EFFECT OF EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE TOWARDS PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM ON ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Performance Appraisal System (PAS) is a vital tool to measure the work set by any organisation to its employees. It is a component of performance management system, integrating employee participation through work planning, target setting, evaluation feedback and reporting. It serves as basis for an organisation’s future planning and development. In the Ministry of Education, Kenya, most employees seem not to have conceptualized the importance of performance appraisal. Consequently, PAS has not been given the proper attention it requires. This study sought to determine the effects of employee attitude towards performance appraisal system on its implementation in the Ministry of Education in Nairobi City County. Specifically, it sought to determine employee attitude towards feedback management, find out employee attitude towards interpersonal relationships, establish employee attitude towards appraisal training, and examine employee attitude towards organisational support. Analysis was done to determine the effects of the variables on the implementation of performance appraisal system in the Ministry of Education in Nairobi City County. The study adopted the concurrent mixed methods design where quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously. The study population was 255 education staff in the Ministry of Education in Nairobi City County. The researcher used Simple random sampling to select 186 education staff. Eleven (11) directors participated in the study as key informants. Semi-structured questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect data from the respondents. The Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of reliability for the questionnaire was 0.85. Validity of the instruments was ensured through expert review. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis, and presented in frequency tables and percentages. Regression analysis was used to establish the level of prediction of the factors on PAS. Qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The study found that feedback management and interpersonal relationships had significant and positive effect on the implementation of performance appraisal system and that the education staff had a positive attitude towards them. Further, the study found that education staff viewed appraisal training and organisational support negatively. This negatively affected the implementation of performance appraisal system. The predictive coefficient of ‘appraisal training by MoE’ and ‘organisational support by MoE’ for ‘employee attitudes towards the implementation of PAS’ was found to be statistically significant at 5.00% level. The study concluded that the attitude of the education staff had a positive effect on the implementation of performance appraisal system. The study recommended that management at MoE should put in place a robust feedback mechanism to ensure efficient feedback of the appraisal results at the end of every evaluation period, continuous training for staff on the performance appraisal system and improved working conditions and adequate support to enable the employees to develop a positive attitude towards Performance Appraisal System at the Ministry of Education.