Emotional Exchange on Team Performance in Non-Governmental Agricultural Organizations in Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to establish the influence of emotional exchange on team performance in non-governmental agricultural organizations in Kenya. The study adopted convergent mixed method research design which integrates quantitative and qualitative data and pragmatism philosophy. The target population was NGOs operating in the agricultural sector in Kenya whose list was obtained from NGO Coordination Board. Data was collected using questionnaire as the main tool with interview guide used to triangulate the results from employees in the sector. Results revealed that emotional exchnage in terms of gratitude, empathy, respect, and assertive accounts for 29.2% of team performance in Agricultural NGOs. Emotional exchange has a statisitcally signficant influence on team performance (t = 9.294, p<0.05) which implies that emotional exchange in terms of in gratitude, respect, empathy and assertion towards employees significantly impacts on team performance in the NGOs. As a result, the null hypothesis hypotheses was rejected and inferred that emotional exchange has a statistically significant influence on team performance in non-governmental agricultural organizations. It was thus inferred that emotional exchange (bring in the components of emotional exchange) has a significant influence on team performance in the sector. In lieu of this, it is recommended that the NGOs need to enhance stable emotions that create an environment that fosters productivity, while unstable emotions cause resource-draining effect that weakens employees' ability to remain engaged and innovative (should capture the constructs appropriately.