THE ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN ENHANCING JOB PRODUCTIVITY IN ORGANISATIONS IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF GENERAL HOSPITAL OWERRI IMO STATE)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

One of the major problems confronting management today is that of motivating to perform assigned task to meet or surpasses predetermined standard. Motivation is that energizing forces that induces or compels and maintains behaviour. Human behaviour is motivated it is goals directed.

It is not easy to motivate an individual, for the success of any motivational effort depends on the extent of which the motivator meets the needs of the individual employees for whom it is intended. Motivation is an internal psychological process whose presence or absence is intended from observed performance.

In Nigeria today, lack of proper managerial knowledge, economic depression and high rate of unemployment have made most workers subjected to themselves, to deplorable working conditions, which of course are the catalyst of low performance.

The management of most organization tends to believe that workers are satisfied with their job but unfortunately they are not.

The disadvantage of these to the employers that workers will not put in their best and the result will be low performance.

Managers in most of the organization are aware of the situation in the labour market, and as such went to capitalize on that to subject workers to deplorable working condition. It is when one is satisfied both physically and psychologically that such a person can perform his best. Therefore, intimidating workers or threatening to sack can only worsen the situation. But cannot solve it.

Job satisfaction presupposes going to work and getting believed of work done. In Nigeria, most at times, the pay given to a worker is not commensurable to the type of work done. This is the reason why sometimes efficient and experience worker leave an organization for another organization that pay more or stay in the organization and perform below expectation.

Job dissatisfaction is quite prevalent in most organization. low performance which comes as a result of job dissatisfaction is always the basis for conflict between organization and workers. Managers always blame the workers for not putting in their best, and on side of the workers they blame management for not providing or creating an enabling environment as in motivation. Whoever may be guilty, the bottom line is satisfying the objective of the organization, which of course is to make enough profit to keep the organization moving.

To meet the above object there need for both the management and employee to reach a consensus, the management meeting the desires of the workers and in turn the employees putting in their best in terms of performance. The workers need security of all types; physical, psychological and economic are important for effective and efficient performance.

Security can serve as an incentive to some individual to remain with the organization and to put in maximum effort in performance. 

STATEMENT OF THE GENERAL PROBLEM

Organization exists for the purpose of rendering some services. For the organization to meet its objectives, people are employed in the organization in order to help the organization meet its objectives. Thus, in order to ensure that people employed in the organization perform optimally towards the realization of organizational goals, they need to be motivated to work.

Motivating people to work entails meeting their needs. There is a great controversy over the issue of motivating people.

Some people are of the view that such extrinsic factors like money, praise, and quality of supervision and Health centers’s policy can motivate people to work, while others are of the view that such extrinsic factors like advancement quality of the job done by person, recognition and growth can motivate workers to productivity.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The major aim of the study is to examine the role of motivation in enhancing job productivity in organizations in Nigeria. Other specific objectives of the study include;

1. To examine the factors which motivate employees to perform in the organization
2. To look at various techniques of motivating people to performance in the organization,
3. To ascertain the effect of motivation on workers productivity.
4. To identify the problems associated with the motivation of workers in the organization.
5. To suggest the solutions to such problems, if any.
6. Finally, to improve people’s knowledge in this area of organizational behaviour.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the factors which motivate employees to perform in the organization?
2. What are the various techniques of motivating people to performance in the organization?
3. What is the effect of motivation on workers productivity?
4. What are the problems associated with the motivation of workers in the organization?
5. What are the solutions to such problems, if any?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will educate the management of the organization (especially the organization under study, general hospital Owerri) on how to motivate their workers to productivity.

The findings of this study will generate people’s interest in researching into other areas of motivation in the organization will enrich the literature on motivation as a phenomenon.

Finally, the study hopes to enrich people’s knowledge in this area of organizational behaviour and management of people in the organization.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study is restricted to the role of motivation in enhancing job productivity in organizations in Nigeria using the general hospital Owerri,Imo state as the case study

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms were defined as used in this study:

Productivity: Is the ratio of output or production capacity of the workers in an organization. It is the relationship between the amount of one or more inputs and the amount of outputs from a clearly identified process.

Employees: These are the workers in an organization, working for the accomplishment of the organizational goals. In this study, the employees are those staffs of the organization, PHCN.

Motivation: Motivation is a decision-making process, through which the individual chooses the desired outcomes and sets in motion the behaviour appropriate to them".

Adequate Motivation:  These are factors (familiarity, concern and driving force), which exist or are provided in a work situation either physically or psychologically which determine the input and productivity level of the worker.

Consideration: Consideration or Concern refers to a situation where both their colleagues and managers treat staffs with understanding. In this case, there is both a personal and human touch in dealing with workers.

Morale: Moral refers to staff emotional and mental level of zeal.