Influence Of Empowerment Initiatives On Employee Performance Among The Public Sector Corporations: A Case Study Of Kenya Pipeline Corporation

Abstract

The discipline of employee empowerment has gained prominence among the key functions of the human resource management functions in the last decade. Although considered as one of the critical functions of the human resource management, employee empowerment and associated programs has undergone tremendous transformation with both negative and positive outcomes. Employee empowerment programs determines an organization health in terms of success or failure, profitability of loss, growth or stagnation, prosperity or decline, survival or demise and superior performance or inferior performance. Where it has been used correctly, employee empowerment has resulted in growth, competitiveness, survival, developments, profitability, superior performance and business successes. Specifically it has led to increased quality, effectiveness, commitment, innovation and high levels of positive efforts and identification with the organization goals and objectives. Where it is applied haphazardly, employee empowerment has resulted in more dysfunctional circumstances for the organization associated with increased loses, failure, decline, and non-competitiveness and inferior performance. This study sought to examine the influence of empowerment programs on employee performance among public sector corporations in Kenya. The study was conducted at the Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC) limited and concentrated at the corporation’s headquarters situated in Nairobi. The empowerment programs selected for the study comprised of employee participation programs, employee training and development programs, employee reward programs and employee information and communication programs. The study was guided by the following objectives; to determine how employee participation programs influence workforce performance, to examine how employee training programs influence workforce performance, to establish how employee reward and compensation programs influence workforce performance, and to assess how employee information and communication programs influence workforce performance at KPC.