Influence of empowerment programs on employee performance among the public sector corporations: A case of Kenya Pipeline Corporation

Abstract

The discipline of employee empowerment has gained prominence among key functions of the human resource management functions in the last decade and has undergone tremendous transformation with both negative and positive outcomes. Empowerment programs determine an organization health in terms of success or failure, profitability or loss, growth or stagnation, survival or demise and superior or inferior performance. Where it has been used correctly, it has resulted in growth, competitiveness, profitability, superior performance, effectiveness, commitment, innovation and high levels of positive efforts and identification with the organization goals and objectives. Where applied haphazardly, it has resulted to increased loses, failure, decline, and non-competitiveness and inferior performance. This study sought to examine the influence of empowerment programs on employee performance among public sector corporations in Kenya. The study was conducted at the Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC) limited and concentrated at the corporation’s headquarters situated in Nairobi. The empowerment programs selected for the study comprised of employee participation programs, employee training and development programs, employee reward programs and employee information and communication programs. The study was guided by the following objectives; to determine how employee participation programs influence workforce performance, to examine how employee training programs influence workforce performance, to establish how employee reward and compensation programs influence workforce performance, and to assess how employee information and communication programs influence workforce performance at KPC. The study adopted descriptive design approach to research. The target population for the study was two hundred and forty nine (249) employees of KPC stationed at the headquarters. The sample size for the study was seventy four (74) employees. Simple random sampling and stratified random sampling techniques were used in sampling its population. Data obtained was from secondary and primary sources. The instruments used in the collection of data comprised of interviews, questionnaires and observation for primary data and scrutiny of existing records for the secondary data. The data obtained was analysed through the application of descriptive statistics tools with the outcomes presented using tables and values indicated in percentages. It was established that KPC mostly uses partial participation program (54.7%) and this had general negative influences on employee performance (49.1%). The partial participation program contributed to decrease in employee performance (52.8%) and it influenced the performance in more dysfunctional ways (71.7%). KPC mostly uses tactical training system that is rigid and periodic in nature (50.9%) and resulted in negative influences on the employees’ performance (45.3%). Tactical training used at the KPC contributed to decrease in performance (60%). KPC mostly uses the all financial reward system (52.8%), the reward program had negative influences on the employees’ performance (50.9%) and that it contributed to reduced success in employees’ performance (50%). KPC mostly uses the closed (one way) communication program (60%) and the program had negative influences on the employees’ performance (50.9%). The current empowerment programs being practiced at the Kenya pipeline corporation has had negative influences on employee performance. The Training program had most influences on employee performance, followed by reward, participation with the program of communication having least influences. The study recommends that further research be conducted on the effects of strategy training and development programs on employee productivity among the public corporation in Kenya