Employee Factors influencing Performance in the 21st Century Organizations.

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue III, March 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Employee Factors influencing Performance in the 21st Century Organizations.

Mr. Nyakundi, Abel, B.*, Dr. Munyao, Solomon. M.
School of Leadership, Business and Technology, Pan Africa Christian University, P.O. Box 56875-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
*Corresponding Author

Abstract
Although organizations are started for the purpose of achieving some set targets, their achievement has been one of the major challenges facing 21st century organizations. The result has been the collapse or liquidation of some of these organizations leaving employees jobless. Other than external environmental factors, employee factors are determinants of the extent to which an organization is likely to succeed in their specific mandate. The aim of this desktop research study was therefore to explore how employee factors influence the performance of 21st century organizations. In this regard, the study endeavored to establish how employee behaviors, employee decision-making, employee perceptions, employee motivation, and employee emotional responses contribute to organizational performance. The study employed an exploratory research design while data was collected through review of the existing literature from the global, continental, and local perspectives. The results indicated that, indeed all the five employee factors have a positive and significant influence on the performance of 21st century organizations. It can, therefore, be concluded that employees play a critical role in helping organizations achieve their set objectives and, therefore, the need for employees’ matters to be given priority by their organizational leaders.

Keywords: Organizational Behaviour, Employee Factors, Performance, 21st Century Organizations

Introduction

A return on investment is all that shareholders of organizations are interested in. To establish an organization, there is need for land, capital, entrepreneurship and labour as factors of production to be put together. However, it is felt that labour is one the factors that should be given priority because of its ability to contribute to organizational success. Employees of an organization are a valuable asset that cannot be ignored or carelessly handled. It is for this reason that this study sought to explore whether employee factors affect performance of the 21st century organizations from an organizational behaviour perspective. According to Smith et al (2012), organizational behavior is the field of knowledge concerned with individuals’ behavior and groups in organizational contexts. Further, organizations are designed, structured and function differently due to internal and external environmental influences on their operations. There is therefore a need for leaders to have some understanding of some of the sociological, organizational, political and economical aspects in organizations. On the other hand, Kaifi and Noori (2011) defined organizational behavior as the study of people’s thinking, feeling and acting in and around organizations. It is concerned with employees’ behaviors, decisions, perceptions, motivation and emotional responses.
Organizational behavior and its effects on organizational performance has been researched deeply both in theory and practice in terms of effectiveness and efficiency in the 21st century. Previous researches in the area of organizational behaviour have been motivated by the many performance challenges that have been facing organizations operating in the 21st century (Mutisya, 2010; Tonui, 2010). Organizations comprises of employees who have specific goals and objectives to achieve. They therefore, have to adopt certain common factors which are not necessarily individualistic in order to be able to work together as a team whose efforts are aimed at and focused on common vision and mission. A good understanding of organizational behavior by organizational leaders as a subject, both in theory and practice, will enable them drive the organization to high levels of performance.

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