Investigation of the factors that motivates employees work performance: a study on MBA students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

Business focus over the recent years has revealed a paradigm shift from fixed asset management to intangible asset management, namely the people of the organisation as a valued asset. The literature study was conducted to gain theoretical knowledge of which motivational theories and factors affect employees‘ performance. The key motivational theories reviewed were, Self efficacy, Goal setting and Expectancy theory. The objective of the study was to highlight the impact of motivational factors on employees and the influence it has regarding work performance. The target population for the study was based on the MBA students at the University of Kwazulu-Natal, the study focused on MBA students that were employed in various industry sectors. A quantitative survey was conducted with a focus on correlation analysis to achieve and test the research hypotheses / objectives, questionnaires were used as the medium to collect data. The empirical study involved descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations and skewness), were utilised to describe the data and SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) programme was used to analyse the data. The results of the study provided insight into the motivational factors, such as recognition of skills and ability, feedback from management on tasks completed and setting challenging and demanding tasks for one self, as key instruments that had an impact on motivation. The influence of these motivational factors also revealed a high degree of commitment and willingness of the employees to take on additional tasks and put in additional hours to complete set goals. The study highlighted the relationship between motivation and the influence it has on the employees. Key words: Motivational factors, influence on employees, employee motivation.