DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL RELATION AND PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Abstract
This study examines the impact of motivation strategies on employee performance in the Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company located in Ilorin, Nigeria. Motivation plays a crucial role in enhancing employee performance and overall organizational success. Understanding the effectiveness of motivation strategies and their influence on employee performance is essential for organizations seeking to improve their workforce productivity and competitiveness. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data analysis and qualitative insights gathered through surveys and interviews. The study population consists of employees from various departments and hierarchical levels within the Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company. Data on motivation strategies and employee performance indicators are collected and analyzed to identify patterns, correlations, and potential causal relationships. The quantitative analysis explores the relationship between different motivation strategies, such as financial incentives, recognition and rewards, training and development opportunities, and employee performance. Statistical methods, including regression analysis, are employed to examine the strength and significance of these relationships. The qualitative analysis delves into the perspectives and experiences of employees through interviews, providing valuable insights into the subjective aspects of motivation and its impact on performance.
The findings of this study are expected to contribute to both theoretical and practical domains. By identifying the most effective motivation strategies, organizations can optimize their human resource management practices and design tailored programs to enhance employee performance. Additionally, this research can serve as a reference for the Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company and other organizations in the pharmaceutical sector, guiding them in implementing motivational initiatives that lead to improved employee productivity, job satisfaction, and organizational success. The results of this research will provide insights for managerial decision-making, enabling organizations to foster a motivated workforce and sustain their competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving business environment.
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
1.1 Background to the Study
Employee performance is the foundation of an institution for achieving strategic goals and overall success. Employee performance is primarily determined by motivation, which is the inner force navigating a person to act in a particular way. Armstrong (2010) defined motivational strategy as motivation elements which affect employees and is also concerned with the ultimate direction and strength of the resultant behaviour. Armstrong further explained that motivational strategy leads to an increase in productivity but only to a certain level, whereas a further increase in motivation leads to a decrease in productivity. This means that while studying the strategies to motivate employees, managers need to be very precise in order to avoid “motivation” which would result in reduced work output by workers. Armstrong explains motivation as an internal force that gets people to feel the urge to perform their duties. This gives employees a sense of responsibility to perform their assigned responsibilities without being pushed or supervised.
Lack of employee motivation usually manifests itself as poor performance and unpredictable consequences. People are naturally different and have different attitudes and emotions. At the same time, individuals are differently motivated by different things. Ukandu and Ukpere (2011) confirm the importance of motivating employees. They explain that the level of employee performance increases with an increase in motivation due to their resultant commitment to the workplace. Ukandu and Ukpere opine that the coaching and feedback approach is the best form of training as a way of imparting and developing skills in employees. All organizations and businesses want success and want to make constant progress. Today, the competition is extremely competitive, and companies face challenges in retaining employees, regardless of size, technology, or market focus. To overcome these limitations, we need to build and maintain strong and positive relationships and bonds between our employees and their organizations. The people or employees of an organisation are the most important part, so they need to be influenced and confident to perform their tasks. According to Quadra Alkandari (2009), A good employer should know how to attract and retain his employees. There might be many other strategies to keep the employees comfortable in the present job but motivation strategies boost the employees on day to day basis.
Busienei (2017) stated that the way an organization motivates its employees will greatly affect their performance. Most critically, Busienei argues that Human Resource management practices like employee participation and empowerment enhance the performance of employees in an organisation. This is relatively known as the fundamental basis for keeping employees active and competing healthily for higher ranks within an organization. Kipkebut (2010) calls for focusing on aspects affecting employee performance in organisations. Kipkebut noted that private enterprises had superior motivational strategies than public institutions. Employee motivation is defined as the amount of enthusiasm, energy, commitment, and creativity that an employee brings to the organisation on a daily basis. Employee motivation is how employees feel involved and empowered in line with their organization’s goals. There are two types of motivation: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Organizations need to understand that employees are individuals with different characteristics, not clones. Therefore, in order to effectively motivate employees, we need a deeper understanding of the different types and motivational paths. There are two types of motivation:
Intrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivation
1. Intrinsic motivation: Essential motivation means that an individual is internally motivated. The result is consistent with his / her belief system, so he/she has a desire to work well in the workplace. The deeply rooted beliefs of the people are usually the strongest motivational factor. Such people share common characteristics such as acceptance, curiosity, honour, and desire to succeed.
2. Extrinsic motivation: Exogenous motivation means that a person’s motivation is stimulated by external factors, rewards, and cognition. Some people will never be motivated internally, only external motivations will work with them to carry out the task. According to a survey, external rewards can motivate you to acquire new skills. Rewards such as bonuses, perks and prizes can motivate people and provide specific feedback.
According to Munjuri (2011) who studied motivational strategies and their influence on employee performance, there is a need for a close assessment of motivational approaches in different organizations. However, the bulk of these research works are focusing on private enterprises.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The business world is relatively full of competition that is reflected even in the human resource field as the struggle for business organizations to get the best talent. Most Researchers have studied employee motivation over the last decades, their view about motivation is that good wages are a vital motivation strategy thus far. James (2014) cited three warning signs of a demotivated workforce these including poor workplace atmosphere, slipping job standards and decreased productivity. He further stated that if any of these factors is observed to be trending downward then there is a great chance that the organization is dealing with a demotivated workforce. Aguinis (2012) highlighted that some organizations have been known to experience a high staff turnover despite offering above-average salaries. A business organization and its success are directly proportional to it is workforce and its willingness to make things happen in the organization. This research work seeks to identify and proffer answers to the gaps related to motivational strain employee performance using Peace Standard Pharmaceutical company, Ilorin as an identifier of information that will be used to make generalized assumptions about other companies. There is no consistency in the research of previous scholars who have written on motivational strategy.
1.3 Research Objectives
The general aim of the study is to determine the effect of motivational strategies on employee performance in Peace Standard Pharmaceutical company, in Ilorin, Kwara state. The specific aims of the study are to:
- Determine the significant effect of the working environment on job satisfaction
- Determine the influence of employee motivation on organizational productivity.
- Determine the effect of employee relationships with managers on the level of efficiency of the workers.
- Determine the effect of compensation on the level of effectiveness of the workers.
1.4 Research Question
The research seeks to answer the following questions:
- How does the working environment affect job satisfaction at Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company?
- What influence does employee motivation have on organizational productivity in Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company?
- How do employee relationships with managers affect the level of efficiency of the workers at Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company?
- What effect does compensation have on the level of effectiveness of the workers in Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
The following hypotheses were formulated in order to guide this research study,
- Ho1: Working environment does not have a significant effect on Job satisfaction.
- Ho2: Employees’ motivation does not influence the organization’s productivity
- Ho3: Employee relationship with managers does not have an effect on the level of efficiency of workers
1.6 Significance of the Study
The findings of this research are useful to Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company as it would provide more understanding to them about the impact of motivational strategies and how it could affect the level of performance of the employees. The research will show the management of Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company the effect of various motivational strategies on employee performance and the motivational strategy that will be appropriate in the pharmaceutical industry. The research will be beneficial to other pharmaceutical firms and business firms too as it will help them note the appropriate motivational strategies that suit their organization. The study will further show companies in the pharmaceutical sector how motivation can help improve the performance of the organization as a whole. It will further show the relationship between motivation and an increase in productivity levels in the manufacturing sector. Conclusively, this research work will serve as a guide to other researchers willing to write in the area of motivational strategy and Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company.
1.7 Scope of the Study
With Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company as the case study of this research work, this research work is limited to Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company only and its data will be used to generalize answers for other companies in Nigeria. The actual reason for the limited scope of this research is that it is practically impossible to visit all companies in Nigeria for the attainment of a bachelor’s degree. The scope of this research is hereby limited to Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company because of Financial and time constraints.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
This study focuses on the effect of motivational strategies on employee performance at Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company. The employees of the firm (Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Company), Ilorin, Kwara State will be selected for the purpose of this research. This research work will collect data ranging from 2021 and 2022 for its analysis making it less comprehensive enough to make a generalized assumption.
1.9 Definition of Operational Terms
Motivation: Motivation is the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviours, it is what causes you to act, whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge.
Employee Performance: Employee performance is defined as how an employee fulfils their job duties and executes their tasks. It refers to the effectiveness, quality, and efficiency of their performance
Working Environment: The work environment can be described as the environment in which people are working.
Employee Efficiency: refers to the ability of an employee to do what is actually produced or performed with the same consumption of resources
Employee Effectiveness: is a qualitative characteristic that indicates the extent to which job-related issues are addressed and the magnitude at which predetermined goals and objectives are achieved by an employee
Organizational Productivity: A measure of how efficiently and effectively managers use resources to achieve organizational goals.
