Nexus between Organizational Culture and Job Performance in the Public Service: A Study of Department of Finance and Economic Planning, Embu County Kenya

Abstract

Most countries are in the process of improving service delivery with a focus on Job Performance. Job Performance is the sum total of employee efforts measured based on organization performance. The Public Service in Kenya is involved in enhancing Job Performance through improving Organizational Culture. The study assessed the relationship between Organizational Culture and Job Performance in Kenya. A descriptive research design was used. The study was conducted at the Department of Finance and Economic Planning, County Government of Embu targeting a sampling frame of 120 employees. A sample size of 92 respondents was obtained from the sampling frame using Yamane formula. Proportionate random sampling was used to identify the targeted respondents. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Data was collected on Demographic Information, Organizational Culture, and Job performance. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze the data. Results were displayed in tables, column charts and pie-charts. The study findings established that Organizational Culture has a both positive significant correlation and relationship with Job Performance. Organizational Culture had a significance value (0.000) that is less than the critical significance value (?) of 0.05. When Organizational Culture is equal to zero, Job Performance is equal to 2.833 units. Subsequently, when one improves Organizational Culture by one unit, there is an increase in Job Performance by 0.334 units. The co-efficient of determination (R2) has a value of 0.186, a discovery that Organizational Culture results to an 18.6% of the deviations in Job Performance. Further the study findings established that there was clear and consistent set of values that govern the operations of the department with 61.6% of the respondents agreeing to that. 60.6% of the respondents agreed that the department had Standard Operating Procedures which were applied in service delivery. There was teamwork and regular training opportunities which were fairly distributed among the staff in the department with 59.6% and 61.6% of the respondents agreeing respectively. There were systems in place for celebrating staff success and achievements with 62.6% of respondents agreeing. Moreover, 60.6% of the respondents were in agreement that the department had a Performance Contracting/Performance Appraisal System with annual appraisal. The study recommends further research on other factors which influences Job Performance but were not part of this study accounting for 81.4% of the variations in Job Performance.