The Influence of Perception in the Relationship Between Job Enrichment and Employee Commitment at Kenya Law Reform Commission

Abstract

The study aimed at investigating the influence of perception in the relationship between job enrichment and employee commitment at Kenya Law Reform Commission. Job enrichment is a HR practices which involve vertical expansion of job duties and responsibilities by modifying the job contents to make them more difficult and interesting. It increases job satisfaction and motivation potential in a job which results in enhancing performance through employee commitment. Organization cannot achieve its goals or mandate unless its workforce is committed. Therefore, employee commitment plays a central role in productivity as it enables employees to be to be fully engagement and bounded emotionally to achieve a certain goals or course of actions. Enriched jobs enhances employee’s job commitments, however, this relationship can be negatively affected by perception. Negative perceptions in the organization adversely impact on productivity. For positive employee’s perceptions, distributive justice & procedural justice are supposed to be perceived as fair and just. This research was anchored on two theories namely; the Job Characteristic Theory and Allen Three- Components Theory. The researcher employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. Primary data was obtained by means of structured questionnaires customized from past related guides such as TCM Survey guide, ( 2004) , work design questionnaires (2006) and (1975) job diagnostic survey. The collected primary data was organized, coded and analyzed with help of SPSS software. A test of Cronbach alpha coefficient was taken to ascertain reliability of the data collection instrument which found the instrument reliable. The target population was purposefully sampled to select employees who will give relevant information for the study. Duly filled questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS version 22. A linear regression model; descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were undertaken to analyze data. The study revealed that Job enrichment interventions had been undertaken in the organization to increase employee motivation and address staffing gaps. The study revealed a positive correlation between job enrichment & employee commitment however this relationship was negatively affected by perception. From the data analysis and findings it was clear that employees at KLRC had low commitment levels despite job enrichment interventions being undertaken. This low commitment was as a result of negative employee perception. The study recommended that for effective job enrichment interventions all the five core job characteristic of the Job characteristic theory to be modified and companies. To manage perception there should be procedural justice and distributive justice in their organizations. Succession management plans should be enhanced and employees compensated according to their contributions or value to the organization