The effect of a company's innovation orientation culture on employee turnover among selected non-governmental organizations in Samburu, Kenya

Julius Lentawa,David Gichuhi,Paul Gesimba

doi:10.20525/ijrbs.v10i7.1388

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of a company's innovation orientation culture on employee turnover among selected non-governmental organizations in Samburu, Kenya. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 78 NGOs operating in Samburu County for the analysis, the study population comprised 11 senior management teams, 14 technical teams and 78 junior staff in 24 selected and active NGOs in Samburu. The analysis gathered both qualitative and quantitative data. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data and an interview guide was used to collect qualitative data. Thematic data analysis was used to interpret qualitative data, which included common terms, phrases, themes, and patterns. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics which includes frequencies, means, and standard deviation. Findings Results showed that innovation orientation is positively correlated with employee turnover (r=0.375, P=0.01). This supports Chow et al’s (2001) study which revealed that innovation orientation as part of an organization's culture has a significant effect on employee turnover. This study also discovered that an innovation orientation culture embedded in an NGO's ideology will help to reduce turnover because workers feel valued when their work is recognized for creativity and innovation.

Highlights

The culture of a company is a collection of ideals, beliefs, and attitudes that its members share (Hakim, 2015)
This study found that innovation orientation culture embedded in the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) philosophy could mitigate turnover because when the NGO recognizes employee creativity and innovation
Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that innovation orientation and employee turnover had a positive and highly important relationship

Summary

Introduction

The culture of a company is a collection of ideals, beliefs, and attitudes that its members share (Hakim, 2015). This study explored organizational culture and employee turnover among selected NGOs in Samburu County in Kenya. Most studies in this areas where conducted in the public sector with only a few studies conducted in private or non-profit organisations. This study could be very useful because it will recognize the different explanations for high employee turnover rates in the NGO sector. Employee turnover exists because workers are a valuable asset to any corporation, sector, or organization. According to the National Council of Non-Governmental Organizations in 2015, Jhpiego had a turnover rate of 28 percent, which was higher than the national average and many NGOs' managers have been forced to post job vacancies on a regular basis as a result of high employee turnover.

Literature Review

Results and Discussions

Conclusions