Extrinsic and Intrinsic Factors Influencing Employee Motivation: Lessons from AMREF Health Africa in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the factors that influence employee motivation in Kenyan Organizations. The study was guided by the following research questions: (i) what are the extrinsic factors that influence employee motivation in AMREF Health Africa in Kenya? (ii) what intrinsic factors influence employee motivation in AMREF Health Africa in Kenya? A descriptive research design was adopted. Stratified random sampling technique was used to draw a sample size of 96 respondents. The data collection instrument was a structured questionnaire developed by the researchers. A set of descriptive and correlation statistics were adopted for analysis. The study identified several intrinsic factors that influence employee motivation. These included employee achievements, recognition, work itself, responsibility and advancement, salary structure, the level to which the employees feel appreciated, and the employee perception of their jobs among other factors. The study further, established that the intrinsic factors that influence employee motivation include empowerment and autonomy, employees' view of their work, organization trust, skill variety requirements among others. The study recommends that the organization should acknowledge and make use of a proper mix of extrinsic and intrinsic factors in their human resource management practices to ensure that employees are well motivated to perform their tasks. INTRODUCTIONMudor and Tookson (2011) contend that every organization desires to be successful as much as the current environment is very competitive. Organizations irrespective of size and market strive to retain the best employees, acknowledging their important role and influence on organizational effectiveness (Armstrong, 2011). In order to overcome challenges, organizations should create a strong and positive relationship with its employees, direct them towards task fulfilment and ensure they have job satisfaction (Fisher, 2012). In order to achieve their goals and objectives, organizations develop strategies to compete in highly competitive markets and to increase their performance. Nevertheless, just a few organizations consider human capital as being their main asset, capable of leading them to success or if not managed properly can lead to failure of the organization and high staff turnover (Fisher, 2012).According to Ran (2009), employers are faced with the task of motivating employees and creating high job satisfaction among their staff. Developing programs and policies that embrace job satisfaction and serve to motivate employees takes time and money. When the employer understands the benefits of motivation in the workplace, then the investment in employee-related policies can be easily justified. If the employees are not satisfied with their jobs and not motivated to fulfil their tasks and achieve their goals, the organization cannot attain success. People have different needs that are continuously competing with each other and vary with an individual. Each person has a different mixtur...

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Age-Dependent Influence of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations on Construction Worker Performance

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