Driving Employee Performance of Public Universities in Nairobi County, Kenya: The Role of Reward Management Systems
https://doi.org/10.56225/finbe.v4i1.462
Keywords:
Reward Management Systems, Employee Performance, Public Universities, KenyaAbstract
This study investigates the role of reward management systems in enhancing employee performance in public universities in Nairobi County, Kenya. Specifically, the study aimed to investigate the impact of reward policies, reward processes, reward structures, and reward categories on employee performance in public universities in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was theoretically informed by equity theory, goal-setting theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and Herzberg's two-factor theory. Using a descriptive research design, the study collected and analyzed data from 150 respondents drawn from the two major public universities in Nairobi County. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that rewarding policies had a significant effect on employee performance in the selected public universities. Further, rewarding processes were found to significantly contribute to employee performance in the public universities. The findings also showed that rewarding structures, including team-based, individual-based, and position-based approaches, had a significant influence on employee performance. Similarly, rewarding categories through intrinsic, extrinsic, and total rewards had a significant influence on employee performance in public universities in Kenya. The study concluded that the ineffective adoption of reward-based management systems resulted in inadequate employee performance at the surveyed universities. It is therefore recommended that the management of public universities, including human resources managers, maintain effective reward management systems as a means of promoting and enhancing employee performance. The findings from this study are instrumental to human resource practitioners, university management, and the academic world.
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