TEAMWORK AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY OF RAILWAY TRAINING INSTITUTE, NAIROBI

Abstract

Organizations all over the world are faced with stiff competition and therefore strategic avenues have to be reengineered to ensure that they survive. One way of doing this has been to come up with better and more innovative way of using its human resource in a more corporate way, under the initiative of teamwork. Previous research on Teamwork at workplace indicates that it improves both individual and organizational performance in terms of quality of output, promptness in service delivery and increases employees’ level of competence and job satisfaction. The study was designed to determine the contributions made by teamwork in enhancing productivity and commitment among employees at the workplace. Specifically, the study analyzed the way teamwork is being used at Railway Training Institute to improve and enhance students’ performance in National Examinations. The variables that were used for the study-included team based pay, lecturers’ effectiveness and efficiency, their motivation and commitment to work. The study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches in its methodological design. Descriptive technique was used and specifically the study adopted a case study. Methods for data collection were both primary and secondary sources. Inferential statistics, SPSS and Microsoft excel were used in the data analysis. The trend of results collected indicates that teams are key agents in the provision of organizational and individual performance. The study found out that teamwork assist in the faster accomplishment of tasks, improved individual performance, as well as enhancement of effectiveness and efficiency. As a way of deriving optimum benefits from workplace teams, the study recommended all-inclusive trainings to all the staff on team buildings. It was also recommended that the Institute to inculcate teamwork as one of its core values. There is also a need to improve on the communication network since it was discovered that a strong correlation exists between teamwork and the communication infrastructure