Influence of employee participation on performance of Government Healthcare Institutions in Kenya

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of employee participation on performance of the healthcare institutions in Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to: determine the influence of employee consultation on performance of government health care institutions in Kenya; identify the influence of employee delegation on the performance of government health care institutions in Kenya; establish the influence of joint decision making on performance of government healthcare institutions in Kenya; find out the influence of collective bargaining on performance of government healthcare institutions in Kenya and investigate the moderating effect of leadership styles on the relationship between employee participation and performance of government health care institutions in Kenya. The study employed a cross-sectional evaluation survey approach. Quantitative method was used in selection of the respondents and collection of data. A sample size of 384 respondents was picked through clustered sampling. Questionnaires were used to collect data. The data collected was captured in MS Excel and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 24. Linear regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were run to determine the relationship between employee participation and organizational performance. The analyzed data was presented in the form of suitable graphs, tables and charts. Based on the objectives and results of the study, improvement of performance of government healthcare institutions is function of employee consultation, delegation, joint decision making, collective bargaining as well as leadership style. Although the level of significance differs, all the variables have a considerable influence on the performance of government health care institutions in Kenya. Increasing employee participation is a long term process which demands attention from management side and initiative from the employee. The study recommended management to encourage increased level of workers participation in work related decisions and incorporation of employee views in organizational policy to create employee sense of belonging and ownership of the organization, participative management to be redefined and properly applied so that employees’ understanding and perception can be improved. Only with a competent workforce can participation begin to unlock employees’ potential by utilizing their skills and experience to the full, and it is this rather than job satisfaction that will contribute to improved perfor¬mance.