.11 Chapter Summary

This chapter covered the research design and methodology, population of study, sample size,
instrumentation, data analysis procedures and consideration on ethical issues. The research tools such as
questionnaire, interviews, observations, documentary reviews were used to collect information from the
field. The descriptive research design was adopted. In the next chapter, the researcher will analyze and
present the findings from the data collected.

31
 CHAPTER FOUR
RESULT PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.0 Introduction
This chapter presents the findings of the study, which are in tables, pie charts and graphs. The study was
guided by three objectives: to determine the factors that affect employee motivation at NHA, to establish
if organizational culture influences employee performance at NHA and to assess the effect that
motivation has on the performance of employees at NHA.
This chapter is divided into two sections. The first section begins by giving background information of
the respondents while the second part is a presentation of the research findings in relation to the three
research objectives of the study. A total of Seventy-Five (75) questionnaires were distributed. Sixty (60)
completed questionnaires were returned which represented eighty percent (80%) participation.

4.1 Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

The demographic characteristics of respondents included their gender, age, education level and marital
status.
4.1.1 Gender
The respondents were asked to state their gender. The following were the results.

Sex of Respondents

FEMALE
32%

MALE
68%

MALE FEMALE

Figure: 4.1.1 Gender distribution

32
4.1.2 Age
The respondents were asked to state their ages. The following results represent age distribution of the
respondents as tabulated in the table below.
Age group (Years) Males Females Total Percent
20-35 10 4 14 (23%)
36-50 18 6 24 (40%)
51-60 11 4 15 (25%)
61-70 5 2 7 (12%)
Total 44 16 60 100
Table 4.1.2 Age distribution of the Respondents
From the above table, 14 participants were in the age group of 20-35 years representing 23%; while 24
were in the age group of 36-50 years representing 40%, 15 participants were in the age group of 51-60
years representing 25% meanwhile 7 were in the age group of 61- 70 years representing 12%.

4.1.3 Level of Educational

The level of education was measured according to the Zambia education system. The respondents had to
indicate their highest level of education. Below is the distribution.

Education Level of Respondents

DEGREES, 33%
DIPLOMA, 40%

MASTERS, 17%

SECONDARY , 10%

DEGREES MASTERS SECONDARY DIPLOMA

Figure: 4.1.3 Level of education

33
From figure above, 10% of the respondents interviewed had finished secondary school level while 33%
of the respondents were degree holders, 17% of the respondents were master’s holders while 40% of the
respondents interviewed were diploma holders.

4.1.4 Permanent and Contractual employees at NHA

In order to ascertain the number of workers on permanent and contractual basis, the respondents were
asked to state weather they were employed on permanent or contractual basis.

Permanent and Contractual employees

Permnant , 42%
Contracts , 48%

Permnant Contracts

Figure: 4.1.4. Permanent and contractual employees

From the respondents interviewed 42% said they were on permanent while 48% of the respondents
interviewed said that they were on contracts.

4.1.5 Duration of Contracts

The respondents who indicated that they were on contract were asked to indicate the number of months
or years of their contracts.

34
 Duration of Contracts

6 Months , 4%

1 Year, 11%

3 Years , 85%

6 Months 1 Year 3 Years

Figure: 4.1.5 Duration of contracts

From the above figure, 4% of the participants said they were on 6 months contract, 11% said they were
on a one (1) year contract while 85% of the respondents said they were on a three (3) year contracts.

4.2 Financial Factors affecting Employee Motivation at NHA.

In order to ascertain the financial factors that motivates employees at NHA, employees were asked
whether; 1) competitive salary, 2) attractive allowances and bonuses and 3) good health benefits and
incentives motivated them. The research reviewed that thirty-three (33) employees from a total of Sixty
(60) representing 55% of employee sampled agreed that a good and competitive salary motivate them to
work extra hard. Nineteen (19) out of Sixty (60) representing 32% of employee sampled agreed that
‘attractive allowances and bonuses’ motivate them while twenty five (25) employees out of sixty (60)
representing 42%, neither agreed nor disagreed that attractive allowances and bonuses was a source of
motivation. A total of thirty-five (35) representing (58%) employees agreed that good health benefits
motivate them.

35
 18
16 16
16

14 13
12

10

8
Good and competive salary
6 6 6
6 5 Attractive allowances
4 4 4 4
4 3 3 Good health benefits
2
2 1
0
Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly
Disagree Agree nor Agree
Disagree

Figure: 4.2. Financial Factors of Motivation

4.3 Non- Financial Factors of Motivation affecting Employees at NHA.

Non-financial factors or non-monetary factors are incentives or conditions of service in a workplace that
do not directly involve payment of cash or money. In order to ascertain what the non-financial factors
that motivate employees at NHA where, employees were asked to state whether the following factors
had effects on their motivation levels; (i) Favourable work environment, (ii) Job security, (iii) Career
advancement, (iv) Effective performance appraisal system and recognition. The figure below summaries
the results of those who agreed that non -financial factors affects them.

36
 Career
advancement
Recognition: 42% 38%

Performance
Appr. 52%

Job Security
74%

Favourable Work
Environment: 68%

Figure: 4.3 Non-Financial factors of motivation (Percentages of those who agreed)

From the figure above, 44 respondents representing 74% said they were motivated by job security, 41 participants
representing 68% were motivated by favourable work environment while 31 participants representing 52% said
were motivated by effective performance appraisal. Furthermore, 25 participants representing 42% said they were
motivated by recognition for a job well done while 23 participants representing 38% said they were motivated by
career advancement.

4.3.1 Promotion prospects as a motivation factor

Furthermore, employees where aske state how ‘frequent promotion prospects affected their motivation
levels and 62% of the respondents agreed that promotion prospects at National Housing Authority (NHA)
motivates them, 28% disagreed, while 10% were uncertain.

37
 Promotion prospect

Uncertain
10%

Disagree
28%
Agree
62%

Agree Disagree Uncertain

Figure: 4.3.1. Promotion prospects as a motivation factor

4.3.2 Nature of Work

From the respondents interviewed, 60% of the respondents agreed that nature of work motivates them,
30% disagreed while 10% were uncertain.

Nature of Work

Uncertain,
10%

Disagree, 30%
Agree, 60%

Agree Disagree Uncertain

Figure: 4.3.2. Nature of work

38
4.3.3 Recognition for work done
From the respondents interviewed, 67% were motivated when their work was appreciated and recognized
while 23% disagree that they were not motivated merely by appreciating their work with 10% uncertain
of what motivates them.

Recognition for work done

UNCERTAIN, 10%

DISAGREED, 23%

AGREED, 67%

AGREED DISAGREED WERE NOT SURE

Figure 4.3.3 Recognition for work done

From the respondents interviewed 67% were motivated when their work was appreciated, 23% disagree
that they were not motivated merely by appreciating their work with 10% unsure of what motivates them.

4.3.4 Relationship with peers

With regards to relationship with peers, 69% of the respondents agreed that they related well with their
peers which serves as motivation to them while 22% of the respondents disagreed with the statement that
they don’t relate well with their peers to motivate them and 9% were uncertain.

39
 Relationship With Peers

UNCERTAIN, 9%

DISAGREED, 22%

AGREED, 69%

AGREED DISAGREED UNCERTAIN

Figure 4.3.4 Relationship with peers

4.4 Level of staff turn-over

The researcher wanted also to establish the level of staff turn-over and frequent promotion prospects and
their effect on staff motivation and employee performance. Employees were asked in the questionnaire to
respond to the following questions:
1) How long have you worked in this organization?
2) Do frequent promotion prospects motivate you to work for this organization longer?
The research results reviewed that majority of employees have worked for NHA for the period of three
(3) years and ten (10) years. Those who have worked for more than 10 years are employees of permanent
and pensionable while those on contracts, majority have only worked for up to 3 years.

40
 Frequency

22 22

4 4

Below 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 6-9years Above 10

Figure: 4.4 Duration worked for NHA

Furthermore, the research found that the percentage salary increments given to employees on a yearly
basis were very minimal (the actual percentage could not be shared with the researcher due to ethical
issues). The reason for this minimal increase was due to limited resources generated by the company hence
affording only a small salary increment.

4.5 Work stoppages and boycotts

Strike action by employees results in less productivity, which in turn means less profitability. With
reported work stoppages and boycotts by employees at NHA, the researcher wanted also to have an
understanding whether the frequency of work stoppages and boycotts by employees at NHA are signs of
low levels of motivation. Work stoppages, boycotts and labour strikes from employees can signal that the
employee is not happy with the conditions of service offered (Habib, 2010. Employee’s levels of
motivation have a direct relationship with what effort they put into their jobs. The interview with key
informatics reviewed that employees went on labour strikes when they perceived that management were
unfair with handling contract renewals, delays in paying salaries and lack of clear communication between
management and employees.

4.6 Organizational Culture and its Influence on Employee Performance at NHA

From the respondents interviewed, 91% said culture has an influence on their performance. This was also
confirmed through the key informatics interview who expressed gratitude that employees at NHA

41
understands the organization’s culture such as respect for one another employees’ personal values were
in line with the organizational values

9%

91%

CULTURE INFLUENCED EMPLOYEES PERFORMANCE

CULTURE DID NOT INFLUENCE EMPLOYEES

PERFORMANCE

Figure 4.6 Cultural Influence on Employees Performance

4.7 Effect of motivation on employee performance

The respondents were asked if motivation had any effect on their performance. From the participants
interviewed, 89% of the respondents interviewed agreed that motivation affected their performance while
11% of the respondents interviewed said motivation didn’t affect them.

42
 11%

89%

YES NO

Figure 4.7: Effect of motivation on employee performance

4.8 Summary

From the discussion of the quantitative and qualitative analysis above, it can be concluded that, factors
such as; Job security, good work environment, completive salary, effective performance appraisal ,
employee training opportunities, opportunity for advancement, appreciation for work done, promotions,
and good relations with peers leads are key determinant factors of motivation for employees at NHA. At
same time, performance determinants such as one’s qualification, experience, working environment,
compensation package, job security do influence employees’ performance. Therefore, there is relationship
between motivation and performance, and motivation does have effect on employees’ performance at
NHA. The next chapter will focus on the recommendations and conclusion of the research.

43
 CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
5.1 Introduction
The previous chapter presented the findings of the study in relation to the research objectives. This
chapter will focus on discussing the findings arranged under the sub-heading of the corresponding
research questions. The general discussion of the findings is based on the respondents’ answers to the
research questions.

5.2 What are the factors affecting employee motivation at NHA?

The study found that there are various factors both financial and non-financial factors affecting employee
motivation at NHA with non-financial factors ranking high. Under non-financial factors, majority of
employees (74%) said they were motivated by job security, 68% were motivated by favourable work
environment, 58% were motivated by good health benefits while 55% said they were motivated by a good
and competitive salary. Job security was defined to employees in the questionnaire as a state where an
employer does not terminate employment without following clearly documented procedures.

The above findings reinforce Frederick Herzberg (1968) doctrine that money is not a motivational factor
in the long term. Increased wages could produce more commitment to production, but their effect was
declared to be short-lived, but commitment and involvement were to come from other factors such as job
security. This implies that other non-monetary incentives schemes should be given to workers to have the
necessary effect towards employee performance. According to the press release by the Jesuit Centre for
Theological Reflection (JCTR) for December 2020, an employee with a good salary will be able to feed
and take good care of his family and afford other basic needs (JCTR 2020). Furthermore JCTR (2020)
reported that Lusaka Basic Needs Basket (BNB) for an average family of five (5) in November 2020 stood
at ZMW 7,126. The research reviewed that majority of employees at NHA have their gross salaries before
taxes in the range of K6, 001 to K8, 000. When taxes such as PAYE are deducted, the salaries for majority
of employees fall below the food basket. Table 5.1.1 below shows the salary ranges for employees at
NHA.

Salary range (K) Frequency Percentage

Below 6,000 18 30%
6,001 – 8,000 27 45%
8,001 – 10,000 11 18%
10,001 – 12,000 1 1%

44
 Above 12,001 3 6%
Total 60 100%
Table 5.2: Salary ranges for employees

The research revealed that salaries for most employees (75%) at NHA are below the average food
basket. This means that majority of NHA employed families struggle to afford three decent meals in a
day. This is because every human being has financial needs to meet and will need money to pay various
bills such as medical bills. Financial rewards such as salary, bonuses and health benefits are instrumental
in fulfilling the basic necessities of life.

Furthermore, the national wide survey undertaken by the Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS,
2019) showed that 83% of Zambians said that the price of the staple food mealie-meal is too high with
42% saying that they can no longer afford to buy the nation’s staple food which is consumed by more
than 60% of Zambians. The Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR, 2020) reports that 43%, of the
total labour force in Zambia is unemployed while majority are in the informal sector earning below the
Basic Needs Basket. This means that, few people are in employment to have a constant monthly income
to feed their families. The demographic and health survey conducted in 2015 on housing characteristics
and household population showed that an average family in Zambia is composed of five (5) persons
(Demographic and Health Survey, 2015). With other cultural demands to help external family members,
a good salary can contribute towards motivating an employee to work extra hard so as to earn a decent
income and be able to meet the various financial needs of the family. This is compounded by employees
not getting paid constantly which may divide their attention and commitment towards work in order to
find money to feed their families.

This means that non-financial factors such as job security, favourable work environment, should be
revealed and improved upon by management as they were considered the major motivating factor in
relation to also providing good competitive salaries that will enable employees to meet the basic needs
such as healthy, food, shelter (physiological) which is one of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and should
be satisfied first before moving on to the other needs. Non-monetary conditions of services have the
potential to motivate employees to work extra hard in a workplace. For example, a better and conducive
work environment such as a well ventilated and furnished office will lead to employee commitment
towards their work. A good work environment is a type of environment where an employee feels that
his/her views will be respected and where adequate tools are provided to an employee to carry out
his/her assignment and with support from his/her supervisor.

45
Herzberg cited in Adair (2004, pp.66-67) stated that ‘the physical conditions in which you work can
create job dissatisfaction’. This research has also revealed that a good working environment is key to
employee motivation.

Furthermore, an employee who is assured of job security, effective performance appraisal, and good
training and skills development opportunities will be more motivated to succeed in his or her
assignment. With the continuous rising of unemployment rate in Zambia which has been compounded
by Covid-19 pandemic, this reinforces the result why employees at NHA said they were most motivated
by Job security because jobs are becoming scarce. This is because an employee who has a secure job
will be able to concentrate on his/her job and to put in the best to achieve greater results. Furthermore,
an employee with a secure job will be able to plan ahead with financial obligations. For example, an
employee can get a loan from the bank to build a house and repay back the loan in five years’ time. This
will motivate the employee to work extra hard to maintain the job for a long period of time and repay
back the loan. While job security was ranked top as a motivation factor by employees at NHA, the
researcher could not further establish whether the company was doing to address this matter due to
ethical issues expressed by management to ask such questions.

In terms of ‘opportunities for employee training and skills development’ (career advancement), the
research revealed that only 38% of employees at NHA were motivated by training and skills
development. Employee training and skills development can have a positive or negative effect on
employee motivation. An employee who undertakes various training and skills development
opportunities will be highly motivated to work extra hard in anticipation of future promotions,
recognitions and financial benefits. At the same time, lack of training can affect motivation and
performance of employees due to challenges that an employee faces in completing their tasks.

5.3 Staff turn-over

The researcher wanted also to establish the level of staff turn-over and frequent promotion prospects and
their effect on staff motivation and employee performance. Employees were asked in the questionnaire to
respond to the following questions:
1) How long have you worked in this organization?
2) Do frequent promotion prospects motivate you to work for this organization longer?
The research found that only four (4) out of sixty representing 6% of employees had worked for NHA
for more than six years with the majority having worked for 3 years and more than 10 years representing
55%. This implies that majority of employees who are on contract for 3 years don’t have their contracts
46
renewed while majority of employees on permanent have worked for more than 10 years as illustrated in
figure 5.1.2 below. This further explains why majority of the employees consider job security as one of
the major motivation factors at NHA. As stated earlier on in this report, majority of employee’s salaries
at NHA. are below the food basket needs in a month. A total number of fifteen (15) employees left the
organization between January and September 2020 for various reasons.

Frequency

22 22

4 4

Below 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 6-9years Above 10

Figure 5.3: Staff turn over

Furthermore, the research found that the percentage salary increments given to employees on a yearly
basis were very minimal (the actual percentage could not be shared with the researcher due to ethical
issues). The reason for this minimal increase was due to limited resources generated by the company
hence affording only a small salary increment.

The pilot study conducted by the researcher in November 2020 revealed that over 40% of employees
had left the company (NHA) since March 2018 with no clear reasons been given. This rate is too high
and could point to the fact that employees were not motivated to work for NHA.

In terms of promotions, 42% of the respondents agreed that promotions at NHA motivates them, 35%
were uncertain whilst 21% disagreed. As for work recognition, 67 agreed that they were motivated each
time their work was recognized. This therefore means that management at NHA should take keen interest
in recognizing good work done by employees. This is because, if an employee knows that his/her work
will be recognized, he or she will be motivated to work extra hard. This is also in line with Vroom (1969)
expectancy theory which states that, “ an employee will be motivated to exert a high level of effort when

47
he/she believes that effort will lead to a good performance appraisal, followed by organization rewards
such as promotion which later satisfy personal goals”.
With fifteen employees leaving the company between January and September 2020, the company was
on average losing two employees every month which is an indicator that job security and other
motivation factors are lacking. The study therefore concluded that employee turn-over is one of the
major indicators that employees where not motivated to work for NHA for a longer period of time based
on the factors reported earlier in this report.

The respondents revealed that most of those on 6 to 12 months contracts faced a number of challengers
such as high probability of not being called back once the contract ended as illustrated in figure 4.1.5.

With regards to relationship with peers, the results (figure 4.3.4) are very encouraging which shows a
strong level of collaboration among workmates and this should be maintained for the good of the
organization (NHA) as it helps to satisfy the social needs of the individual employees as proposed by the
content theorist like Maslow, Herzberg, Alderfer and others.

5.4 Work stoppages and boycotts

With reported work stoppages and boycotts by employees at NHA, the researcher wanted also to have an
understanding as to whether the frequency of work stoppages and boycotts by employees at NHA are
signs of levels of motivation. Work stoppages, boycotts and labour strikes from employees may signal
that the employees are not happy with the conditions of service offered. Employee’s levels of motivation
have a direct relationship with what effort they put into their jobs. One of the managers interviewed agreed
that there were instances when employees had gone on labour strike due to non-payment of salaries on
time. The manager further said that the major reasons for paying salaries late were many which could not
be discussed in detail with the researcher.

5.5 Relationship with peers

With regards to relationship with peers, 69% of the respondents agreed that they related well with their
peers which serves as motivation while 22% of the respondents disagreed with the statement that they
don’t relate well with their peers and 9% were uncertain. This is very encouraging and should be
maintained for the good of the organization (NHA) as it helps to satisfy the social needs of the individual
employees as proposed by the content theorist like Maslow, Herzberg, Alderfer and others.

48
5.6 How does organizational culture influence employee’s motivation and performance at (NHA)?

From the respondents interviewed, 91% said culture has an influence on their motivation levels and
performance. This was noticed by a moderately positive relationship between organizational culture and
employee performance whereby an improvement in organizational culture increases on the performance
of employees. The study found that the staff at National Housing Authority (NHA) respect each other,
honesty was valued at National Housing Authority (NHA) and that staff values were in line with the values
of the institution.
The study also established that there was a positive significant relationship between organizational culture
and employee performance at National Housing Authority (NHA) based on the responses from key
informants and the majority of workers (72%). This implies that employee performance in an organization
can be increased with a good organizational culture. The study findings are in line with earlier scholars
who found that a positive organizational culture enhances employee and organizational performance. The
study findings according to Awadh and Saad (2013) found that good organizational culture enhances
organizational performance. They found that the norms and values of organizations based upon different
cultures influence workforce performance. Also, Ritchie (2010) observes that organizational culture is a
motivational instrument which promotes the employees to perform smoothly and ensures better
productivity which is the case with NHA employees.

Organizational culture allows the employees to be acquainted with both the firm‘s history as well as
current methods of operation and this specific detection endows the employees with guidance about
expected and acceptable future organizational behaviors and norms (Hellriegel and Slocum 2009), as cited
by Uddin et al (2013). In addition, Mohammad, Uddin, Huq and Saad (2013) did a study on the impact of
organizational culture on employee performance and the results of this study showed positive association
between strong culture and performance improvement. They concluded that organizational culture has a
positive impact on the employees ‘job performance which is in line with the current study.

Ferris et al (2008) agreed that the effective human resource system of an organization is based on
supporting values and then these systems, in turn, create a positive impact on employee attitudes and
behavior, which facilitate an organization’s performance. Mercer and Bilson (1985), as cited by
Mohammad et al (2013), also point out the correlation between organizational culture and employees
‘performance, where employees ‘performance is then translated into organizational outcomes such as
customer satisfaction.

49
Bowen et al (2009) agrees that the role of culture is very vital in nurturing, sustaining and enhancing the
performance of organizations. In addition to this, Kopelmal et al (1990) clarifies that cultural system of
any organizations adds to the coordination of assignments and minimizes inefficiency hence improving
on employee efforts and firms’ resources. Just like in this study, Cross et al (2010) agree that individuals
need a supportive organizational culture to help them reach individual objectives. Therefore, an
organization is a consciously coordinated system where characteristics of individuals, groups and the
organization interact with each other and effective interaction among them highly depends on
organizational culture that shapes the individual performance as observed by Kozlowski and Klein (2010).
The positive effect of organizational culture on employee performance in this study therefore demonstrates
the need for leadership to continue promoting organization culture at NHA.

5.7 Effects of motivation on the employee performance

The respondents were asked if motivation had any effect on their performance. The following were the
views from the respondents. 89% of the respondents interviewed agreed while 11% of the respondents
interviewed said no. There were consensus agreement between the respondents that a well motivation
package have high effects on their performance which also agrees with Maslow (1946) that by promoting
a healthy workforce, providing financial security, providing opportunities to socialize and recognizing
employees’ accomplishments help to satisfy the employees’ physiological needs which in turn also
increase their performance. Employees are social being with needs and they will always want to satisfy
these needs, and only motivation will push them to achieve that aim in the face of obstacles. This reaffirms
the definition of motivation by SHRM (2010), “the psychological forces that determine the direction of a
person’s level of effort, as well as a person’s persistence in the face of obstacles”. This implies that for
NHA to get the best out from its employees, they should as matter of urgency improve motivation
packages to help their performance.
Frederick Herzberg’s content theory is based on a motivational study of about 200 engineers and
accountants using data for analysis whereby he asked his professional subjects two questions: “when did
you feel particularly good about your job- what turned you on? ; when did you feel exceptionally bad
about your job- what turned you off?” (Luthans, 2011, p. 165). From the responses which were tabulated
and categorized, Herzberg found factors that were associated with both job satisfaction as well as
dissatisfaction. Job satisfaction was seen to be associated with recognition, achievement, responsibility,
advancement and work characteristics. These factors according to (Kinicki and Fugate, 2012) were
labelled by Herzberg as the motivators because they were “associated with strong effort and good
50
performance” (p. 151). Herzberg argued that these could make a person move from a no satisfaction state
to a satisfied state.
According to Kinicki and Fugate (2012), Herzberg’s theory shows that a manager can motivate people
through incorporation of the ‘motivators’ into their jobs. Herzberg’s interpretation of his theory is that
individuals experience no job dissatisfaction if they have no problem with the hygiene factors. He
concludes that “the opposite of job satisfaction is not job dissatisfaction, but rather no job satisfaction; and
similarly, the opposite of job dissatisfaction is not job satisfaction, but no dissatisfaction”. These findings
according to Robbins and Judge were an indication of an existing dual continuum. McShane and Von
Glinow (2011) point out that according to Herzberg, it is the job characteristics which motivate employees
while the hygiene factors only prevent dissatisfaction, (the motivators and hygiene factors taken together
are the two factor theory of motivation (Luthans, 2011)

5.8 Summary

From the discussion of the quantitative and qualitative analysis above, it can be concluded that, factors
such as; Job security, a good work environment, good and attractive salary, effective performance
appraisal , employee training opportunities, opportunity for advancement, appreciation for work done,
promotions, and good relations with peers, and others motivate and leads to employees satisfaction. Again,
performance determinants such as one’s qualification, experience, working environment, compensation
package, job security et cetera do influence employees’ performance. Therefore, there is relationship
between motivation and performance, and motivation does have effect on employees’ performance. The
next chapter will discuss the recommendations and conclusion of the research.

51
 CHAPTER SIX
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDETIONS
6.1 Introduction
This chapter translates the study findings into conclusions and also the suggested recommendations aimed
at resolving the study problem through striving to meet the set of objectives in relation to the research
questions. Further, it highlights the areas for further studies as a way of extending the research work.
Subsequently, it concludes with the limitations of the study.

6.2 Conclusions
It is worth noting that this study had first endeavored to understand the factors affecting the motivation of
employees at NHA so that appropriate recommendations could be made on specific courses of action to
management at NHA. To achieve this, the researcher had to explore the following research objectives and
came up with the following conclusions.

6.2.1 Determine the factors that affect employee motivation at NHA

The research established that majority of employees (74%) were motivated by job security followed by
‘favourable work environment’ (68%) while 55% said that they were motivated by a good and competitive
salary. This is because the company has experienced labour unrests, work stoppages which have resulted
in some employees been dismissed while others put on forced leave. Therefore, job security is critical to
employees at NHA. Also, with high prices of commodities and high cost of living, and other external
factors such as demand to help extended families, having a job with a good salary will motivate an
employee to work extra hard so as to retain the job and have a constant salary to provide for the family.
The study also discovered that a ‘favourable work environment’ was a major motivation factor. This is
because a good working environment helps an employee to be more creative and dedicated to achieving
the set goals.

High labour turn-over shows that some employees are not motivated working for NHA for a long period
of time at the same time signaling serious challenges between employees, management and labour unions.
This ultimately may affect service delivery to customers and completing projects on time.

6.2.2 To establish if organizational culture influences employee performance at NHA.

The study established that 91% said culture has an influence on the motivation levels and performance of
employees at NHA with 91% of employees confirming. The study also found that the staff at National

52
Housing Authority (NHA) respect each other, honesty was valued and that staff values were in line with
the values of the institution. As Ritchie (2010) observed that organizational culture is a motivational
instrument which promotes the employees to perform smoothly and ensures better productivity which is
the case with NHA employees. Also promoting a culture of recognizing employees with non-monetary
incentives like appreciation of work should be key to senior leadership at NHA and authorities must
continue to use this motivational factor which agrees with Llopis (2012) statement that everyone wants to
be noticed and recognized for their work. Therefore, employees are motivated to achieve to remain
relevant and as such, employees are in search of new ways to learn, improve their skills and invest in
themselves as illustrated in figure 4.3.3.

6.2.3 To assess the effect that motivation has on the performance of employees at NHA.
The study established that motivation has an effect on employee performance at NHA with 89%
confirming so. There was also consensus agreement among the respondents that a well motivation package
has high effects on the performance of employees which also agrees with Maslow (1946) that by
promoting a healthy workforce, providing financial security, providing opportunities to socialize and
recognizing employees’ accomplishments help to satisfy the employees’ physiological needs which in
turn also increase their performance.

The study found that absenteeism, employee productivity and employee turnover are outcomes of
employee motivation. Absenteeism affects employee’s performance in the organization, in that it makes
employees withdraw from the organization, care less and hence low output in their performance which
may be due to job dissatisfaction. These findings agree with Anderson (2004) who also noted that
absenteeism is as a result of job dissatisfaction emanating from other factors such as stressful work
situations. Motivation to attend work is also another contributing factor to absenteeism as noted by Obasan
(2011). According to Vlosky and Aguilar (2009), absenteeism may be too costly to the organization
because it contributes to the ineffectiveness of the organization because of low productivity of the
employees. The study indicated that employee productivity affects employee motivation. This is because
employee motivation leads to increased productivity. These findings agree with Wentzel and Wigfield
(2009) who found out that productivity affects employees’ motivation in terms of business long-run
successes. Productivity increase as organization finds new ways to use fewer resources to produce its
output.

6.3 Recommendations

53
The study has revealed a number of issues which required the researcher to make specific
recommendations to management at NHA and also to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.
6.3.1 At NHA management level
I. With high labour turn-over, NHA management should introduce measures that will enable
employees to stay longer in the organization by instituting confidence among employees that their
jobs are secured and also offering good and competitive salaries. For example, the company can
motivate employees to work longer by recognizing every employee who has worked for more than
five years with awards for long period of service award.
II. With the Zambian economy not performing very well (IMF, 2020), management at NHA should
start diversifying its business operations so as to increase its revenue since at the moment, most
of the building contracts are from the government line ministry. Payments to NHA by
government institutions mostly get delayed thereby affecting the operations of NHA in terms of
paying its employees’ salaries on time.
III. Management at NHA should introduce a deliberate policy where middle managers and supervisors
undergo supervisory trainings at least once in a year. This will enhance the relationship between
employees and management and build transparency especially when it comes to performance
reviews and appraisals.
IV. Furthermore, management at NHA should consider transitioning all employees to be on contracts.
This will help solve the allegations that employees that are on permanent and pensionable are
treated differently from those on contracts when reviewing their performance and renewing
employees’ contracts.

6.3.2 At Local Government and Housing Ministerial level

The ministry should consider giving more authority to NHA board to make business decisions so that it
can compete favourably with other organisations on the market.

6.4 Areas for further Research

I. A cost benefit analysis of transitioning all employees to contracts and how this can affect
employee motivation and performance.
II. The current study examined the factors on motivation and one key factor in the motivation of
employees is leadership and management skills. Further studies are needed to assess how
different leadership approach can enhance employee motivation.

54
III. Future studies should use the current study as part of their literature review and conduct more
research on the issues such as employee retention and effective reward systems and appraisals
for employees.

55
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APPENDINCES

Appendix 1: Informed Consent and Questionnaire

Dear respondent,

The questionnaire presented is purely for academic purposes. It is a requirement for the partial fulfillment
of the award of Master of Business Administration in Management Strategy. Your cooperation will be
highly appreciated.

Section A: Bio Data

Tick the box applicable to you

1. Gender: Male [ ] Female [ ]
2. Your Age:

Below 25 25-35 35-45 45-55 Above 55

years years years years years

3. What is your Educational Level? Masters [ ] Bachelors[ ] Diploma[ ] College Certificate[

] Grade 12[ ] Grade 9[ ] Grade 7[ ]
4. What is your Marital Status? Single[ ] Married[ ] Widow[ ]

Separated [ ] Divorced [ ]

Section B: Length of service at NHA

5. Duration that you have worked in this organization

Less than 1 1-3 years 4-6 years 6-9 years Above 10
year years

6. Salary Range in Kwacha (K)

Below 4,000 4001- 6,000 6001- 8,000 8,001- 10,000 Above

10,001

7. Are you a permanent worker or you are on a contract basis?

Permanent and On Contract
Pensionable

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 8. If your answer to question 7 is contract, how long is the contract?
A. 6 Months ( ) B. 1 Year ( ) C. 3 Years ( )

Section C: Financial /Monetary factors affecting employee’s motivation and performance at

National Housing Authority (NHA)

Note: You will be required to rate the degree of importance of each statement on a five-point Likert-type
scale by ticking the appropriate box (1= strongly disagree, 5= strongly agree)

Key: SD= Strongly Disagree, D= Disagree, N= Neutral, A= Agree, SA= Strongly Agree

S/N Motivation Factor SD D N A SA

(1)
(2) (3) (4) (5)
9 A good and competitive salary
10 Attractive allowances and bonuses
11 Good health benefits and incentives

Section D: Non-Monetary factors affecting employee’s motivation and performance at National

Housing Authority (NHA).

SD D N A SA

S/N Motivation Factor (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

12 A good work environment

13 Job security
14 Opportunities for employee training and skills
development
15 Effective performance appraisal system
16 Frequent promotion prospects motivate me to work
for this organization longer

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 17 I like the nature of my current work/Job
18 I am recognized for good and extra work done
19 My relationship with my peers is good

Note: Q13, Job security here is defined as a state where the employer does not terminate employment
without following clearly documented procedures

Section E

ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE YES NO

People at National Housing Authority (NHA) believe they should do what they are
told.
We are polite to one another as employees on many occasions
Workers feel free to voice innovative suggestions to top management at National
Housing Authority (NHA)
Departmental Heads frequently discuss with the workers their task requirements to
cope well at National Housing Authority (NHA) ‘s objectives.
Management treats employees with respect even in disagreements.
People know what is expected of them and understand their impact on other people,
teams, and functions.
People are flexible and adaptable when changes are necessary.

Section F

Does motivation have an effect on your performance?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

End.

Thank you for your participation

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Appendix 2: Interview Guide

An investigation of factors that affect the motivation of employee’s performance. A case study of National
Housing Authority (NHA)

1. Can you confirm if there have been instances of labour unrest, work stoppages and strikes at NHA?

2. Has there been instances where employees have gone for more than two (2) months without getting
paid?

3. Is the appraisal system the same for employees on contracts and those on permanent?

4. How do you award salary increments at NHA

5. Do you have employees on forced leave, suspension or who have been dismissed due to going on strike.

6. How does culture influence the performance of employees here at National Housing Authority (NHA)?

7. How often do you meet with your employees to discuss different issues that affect their performance?

8. How is work distributed amongst other employees if one employee leaves the job or on leave?

9. Are employees provided with all the information and resources they need to perform their tasks?

10. How do you determine that subordinates accomplish to their tasks in time?

11. How well are employees informed on organizational issues?

12. How do you rate the level of motivation of employees at NHA

66