19047972

Component B
Sakshi Ranbahat
Research Method for Business
(UMCD18-15-2)
Module teacher :Adersh Joshi
Word Count:

[Employee motivation and its effects on their performance in private schools of Kathmandu
Valley]

1
Abstract

The following research paper is aimed to investigate the motivational factors that affect an
employee’s performance in private schools of Kathmandu valley. Relevant literature from
different theorists on motivation is drawn into review. The methodology consists of research
paradigms, methods, analysis, limitations considerations and time frame too.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 3
Introduction 3
Aims and Objectives 3

Chapter 2 3-4
Literature review 3-4

Chapter 3 5-9
Methodology 5
Research Design 5-6
Sampling 6-7

Tools and techniques for Data collection 7

Data Analysis and interpretation 8
Ethical consideration 8
Limitations 9
Research Timeframe 9

References 10-12

Appendix 13-17

2
Introduction

In order to survive in the fast changing global environment, any business or organization must
be able to adapt to changes. According to Singh and Tiwari (2011), one of the major
challenges faced by businesses today is to cope with employee turnover which is highly
affected by motivational factors. Motivation is widely researched in today’s context because a
company’s’ success relies on how committed and motivated their employees are as it is the
driving factor for creativity, enthusiasm, productivity, energy levels and so on (Varma, 2017).
There are several types of motivation but the essence of it is that in any best execution of a
task or a job, motivation is the urging factor and is part of the management process. (Jain,
Gupta and Bindal, 2019).

Aims and Objectives (75)

This study is conducted to investigate the condition of employee’s motivation in private schools
of Kathmandu and reasoning it to why their performance is related or affected due to
motivation. The analysis after the research will explore factors that affect their current
motivation with reasonable suggestions. It will also help in learning the level of job satisfaction
of employees in private schools, whether these employees are facilitated with everything they
need to stay motivated and how it affects the overall performance of the organization.

Literature review (500)

The most significant theories on motivation emerged in the mid-20 th century which were
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1946) and Herzberg’s two factor motivation (1968). It is still
extensively used till this date and in the latter years, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation was also
discovered (Staw, 1976). Maslow’s theory of motivation consists of 5 types of needs:
‘Physiological, Safety, Love/Belongingness, Self-esteem and Self-actualization’ which has
been criticized or even controversial since scholars argue it to be culture centered but it is also
widely accepted and used as a theoretical framework in many fields and many countries
(Yang, 2003) (Sharts,1986). Maslow argues that if one of these basic 5 needs in his theory is

3
satisfactory to a person starting from physiological needs, it has an influence on their
motivation or attitude (Taormina and Gao, 2013). The two factor theory by Herzberg is closely
related to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs but two-factor theory added more needs that
contributes towards employee motivation (Tan, 2013). Herzberg argued that ‘hygiene’ factors
or factors like physiological needs is only a preventive of feeling dissatisfaction whereas in
order to help an employee feel motivated there must be ‘motivating’ factors (Nduka, 2016). He
highlighted that these two factors; hygiene and motivation can never be factors that can be felt
at the same time. When extrinsic or hygiene factors are met for an employee, it only creates a
comfortable space in the workplace and doesn’t necessarily mean the employee is motivated
however supply of intrinsic or motivational factors can boost an employee’s motivation to
perform better (Robbins, 2009). Another theory known as Learned Needs Theory suggests
that we have a dominating motivator that drives motivation according to ones characteristics.
This could be need for power/need for affiliation/need for achievement and factors such as
culture or life experience play a great role in determining our dominant motivator (McClelland,
2016).

All the theorists on motivation including Maslow, Herzberg, McClelland and many more have
suggested many ways for managers to help employees feel motivated so that they can reach
their maximum potential. Things like positive workspace, recognition of work, creating
opportunities and financial security which fulfill the basic as well as intrinsic needs of an
employee can boost their performance (Boamah, 2014). According to Locke (1968), goal
setting theory is the most simple and least expensive motivational technique which skips
straight to self-esteem, actualization rather than hygiene factors. It suggest that despite the
goal/task being difficult, if it is specific and achievable with the right feedback at the end of the
goal accomplishment, it can grow an individual’s performance with intrinsic motivation (Tosi,
Locke and Latham, 1991). The conceptual framework of motivation and performance has an
underlying relationship that is influenced by either intrinsic or extrinsic factors. These factors
may be wages, responsibilities, nature of work, workplace conditions, relationship between
colleagues, promotions, appreciation etc. Some other dynamic factors that have varying
effects on employees motivation and performance levels are advancing opportunities,

4
benefiting and paid training programs, improvement in better working conditions(physical) and
so on (Peters, Chakraborty, Mahapatra and Steinhardt, 2010). (see appendix for conceptual
framework)

Methodology

Methodology being a tool of logic, can be defined as theoretical, systematic and scientific
analysis of the method used to conduct the study that also ensures validity and reliability of the
research. It consists of theoretical models, paradigms, phases along with the types of methods
(Irny and Rose, 2005). As method is usually set out to provide solutions, methodology
reinforces why those methods are the best practices in a particular case (Igwenagu, 2016).
The philosophical foundation of research is divided into two parts: epistemology and ontology.
The kind of questions and interactions that shape the reality with posing ‘what is’ in context of
nature and existence is called Ontology, the science of being. Epistemology rather deals with
‘what is known and how is it known’ and these questions are more probing to limits and nature
of human knowledge (Rehman and Alharthi, 2016). Aware of ontological and epistemological
beliefs, three major paradigms used in research are positivism, post-positivism and
pragmatism (Masadeh, 2012). This approach from an ontological perspective suggests that the
existing reality is shaped by historical realism and factors that interact with the social system
such as culture, economy, politics, gender etc. The epistemological perspective helps
researchers part from presumptions so that it doesn’t lead to biases, prejudices and non-
observable aspects of participants are also tried to study.

Research design

This research will incorporate quantitative research method as this type of method assures
reliability. It is usually based on logic, deduction, acceptance of theories and testing them in
the particular study (Apuke, 2017).

Quantitative research methods have been considered to be widely dominating (Tashakkori and
Teddlie, 2003). The quantitative data collection framework is more of a rigid style of
categorizing and producing responses to the questions. It is highly structured and systematic
and consists of self-completion surveys, observations, interview surveys etc. The analytical

5
objectives is quantifying variation, predicting underlying relationships, describing
characteristics of the population with open and close ended questioning format. This study is
focused to make statistical assumptions and conditions and is stable from the beginning to the
end. Each data-gathering method has its own distinct advantages as well as
disadvantages” (McClelland, 1994). And similarly, quantitative methods also have some
drawbacks as it can be very time consuming, it can be challenging to get participation of such
a large population which is hard to generalize and it also gets difficult to concise and precise to
conclusions. Since it has a rigid format, it can be difficult for participants to have flexibility in
their response choice (Almeida, Faria and Queirós, 2017). This method was considered to be
more reliable and analytical as it uses statistical tools in comparison to qualitative method.
Another big factor was the qualitative method required in depth interviews consisting of
situational and behavioral analysis, group divisions and human observation which is not
possible during these times (COVID-19).

Sampling

The unit of analysis in this study are the employees/staff at the private schools in Kathmandu.
In sampling, we will only use 4 different schools out of all schools. The respective schools are:
Janamaitri School, Gyankunj School, Richmond Academy and Gyanodaya School. The
employees in the school are included from all departments, from junior staffs to faculty
members. In the sampling method, this research will use probability sampling as this technique
ensures simplification and diminishes possible biasness. Within probability sampling, the study
will use simple random sampling in the process of data collection.

According to schools, Janamaitri has 60 employees, Guankunj School has 190 employees,
Richmond has 75 and 98 employees at Gyanodaya School. This gives the total population that
shall be used in the technique which is 423 in total. Simple random sampling will be done from
the total population so that it is purely random. A formula developed by (Taro,1967) will be
used in this study.

The formula is given below:

n= N/ (1+ {N (e) ^2})

By considering the 95 percent confident interval, the value of e is 0.05.

6
Where, e= margin of error

N=Population size (423)

n=sample size

By using the formula, we get n= 423/ (1 + {423 (0.05) ^2})

n = 423/ (1 + 1.375)

n = 423/ 2.375

n = 178.11

Tools and Techniques for Data collection

For data collection, this study will use primary data. A questionnaire will be developed which
will be uploaded on a web page Google docs, for the participants to access due to the
pandemic. The first part of the questionnaire will consist of general purpose of the study to help
participants know what the questionnaire will be about. The second part of the question will
consist of questions that lets the research know the demographic of the participants such as
age, gender, qualification etc. The third part of the questionnaire will be close ended questions
with a fixed set of responses available. Finally the last part of the survey will have open-ended
questions where participants don’t have any constraint factors and they can answer in their
own words. The open and close ended questions will help determine the objectives of the
study such as: motivating factors, whether its intrinsic extrinsic etc.

Reliability and Validity

To ensure the reliability of data, the measurement will done using test-retest reliability with the
help of SPSS software. If the score is above 80%, then the data is reliable and if not above 80,
the data won’t be valid. To measure the degree of validity in this research, the study will use
construct validity which will explore existing ideas and hypothesis done by scholars to test the
conformity of the questions towards objectives (Satya and Roopa, 2012).

7
Data Analysis and Interpretation

The data collected from the sample will now be encoded into Statistical Package of Social
Science (SPSS). This study will incorporate inferential analysis. Before conducting the
analysis, this study will also determine the nature of this data by running a normality test in the
software. This normality test will further determine if this study will use parametric or non-
parametric test. If the data tests out to be normal, it will proceed to using parametric test and if
this data is not normal, then it will route to using non-parametric. In a scenario where the data
is normal and uses the parametric tests, then the software will run multiple regressions.

Ethical consideration

It is greatly valued to embrace ethics in academic writing or research. It is important as it

ensures that nothing fabricated, false or uninformed consent was used in the study. The
participants in this research will use Google docs to fill the questionnaire which will ensure
individuality and confidentiality. A page of consent will be uploaded for the respondents to
agree/disagree before the questionnaire. Keeping ethics in mind, the research ensures many
ways to avoid biasness and any prejudices. The questionnaire is developed in a Likert format
and will avoid imposing any presumptions from the researcher’s point of view. The open ended
questions are set in a manner to gain an honest opinion from the participants. The name of
these participants will stay anonymous. The findings from data collection will purely be their
responses without changing or adding anything.

8
Limitations

There were a few restrictions that was faced during this study. Firstly, only the schools near
the researcher were included during sampling and that might overly generalize the schools in a
certain area rather than whole Kathmandu. This was due to COVID-19 and travelling a long
distance wasn’t possible. Again due to COVID-19 pandemic, we would have to set up a web
page for our questionnaire rather than face-to-face survey or interview which might limit how
effective the process could have been. Thirdly, research team couldn’t physically observe
participants or the technological aspect while conducting the research.

Research Timeframe

For this research, the first week was used to decide on the topic and introduction. The
following three weeks were spent doing literature review. The 5 th week was allocated for aims
and objectives of the research. The following 3 weeks after that were dedicated to data
collection. 9th and 10th week was for analysis ad interpretation. 11 th week was for limitations
and ethical considerations whereas the final week was set aside for summary.

9
Bibliography

 Akaranga, S. and Makau, B. (2016) Ethical Considerations and their Applications to

Research: a Case of the University of Nairobi. Journal of Educational Policy and
Entrepreneurial Research, 3(12 ) pp.1-9.
 Almeida, F., Faria, D. and Queirós, A. (2017) Strengths and Limitations of Qualitative
and Quantitative Research Methods. European Journal of Education Studies, 3(9)
pp.369-386.
 Apuke, O. (2017) Quantitative Research Methods : A Synopsis Approach. Kuwait
Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 6(11) pp.40-47.
 Boamah, R. (2014) THE EFFECT OF MOTIVATION ON EMPLOYEES’
PERFORMANCE: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM THE BRONG AHAFO EDUCATION
DIRECTORATE. Department of Managerial Science, [Online] pp.26-33. Available fromt:
http://ir.knust.edu.gh/bitstream/123456789/7567/1/Boamah%20Richard.pdf [Accessed
27 January 2021].
 Irny, S. and Rose, A. (2004) Designing a Strategic Information Systems Planning
Methodology for Malaysian Institutes of Higher Learning. Issues in Information System,
6(1).
 Igwenagu, C. (2016) Fundamentals of research methodology and data
collection. Lambert Academic Publishing, 13(3) pp.1-47.
 Jain, D., Gupta, D. and Bindal, D. (2019) A Study of Employee Motivation in
Organization. International Journal of Engineering and Management Research, 9(06)
pp.65-68.
 Locke, E. (1968) Toward a theory of task motivation and incentives. Organizational
Behavior and Human Performance, 4(4) pp.157-189.

10
 Masadeh, M. (2012) Linking Philosophy, Methodology, and Methods: Toward Mixed
Model Design in the Hospitality Industry. European Journal of Social Sciences, 28(1)
pp.128-137.
 McClelland, P. (2016) The Achieving Society. Pickle Partners Publishing.
 Nduka, O. (2016) EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND PERFORMANCE. CENTRIA
UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES, [Online] pp.1-26. Available from:
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/80992496.pdf [Accessed 27 January 2021].
 Peters, D., Chakraborty, S., Mahapatra, P. and Steinhardt, L. (2010) Job satisfaction
and motivation of health workers in public and private sectors: cross-sectional analysis
from two Indian states. Human Resources for Health, 8(1).
 Rehman, A. and Alharthi, K. (2016) An introduction to research paradigm. International
Journal of Educational Investigations, 3(8) pp.51-59.
 Robbins, S. and Judge, T. (2009) Organizational behavior. 13th (ed). Pearson Higher
Education.
 Satya, R. and Roopa, S. (2012) Questionnaire Designing for a Survey. The Journal of
Indian Orthodontic Society, 46(4) pp.37-41.
 Sharts, J. (1986) An empirical test of Maslow’s theory of need hierarchy using
hologeistic comparison by statistical sampling. Advances in Nursing Science, 9 pp.58-
72.
 Singh, S. and Tiwari, V. (2011) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOTIVATION AND JOB
SATISFACTION OF THE WHITE COLLAR EMPLOYEES : A CASE
STUDY. Management Insight, 7(2) pp.32-39.
 Staw, B. (1976) Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Morristown, N.J.: General Learning
Center.
 Tan, S. (2013) Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory on Work Motivation: Does it Works for
Todays Environment?. Global Journal Of Commerce And Management Perspective,
2(5) pp.18-22.
 Tashakkori, A. & Teddlie, C. (2003). Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social & 
Behavioral Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage. 
 Taormina, R. and Gao, J. (2013) Maslow and the Motivation Hierarchy: Measuring
Satisfaction of the Needs. The American Journal of Psychology, 126(2) pp.155.

11
 Tosi, H., Locke, E. and Latham, G. (1991) A Theory of Goal Setting and Task
Performance. The Academy of Management Review, 16(2) pp.480.

 Varma, C. (2017) IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION & JOB

SATISFACTION FOR ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE. International Journal of
Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research, 6(2) pp.10-20.
 Yang, K., (2003) Cross-cultural differences in perspectives on the self. Lincoln:
University of Nebraska Press pp.192-272.

12
Appendix

13
14
15
16
17