Financial Rewards, Organizational Justice, and Employee Disengagement: The Roles of Favoritism and Political Interference in a South African Municipality
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22441/jimb.v12i2.40324Kata Kunci:
Employee Engagement, Financial Rewards, Individualism-Collectivism, Perceived Justice, Public SectorAbstrak
Cultural studies lack research on how valuing the individual versus the group affects employees' investment in their work. This research examines how financial rewards affect employee engagement in a government organisation and how the culture's individualistic or collectivistic nature alters that effect. The researcher used standard, face-to-face interviews in which people were free to answer at length. To address the research questions, the interview guide included 20 open-ended questions covering five main areas of thought. The researcher analysed the interview data using a ‘constant comparison’ method and examined the meaning within the responses. The researcher then sorted the data by how the themes were similar and how they differed. The municipality does offer financial bonuses to its staff. However, because of politics, unfairness, a lack of justice, and favouritism, employees feel they are not being paid fairly, which makes them unhappy and distances them from the organisation and their roles. The municipality is neither individualistic nor group-focused. When the balance between valuing the individual and valuing the group is lacking, financial rewards are less effective at increasing employee engagement. This study shows how an organisation operates, and the balance between valuing the individual and the group determines the extent to which financial rewards affect employee engagement.
Unduhan
Referensi
Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 2, 267–299.
Aktar, S., Sachu, M. K., & Ali, E. M. (2012). The impact of rewards on employee performance in commercial banks of Bangladesh: An empirical study. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 6(2), 9–15.
Akuoko, K. O., Kanwetuu, V. D. P., & Dwumah, P. (2014). Effect of reward systems on employees’ behaviour in Obuasi municipality of Ghana. International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research, 3(1), 128–142. http://www.indianresearchjournals.com
Ali, A. J., Fuenzalida, J., Gómez, M., & Williams, M. J. (2021). Four lenses on people management in the public sector: An evidence review and synthesis (BSG Working Paper Series No. 2021-040). https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-06/BSG-WP-2021-040.pdf
Branka, Z. P., & Marija, T. (2021). The influence of the reward system on local government performance: Evidence from the Republic of SRPSKA. Poslovne Studije/Business Studies, 13(25–26), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.7251/POS2126037Z
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Butler, S. S., Brennan-Ing, M., Wardamasky, S., & Ashley, A. (2014). Determinants of longer job tenure among home care aides: What makes some stay on the job while others leave? Journal of Applied Gerontology, 33(2), 164–188. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464813495958
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2017). Have your say: Alternative forms of workplace voice (Positioning Paper). https://www.cipd.org/globalassets/media/knowledge/knowledge-hub/reports/voice-positioning-report_tcm18-27507.pdf
Colquitt, J. A. (2001). On the dimensionality of organisational justice: A construct validation of a measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 386–400.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Crouch, M., & McKenzie, H. (2006). The logic of small samples in interview-based qualitative research. Social Science Information, 45(4), 483–499. https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018406069584
Cullen, Z., & Perez-Truglia, R. (2021). How much does your boss make? The effects of salary comparisons (SSRN Working Paper 3200136). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3200136
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behaviour. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2018). The Sage handbook of qualitative research (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organisational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147–160.
Flare. (2022). The race for talent: How to support employee financial wellbeing. https://flarebenefits.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Flare-How-to-support-employee-financial-wellbeing.pdf
Gbande, R. (2016). Effects of reward system on productivity in the local government system in Benue State. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 7(22), 202–210. http://www.iiste.org
Gelfand, M. J. (2018). Rule makers, rule breakers: How tight and loose cultures wire our world. Scribner.
Gelfand, M. J., Harrington, J. R., & Jackson, J. C. (2022). The strength of social norms across human groups. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(3), 616–637.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine De Gruyter.
Gubler, T., Larkin, I., & Pierce, L. (2013). The dirty laundry of employee award programs: Evidence from the field (Harvard Business School Working Knowledge). https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/the-dirty-laundry-of-employee-award-programs-evidence-from-the-field
Heneman, R. L., & Coye, E. E. (2007). Implementing total reward strategies: A guide to successfully planning and implementing a total reward system. SHRM Foundation.
Herzberg, F. (1954). An analysis of morale survey comments. Personnel Psychology, 7(2), 267–275. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1954.tb01600.x
Herzberg, F. (2005). Motivation-hygiene theory. In J. B. Miner (Ed.), Organisational behaviour 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership (pp. 61–74). M.E. Sharpe.
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's consequences: International differences in work-related values. Sage Publications.
Hoole, C., & Hotz, G. (2016). The impact of a total reward system of work engagement. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 42(1), a1317. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v42i1.1317
House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., & Gupta, V. (2004). Culture, leadership, and organisations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies. Sage Publications.
Hülsheger, U. R., Anderson, N., & Salgado, J. F. (2009). Team-level predictors of innovation at work: A comprehensive meta-analysis spanning three decades of research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(5), 1128–1145. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015978
Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692–724. https://doi.org/10.2307/256287
Kiley, J. (2018). Motivating. In J. W. Strydom (Ed.), Principles of business management (4th ed., pp. 136–155). Oxford University Press Southern Africa.
Landis, J. R., & Koch, G. G. (1977). The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics, 33(1), 159–174. https://doi.org/10.2307/2529310
Langat, I. C. (2021). The influence of reward system on employee performance in the public sector: A case of Nairobi metropolitan services [Master’s research project, Kenyatta University].
Langhneja, M. (2023, September 7). Unveiling employee dissatisfaction: Understanding the reasons and solutions. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/unveiling-employee-dissatisfaction-understanding-mayuri-langhneja/
Lee, H., Choi, Y., & Park, S. (2023). Collectivism, reward for teamwork, and employee engagement: A moderated mediation model. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34(5), 1020–1045.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.
Madhani, P. M. (2020). Effective rewards and recognition strategy: Enhancing employee engagement, customer retention and firm performance. The Journal of Total Rewards, 29(2), 39–48. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3672972
Madumo, O. S. (2023). Collective decision-making: A critical function towards ensuring sustainable development in local government. African Renaissance, 20(4), 313–335. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-aa_afren_v20_n4_a19
Mafini, C., & Dlodlo, N. (2024). The relationship between perceived organisational injustice and work disengagement in South African public sector institutions. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 22, a2156.
Morse, J. M., & Field, P. A. (1998). Nursing research of qualitative approaches. Stanley Thornes.
Mueller, B. (2019). Why public policies fail: Policymaking under complexity. Economia, 21(2), 311–323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econ.2019.11.002
Nel, P. S., Kirsten, M., Erasmus, B. J., Gobind, J., Holtzhausen, M., & Jordaan, B. (2020). South African employment relations: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Van Schaik.
Ngulube, N., & Mtshali, N. G. (2023). Equity, fairness and the erosion of public service motivation: A case of municipal workers in KwaZulu-Natal. African Journal of Governance and Development, 12(1), 225–243.
Omaru, G. (2021, November 15). Are rewards for high performance in the public sector sufficient for continual employee motivation? LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rewards-high-performance-public-sector-sufficient-gabriel/
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
PricewaterhouseCoopers. (2010). Remuneration trends report – Southern Africa. https://www.pwc.co.za/en/assets/pdf/remuneration_trends_report.pdf
Raath, C., & Phillips, M. (2023). Evolving remuneration and reward trends in South Africa. 21st Century. https://www.21century.co.za/evolving-remuneration-and-rewardtrends/
Rickard, C., Reilly, P., & Brown, D. (2016). Applying a reward strategy in local government. Institute for Employment Studies.
Roberts, G. E. (2004). Municipal government benefits practices and personnel outcomes: Results from a national survey. Public Personnel Management, 33(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/009102600403300101
Seid, H. (2019). The effect of total rewards on employee engagement: The moderating role of perceived reward fairness [Master’s thesis, Addis Ababa University].
Sibiya, M. (2023). Favouritism, bias and low employee engagement in South African municipalities. Journal of Local Government Research and Innovation, 4, a79.
Singh, P., Sreehitha, L., Kumar, V., Rajak, B. K., & Sarkar, S. (2024). Profiling employee engagement dimensions and outcomes: A person-centred approach. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-08-2023-0426
Sixpence, S., De Braine, R., Bussin, M., & Mthombeni, M. (2021). Anchoring human resource management to sustain employee performance at Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 19, a1611. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v19i0.1611
South African Local Government Association. (2012). Learning framework for local government. https://www.salga.org.za/Documents/Knowledge%20Hub/Learning%20Framework%20for%20Local%20Government/Learning-Qual-Framework-for-Local-Government.pdf
Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Sage Publications.
Stoeckmann, J. (2010, December 1). Facts and fallacies of total rewards in the public sector. PA Times. https://patimes.org/facts-and-fallacies-of-total-rewards-in-the-public-sector/
Swanepoel, B., Erasmus, B., Schenk, H., & Tshilongamulenzhe, M. C. (2014). South African human resource management: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Juta and Company.
Timmermans, S., & Tavory, I. (2012). Theory construction in qualitative research: From grounded theory to abductive analysis. Sociological Theory, 30(3), 167–186.
Triandis, H. C., & Gelfand, M. J. (1998). Converging measurement of horizontal and vertical individualist and collectivist constructs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(1), 118–128. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.1.118
Triguero-Sánchez, R., Peña-Vinces, J., & Ferreira, J. J. (2022). The effect of collectivism-based organisational culture on employee commitment in public organisations. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 83, 101335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seps.2022.101335
Tsede, O. A., & Kutin, E. (2013). Total reward concept: A key motivational tool for corporate Ghana. Business and Economic Research, 3(2), 173–182.
Werner, A. (2020). Motivation and engagement. In P. Nel & A. Werner (Eds.), Human resource management (11th ed., pp. 403–429). Oxford University Press.
WorldatWork. (2011). Rewards fairness: Perceptions of fairness in compensation and benefits (Survey Report). https://worldatwork.org/media/CDN/dist/CDN2/documents/pdf/resources/research/Reward-Fairness-2011.pdf
Unduhan
Diterbitkan
Cara Mengutip
Terbitan
Bagian
Lisensi

Artikel ini berlisensi Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The copyright of this article was transferred to Universitas Mercu Buana if and when the article was accepted for publication. The undersigned below transfers all and all rights in and to paper including without limitation all copyright to UMB. The undersigned states and guarantees that the paper is genuine and that he is the author of the paper, except material that is clearly identified as the original source, with the notification of the permission of the copyright owner if necessary and has the power and authority to make and carry out this assignment. We state that this paper has not been published in the same form elsewhere.
Furthermore, I / We hereby transfer unlimited publicity rights to the above mentioned papers as a whole to Universitas Mercu Buana. Copyright transfers include the right to reproduce and distribute articles, including reprints, translations, photo reproductions, microforms, electronic forms (offline, online) or other reproductions that have similar properties. The appropriate author signs and accepts the responsibility for releasing this material on behalf of each and all co-authors. This agreement must be signed by at least one of the authors who has obtained approval from the co-author (s) where applicable.
After the submission of this agreement is signed by the appropriate author, changes in authorship or in the order of the registered author will not be accepted. Retained Rights / Provisions and Conditions Although the author is permitted to reuse all or part of the Work in another work, this does not include giving a third party request for reprinting, republishing, or any other type of reuse.








