Employee Motivation and Organizational Performance in The Public Sector in Kenya: A Case Study of Kenya National Examinations Council
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t7076Abstract
The study examined the influence of employee motivation on organizational performance in the public sector, focusing on the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). The study employed a descriptive design using questionnaires and SPSS analysis to examine how training, rewards, work environment, and work-life balance affect organizational performance among KNEC employees. The findings revealed that three motivational factors—rewards and incentives, employee training and development, and work environment—had significant positive effects on organizational performance, while work-life balance had a weak but negative effect. The regression coefficients showed that rewards and incentives (B = 0.584, p < 0.001) were the strongest predictor of performance, followed by work environment (B = 0.328, p < 0.001) and employee training and development (B = 0.307, p < 0.001), whereas work-life balance had a negative coefficient (B = -0.095, p = 0.039). The overall model indicated a strong relationship (R = 0.876), explaining 76.8 percent of the variance in organizational performance (R² = 0.768, F = 147.131, p < 0.001). The study concluded that equitable and transparent reward systems, continuous training, and a supportive work environment are critical in enhancing productivity and service delivery in public institutions. It recommends that KNEC strengthen motivation strategies by aligning training programs with departmental needs, improving reward fairness and recognition mechanisms, and adopting flexible but performance-conscious work-life policies to sustain institutional efficiency, employee engagement, and organizational excellence.
Keywords: Employee Motivation, Organizational Performance, Public Sector, Kenya, National Examinations Council.
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