DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2158214/v1
The aim of the study was to examine the mediating effect of job satisfaction on the link between employees’ motivation and job performance. Stratified sampling in conjunction with simple random sampling techniques was employed to draw respondents from Tikur Anebessa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Data processing used descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression with the help of SPSS and Amos 23 software. The result of the study found that the entire independent variables and mediator had positive relation and significant effect (i.e. explained by 53.4%) on job performance. The mediating variable (job satisfaction) has shown partially mediated the independent (employees’ motivation) and dependent variable (job performance). It is therefore recommended that motivation and job satisfaction should be taken into consideration to enhance employee job performance.
Human resources (employees) are the most aspects of an organization and the quality and effectiveness of organization is determined by the quality of the people (Kehman, 2016).
Strategies such as salary increase, promotion, job satisfaction and improvement in work environment have been deployed by organization in an attempt to motivate their employees to achieve job performance (Abioro, 2013).
Thus, understanding relationship between the organization and its employees is the key to improve the organization‘s performance in achieving its strategic plan through employee job performance human resource management (HRM) practices, therefore, aim to achieve two sets of objectives: improve employee performance and enhance organizational effectiveness (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014).
Keeping employees motivated is the greatest challenge with which many organizations are facing. According to George & Jones (2013) posited that increase in salaries alone is not enough; rather other motivational factors must be considered for improving employees’ job performance.
The level of job satisfaction is affected by intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors, the quality of supervision, social relationships with the work group and the degree to which individuals succeed or fail in their work. Key factors affecting job satisfaction were career opportunities; job influence, teamwork and job challenge (Armstrong & Taylor 2014).
Employee motivation was the biggest driver of their performance. Organization that was able to motivate its employees and maintain it would be able to leverage their powerful interest and drive in order to ensure staff job performance (Osabiya, 2015). Job satisfaction has strong and positive relationship with employee job performance. Satisfied employee has less absenteeism in work, less turnover from the company. At the same time, factors that mostly satisfy employee in organization are reward and promotion. Therefore, satisfied employees have highly commitment to the organization than dis-satisfied one (Miah, 2018).
Different scholars argued on which factor enhances motivation; for instance, Herzberg (1987) motivation can be enhanced by using non-financial incentives. However, Ekundya & Babaloa (2018) came up with both financial and non-financial incentives. According to Kehman (2016) team work, relationship at work, compensation and benefit package, working environment, career development and job satisfaction have its own effect on employees’ motivation.
The study conducted by Kehman (2016) tested and proved that motivation, satisfaction, skill and reward have significant positive effect on employees’ job performance. Elvina & Chao (2019) argued that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation has a positive and significant effect for employee job performance.
This aim of this research was to examine the above arguments and uncover the mediating effect of job satisfaction on the link between employees’ motivation and job performance at Tikur Anebessa Hospital.
On the basis of the above, the following hypotheses have been developed:
Hypothesis \({H}_{1}\): Intrinsic motivational factors have a positive effect on job performance;
Hypothesis \({H}_{2}\): Extrinsic motivational factors have a positive effect on job performance;
Hypothesis \({H}_{3}\): Job satisfaction will have a significant mediating effect on the link between employee motivation and job performance.
It can be displayed in Fig. 1 below the independent variables, namely, employee motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) factors and dependent variable is job performance with the mediating variable of job satisfaction.
Stratified sampling in conjunction with simple random sampling techniques was employed to draw respondents from Tikur Anebessa Hospital. Healthcare professional was involved for the study. The target population was first separated into mutually exclusive, homogeneous segments (strata), and then simple random sampling technique was used to select respondents from each segment (stratum). The size of the sample drawn from each stratum is proportional to the relative size of that stratum in the target population. Data was then collected using questionnaire.
For data analysis descriptive, correlation and multiple regressions analysis were employed. Correlation analysis was used to quantify the degree to which variables are related. The multiple linear Regression analysis was used to identify the impact of a unit change in an independent variable on the dependent variable (Creswell, 2016).
The overall mean of intrinsic motivational factors is 2.86. The provision of intrinsic factors for employee related to wellbeing, relationship, autonomy and recognitions at the Hospital is not satisfactory.
The overall mean of extrinsic motivational factor is 2.28. The provision of extrinsic factors for employee related to composition/pay, work environment, training and fringe benefits at the research site is very weak.
The overall mean of job satisfaction (mediating variable) is 2.60. This result shows it is still low level of satisfaction.
The overall mean of job performance is 3.36. This result shows that there is good job performance of employees on average even if they are not satisfied by the provision of motivational factors. One can understand that whenever there is more provision of motivational practices the tendency of realizing improvement in job performance is very important lesson for practitioners.
Intrinsic motivational factors, extrinsic motivational factors and job satisfaction (mediator) have a substantial association with employee job performance at a correlation result of 0.661, 0.635 and 0.691 respectively. And intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors also have very strong association with job satisfaction at a correlation result of 0.761 and 0.787 respectively.
The overall effect of the two independent variables such intrinsic & extrinsic variable and mediator (job satisfaction) is 53.4% (R2 = 0.534) of the dependent variable (employees’ job performance). This suggests that 53.4% of employees’ job performance level in the hospital clearly depends on the independent variables and mediator while the remaining 46.6% is determined by other unaccounted factors in this study.
The result F = 75.72 which is greater than 1 and P < 0.05 we can conclude that the combination of factor have positive effect on employees’ job performance which is statistically significant and confident at 95% level of significance. However, to determine the individual level hypothesis, it is better to use either t-test or p-value to reject or failed to reject the null hypothesis
It is clear that the overall standard multiple regression model is significant in predicting how intrinsic, extrinsic and satisfaction determine employees’ job performance of the hospital. The regression model obtained a high degree of fit as shown by R-square of 0.534 (F = 75.720; P = 0.000 < 0.05).
To examine the hypotheses developed, the t-test values of all independent and mediator variables are above two. Accordingly, for a variable that has t-test value of two and above is capable enough to accept the alternative hypothesis under rule of the thump. Hence, all the null hypotheses have been accepted. With regard to their level of contribution for the employees’ job performance, the higher their un-standardized coefficients beta value have the higher contribution for the impact of employees’ job performance.
Accordingly, Intrinsic motivational factors (Beta = 0.380) make the strongest unique contribution compare to extrinsic to explaining the dependent variable. The results revealed that, a one unit increase or positive change in intrinsic motivation system would lead to a 0.380 unit increase the level of employees’ job performance and extrinsic motivational factors with a beta value of 0.286.
Job satisfaction (mediator) also have contribution of B = 0.406. When we see the statistical significance of each variable from the above coefficients table, intrinsic (Sig. = .000), extrinsic (Sig. = .018), and satisfaction (Sig. = .001) have a statistically significant contribution (Sig < .05) for the prediction of the dependent variable.
Hence, there was positive and significant effect of intrinsic motivational factors on employees’ job performance (β = 0.380; t = 3.864; P < 0.05). There was positive and significant effect of extrinsic motivational factors on employees’ job performance (β = 0.286; t = 2.376; P < 0.05). Similarly, there was positive and significant effect of job satisfaction (mediator) on employees’ job performance (β = 0.406; t = 3.480; P < 0.05). Therefore, null hypothesis (H01) intrinsic motivational factors will have a negative impact on job performance and alternative hypothesis (H02) extrinsic motivational factors will have a positive impact on job performance is accepted.
The finding shows both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors have positive and significant effect on job performance while intrinsic motivational factors have strong effect. The result agree with Nwannebulfe (2017) and Elvina, & Chao, (2019) arguments that both employee intrinsic motivational factors and extrinsic motivational factors have significant effect on productivity while the result not have agreement with effect size their statistical test concluded that extrinsic factors are more statistically significant. However, According to Ekundayo and Babalola, (2018) employee should motivated some by financial incentive others may be by non-financial incentive. They argue that apiece of amount on normal wage or salary rate of additional payment of both financial and non-financial pave ways to motivate more which indirectly increase job performance.
The results of the standard multiple regression analysis indicate that when the two independent variables and one mediator variable are combined together, have positive and significant effect on Employees’ job performance of the hospital. The results are compatible with the arguments of Ali, et al. (2016) and Kumari, (2016) highlighted that top management should engage in employee motivation, and satisfaction that pave ways the strong support in the successful accomplishment of any activity which favorably enhances employees’ performance. The result also agrees with the argument of Khosorowshahi and Nejad (2014) the relationship between motivation, job satisfaction, and performances that have significant and correlated with one another.
The motivational factors are not handled in the manner that enhances employees’ job performance. That means there are still limitations in implementing these practices for triggering both employees and organizational performance. However the job performance of employees is not bad, the hospital still not utilize the full potentials of its human resources due to the limitations in implementing the human resource management practices properly. Job performance is significantly influenced by the job motivation of the staffs.
Moreover, there is also more magnitude a positive and significant effect adding mediator variable job satisfaction between the dependent and independent variables. Based on the result it can be inferred that there is promising chance to alleviate the current employees’ job performance via creating bundles of motivational stimulus.
This study examined the mediating effect of job satisfaction on the link between employees’ motivation and job performance with limited variables at Tikur Anebessa Hospital. Similar studies should be conducted by including other factors with more cases.
Not yet used any abbreviations in the manuscript.
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Availability of data and materials
The data on which the conclusions of the manuscript rely is attached as supplementary material.
Competing interests
I declare that there are no financial and non-financial competing interests.
Funding
No one is supporting me financially to conduct this research.
Authors' contributions
I am a solo researcher and corresponding author