Challenges and effects of motivation on employee’s performance at public

institutions in Pakistan
Ehsan Bhutta1, Dr Kashif Mahmood2, and M. Imran Khan3.
1, 3
PhD Scholar, Department of Business Administration, Superior University Lahore, Pakistan,
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Business Administration, Superior University Lahore
*
Corresponding author’s email address: ehsanbhutta69@gmail.com

1
 Abstract

Purpose – The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between organizational
politics perception and employee performance in public sector businessesorganizations.
Design/methodology/approach– Following a thorough review of the literature, the
researchers developed a framework, which was then put to the test in order to provide
empirical support for the claimed association between the variables. The information was
submitted by employees of 15 different public sector enterprises organizations in Pakistan.
The self-management inquiry along with convenience sampling is used to gather information
on employees' perceptions of business politics and performance. Regression analysis is a
statistical technique that was used to analyze data.
Findings– According to the findings, the politics of an organization have a significant
influence on the performance of its employees. It is clear from the study's findings that
management must be aware of their employees' impressions of present organizational politics
and take steps to lessen those attitudes while simultaneously improving employee
performance.

Practical implications– Since this study was conducted in a developing country, the
conclusions can be extended to other developing countries to some extent. Future researchers
will be able to conduct their investigations in variety of locations.

Originality/value– The research presented in this paper adds to our understanding of how
politics and performance interact in the workplace, particularly in the public sector.

Key Words: Employee's performance, Organizational politics perception, Public

institutions,Motivation,career planning or civil services reforms

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 Introduction
Motivation plays a crucial role in the success of any organization whether it is
public sectot or private The degree of passion and excitement that people have for their jobs
determines whether or not a company will succeed or fail in its missionbecause . When it
comes to enhancing productivity and performance, employee motivation is crucial to success.
In addition to employee engagement, employees motivation is directly connected to
productivity and profitability (Safayet & Sazzad., 2021). Employee motivation is
regardedviewed as a force that propelsdrives workers toward achieving particular
organisational goals and objectives. It is not enough to rely solely on the quantity of people
employed, their education, experience, or competence. To get the best performance of the
staff, they must be motivated. Since everyone wants to use their financial and human
resources as effectively as possible, it is one of the hottest topics in businesses
today.Employee retention and productivity seem to be two of the most important strategies
for increasing productivity and maintaining employees. The corporation develops an
incentive structure to drive employees to achieve at their highest levels while also attracting
new customers. One of the various ways for encouraging and rewarding employees who do
wellto motivate the employees is to recognize and reward them for their efforts (Memmott
and Growers, 2012). Everyone in the organization must recognize and accept that they are
significant assets of the organization and that they require training. Employees in
organisations see themselves as a warehouse of information skills and abilities that
competitors can't match, and organisations aren't making the best use of these resources
(Hameed & Waheed, 2015).

Every individual has a set of specific motivators that push them to do their activities as
effectively and efficiently as possible. Some employees are motivated by positive
reinforcement, whilst others are motivated by cash rewards. Employers must be aware of and
understand the needs of their employees. Employees who are well-motivated produce higher
levels of productivity, joy, dedication, and satisfaction in their employment. If a company
wishes to achieve better levels of performance, one of the most significant obligations it has
is to carry out is the incentive function. The duty of a manager in fostering a willingness to
work among subordinates is to encourage them to do their jobs. workers in any business
require some type of pressure to keep them working for the company, therefore employees
must be motivated to keep working for the company in order for the firm to be successful.
The quality of one's job, or the total quality of one's labor, will suffer if one does not have the

3
drive motivation to work hard (Mbogo, 2013). Attractive salaries and incentives are now
introduced in the public and private sector to motivate workers, reward them for hard work,
and to detainedretain them there rather of spending time and money on the time-consuming
recruitingment and training of three replacementd personnel.Pay and incentives in the public
sector are meant to reward for completed work, inspire employees, and retain people to save
the time and money spent on the costly recruitment and training of three replacement
employees. In this situation, every country's government is continuing to put up significant
effort to stimulate its employees.

The success of a country is dependent on the effectiveness of its public sector. Executing
government policies and programmes is the job of entities in the public sector. In order to
effectively handle the many and varied needs of the population, public servants/employees
are expected to implement government policies and program. Across the world, public sector
changes have been labeled as such in many ways: restructuring, reengineering, and the
incorporation of new employment technology (Christensen, Laegreid, Roness, and Rvik,
2007). Executing government policies and programmes is the job of entities in the public
sector. In order to effectively handle the many and varied needs of the population, they are
expected to implement government policies and programmes. These The government-owned
institutions are run by trained employees from a variety of fields who work diligently every
day to achieve the aforementioned goals. But sometime, there are some placing barriers or
pointless restrictions in the way of employees, hindrances hinder goal achievement and
advancement progress toward receiving rewards. A specific example of a barrier is
organizational politics which often lead o read tape. This red tape differs from formalisation
in organisations in that it involves more than just having rules and procedures in place
(Brewer et al., 2012). Red tape exists when regulations obstruct organisational performance,
impose restrictions, fuel inefficiencies, and serve no useful function. Bureaucratic red tape,
lengthy and strict procedures, and insensitive and inflexible service delivery procedures may
be made up by an organisation behavior that do not motivates public servants to go above and
beyond in their everyday duties (Vigoda, E. G.,2007). It places an unneeded load on the
organisation and leads to irritations, delays, and inefficiencies. It is feasible that there is
actual red tape in the shape of stringent regulations and absurd standards. Similarly, politics
in organisation exists when regulations obstruct organisational performance, impose
restrictions, demotivate the employees fuel inefficiencies, and serve no useful function. It
places an unneeded load on the employees of organisation and leads to irritations, delays, and

4
inefficiencies. Organizational politics influence how employees interact with one another,
which has a significant impact on organizational outcomes. Employees may respond to
organisational politics differently than others, similar to how they may respond to stressors.
Because of this, it is crucial to consider the prism through which the circumstances are
viewed, making the experience of internal politics a personal one.It is feasible that there is
actual red tape in the shape of stringent regulations and absurd standards.

Motivating employees is a problem that all firms face, regardless of their size. In
many businesses, particularly those in the non-profit and public sectors, financial incentives
and organizational purpose motivation are two of the most frequent sources of motivation for
employees. This essay looked at each of these aspects individually as well as how they
combine to affect success in the workplace. A lot of factors contribute to the fact that this is
still an open subject. People who have already made the decision to join a public service
organization, for example, may not be concerned with highlighting the task's overall goal.
Furthermore, concentrating on the mission might boost some areas of performance
development at the expense of others, a situation similar to when strong incentives can be
provided and that binds pay to only visible performance metrics (Haley 2003; Bandiera,
Barankay, and Rasul 2005, 2007). Furthermore, if the goal is largely to encourage employees,
increasing financial incentives may result in theexploitation of the system by manipulation
the performance metric by employees (Owan and Tsuru 2011; Larkin 2014.; Gneezy et al.,
2011; Cassar, 2018). When examining the possibility of a conflict of interest, it is vital to
determine whether and how these two incentives to influence employee performance.

The success of a country is dependent on the effectiveness of its public sector.

Across the world, public sector changes have been labeled as such in many ways:
restructuring, reengineering, and the incorporation of new employment technology
(Christensen, Laegreid, Roness, and Rvik, 2007).

Organizational politics are a key factor in many countries of the world, having a big impact
on things like resource allocation, bureaucratic performance, managerial decisions, etc., as
well as the overall effectiveness and efficiency of organisation. A large number of countries
are making significant efforts to modernize their bureaucratic processes (Ivan, K.,2019)
(Ohemeng, et al., 2019), but the process has come to a grinding standstill. While researching
the history of such changes, we can see that they have been the subject of several different
committees and subcommittees throughout the years in Pakistan as well. In Pakistan, it was

5
underwentendured in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's tenure that the Public Officials Act of 1973 was
passed, which created a common training curriculum for all professional groups in order to
provide equitable access to civil servants. This was the most major reform of its sort during
his administration. Helping hand symbolism The Pakistani people, to be precise. Since then,
the reform effort has been effectively halted. Similarly,

Aa comprehensive set of regulations for recruitment, training, promotion, and assessment

were promulgated by the Punjab Provincial Government in 1974, which became known as
the Punjab Civil Service Law (Punjab Civil Service Rules (appointment and conditions of
service), 1974). The Punjab Civil Service Act of 1974, will be the primary focus of the
investigation. The fact that numerous changes have been recommended does not negate the
reality that a total reorganization is necessary in order to achieve useful and successful
advances in government institutions and programs. Corrupt practices will be eliminated,
while efficiency and effectiveness will be improved at the same time. This is an opportunity
when his deliver energetic achievement, so copying down that emphasis is not fundamentally
incorrect. But everything about its conduct typically begins when people are placed in a
performance environment that is inappropriate for their work style and pace. This causes
embarrassment when they do a personal search for it and may have a slight hold on it (Afzal
et al., 2020).Since then, the reform effort has been effectively halted.

Considering the above discussion, it can be Ppolitical reforms have been largely ignored in
Pakistan for several reasons. Economic and bureaucratic changes have been implemented in
phases, but political reforms have not. In turmoil since its start, the political system has
continued to exist. No changes have been enacted in the country since 1973, despite the
introduction of the parliamentary system in the country's constitution, with the exception of
the mixed government model, which favored presidential power under the military
dictatorship. A consequence of this is that inadequate constitutional and political changes
have been carried out. That political parties have given so little attention to the local
government system is problematic; in an ideal world, local government would act as the
backbone of the political system, giving answers to people's issues. This governance
system is executed in two different ways: theoretically and practically. The theoretical
implementation differs significantly from the practical implementation.

A large number of countries are making significant efforts to modernize their

bureaucratic processes, but the process has come to a grinding standstill. While researching

6
the history of such changes, we can see that they have been the subject of several different
committees and subcommittees throughout the years. It was under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's
tenure that the Public Officials Act of 1973 was passed, which created a common training
curriculum for all professional groups in order to provide equitable access to civil servants.
This was the most major reform of its sort during his administration. Helping hand
symbolism The Pakistani people, to be precise. Since then, the reform effort has been
effectively halted.

To get rid of the current turmoil, there is a huge need for bureaucratic reforms.
These reforms should begin with training and directing public employees in capacity
building, transforming them into efficient government executive agencies, and ensuring
service delivery. This can only be accomplished through an inclusive approach that includes
individuals and stakeholders in administrative service field staff decision-making. This
procedure has so far been fully exclusive. This is one of the key reasons why people detest
civil servants despite having no say in decision-making. To fulfill the aims of good
governance, immediate reform is required in this area. Investigation procedure associated to
emphasis for institution it is kind of subject which is under discussed but it has sufficient
energy to influence the life of the people in a right full method by improving useful for the
main core elements of emphasis assisting tools may be offered to the employees in the
institution to highlights their outputs(Afzal et al., 2020).

The importance of managing people at work, particularly the planning and

management of their careers, has increased as a result of these ongoing changes at the
organisational level (Baruch 2004). People are, without a doubt, the most precious
resource in modern organisations, and providing them with a long-term, stable job is a
win-win situation for both employers and employees. Development is required to bring
about societal transformation as a result of the globalization of the international
economy. As a result, understanding politics is important for success. People must
understand that progress is primarily a political enterprise, rather than a technological one. It
demands the participation of legitimate countries with the will and ability to achieve this aim,
and it is their intervention that determines how development management, human resource
development, and public sector reform are accomplished or hampered in their respective
countries.

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 Organizational researchers have been particularly interested in how
organisational politics affect OCB for a while because politics is an epidemic occurrence in
organisations (e.g., Cropanzano, Howes, Grandey, & Toth, 1997; Gadot, 2000). Employees in
highly political situations worry that their work will not be appropriately rewarded and that
incentives are typically determined by group membership, authority, nepotism, and
retribution reasons rather than by objective criteria (Rusbult et al. 1990).

The impact of a mission-driven approach on worker performance is not

addressed in the economic literature. Although some studies provide information about
missions as signals linking workers to employers, no one can quantify the impact of the
organization's mission focus on workers' efforts in both theoretical (Besley and Ghatak 2005;
Prendergast 2008; Cassar and Armouti-Hansen 2019) and laboratory environments (Banuri
and Keefer 2016; Carpenter and Gong 2016). This leaves a significant gap in the literature, as
many firms communicate routinely with their employees and reinforce the mission to keep it
from fading into the background.

Research Gap

Some studies provide information about missions as signals linking workers to employers, no
one can quantify the impact of the organization's mission focus on workers' efforts in both
theoretical (Besley and Ghatak 2005; Prendergast 2008; Cassar and Armouti-Hansen 2019)
and laboratory environments (Banuri and Keefer 2016; Carpenter and Gong 2016). This
leaves a significant gap in the literature, as many firms communicate routinely with their
employees and reinforce the mission to keep it from fading into the background.

Literature Review
Numerous organisations aim to increase creativity since disgruntled employees
produce more when dealing with frightening situations. This must have an effect on the
employee's mind and body and lead to outcomes that are completely at odds with what these
organisations hope to achieve. Institutions are now paying far more attention than in the past
to the anguish that is caused when they place unneeded demands on their employees. There is
still time to accomplish your goals. Again, it is important to accumulate enough funds to
support oneself, be able to provide services, and take advantage of all available opportunities
(Afzal et al., 2020). Mruma (2013) investigated the impact of motivating factors on teachers
performance in Tanzanian educational institutions in the Nyamagana region using qualitative

8
and quantitative methodologies and discovered that instructors are mostly motivated by
internal reasons. Because the research was carried out at the Office of the Vice President in
Dar es Salaam, it is distinct from prior studies.

Because to his expectation theory of motivation, Victor Vroom is well

recognised. In that it suggests weighing particular aspects in relation to motive, it is
comparable to equity theory. The term "motivation" can be defined in a number of ways, but
Vroom ([1964] 1995: 7) defines it as "a mechanism guiding choices made by individuals or
lower animals among various types of voluntary activity." In some ways, Vroom's theory is
different from others in that it emphasises current conduct rather than past activity. It
demands one to "believe that the decisions made by a person among different courses of
action are lawfully tied to psychological events occurring contemporaneously with the
conduct," according to Vroom, who claims that this approach (ibid.: 17).

Bushiri (2014) performed a qualitative and quantitative study at the School of

Financial Management in Dar es Salaam on the influence of the workplace on employee
performance, and the following findings were made: The relationship between employee
performance and environmental work is positive. Performance in respect to each other. While
previous research had focused on a single aspect in the workplace, the present study have
taken into consideration a variety of motivating variables rather than just one factor. Using
data from the third research, which examined the influence of employee performance in the
public service sector in Ilala, Tanzania, Mbogo (2013) it has been concluded that there is a
positive relationship between employee motivation and performance, with salary being the
most inspiring component. The expected investigation was different from the existing one as
it did not look into the motivating aspects of the participants.

Using both qualitative and quantitative data, Thomas Owusu (2012) performed a
study on the influence of incentives on employee performance at commercial banks in the
Ghana-Kumasi area, concluding that there is a positive relationship between incentives and
employee performance. The planned research differred from this one as it was carried out in
a different sections of Tanzania than the current one. Matsei (2008) conducted a descriptive
data analysis at the Metsimaholo Regional Hospital in Sasolburg to study the influence of
incentives on staff performance. He came to the conclusion that there is a positive association
between incentives and performance, which he further supported. This research has been
different from the others in several ways.The primary focus was on the Tanzanian people and

9
their culture. When Salfiya and Maharoof (2011) conducted research on the influence of
incentives on worker performance in Ampara District, with a focus on district and divisional
directors, they employed correlation and regression analysis data to determine the
relationship between incentives and employee performance. The difference between this
study and the planned study is that it focused on the influence of motivation on employee
performance rather than the impact of motivation on employee performance.

According to Webster's new dictionary, an incentive is defined as "a strong desire to

accomplish a task". The concept of "fairly giving" inspiration is characterized as an
"interesting approach" in Motivate's software. Motivation is the process of working towards a
goal such as earning an associate degree. It represents the psychological procedures that
underpin the stimulation, direction, and decision of goal-oriented purposeful activities.
Motivation is also a series of actions that lead to and support goal-directed action
(Chowdhury, 2007). Self-determination and motivation in the workplace improves other
outcomes along with performance, such as creativity (Liu, Chen, & Yao, 2011), commitment
(Greguras & Diefendorff, 2009), and retention (Liu, Chen, & Yao, 2011). According to
Martin and Bartol (2003), a single individual may have an impact on performance, hence
enhancing and sustaining the level of performance.

Achieving specific goals is established by this clarity; individuals must be sufficiently

positive and clear about their ambitions in order to achieve them. As stated by Bedeian
(2006), there is an inbuilt motivation to fulfill an unmet requirement of earning associate
degrees, in addition to a desire to feel fulfilled. Temperament and form differentiation
interact with one another to get this result (IRCO). As series of lessons given to competent
youngsters that assist them in increasing their efficiency and achieving their aims, motivation
may be characterized as follows: (Kalimullah et al., 2010). To achieve some specified aims,
according to Barron's findings in 1991, it needs the accumulation of multiple pathways to
guide and precise our efforts in order to achieve some specific goals.

Organizational politics perception

Two common definitions of political behaviour are (Cropanzano et al., 1997).
According to one perspective, politics is a method of persuasion used in professional
contexts. According to this perspective, politics refers to a broad range of social conduct. A
more widespread viewpoint, however, defines politics more specifically. The term politics is

10
only used to refer to action that is deliberately planned to maximise either short-term or long-
term personal interests in the more detailed meaning (Ferris, Russ & Fandt, 1989).

Political work environments are linked to ambiguity and uncertainty from the
standpoint of social exchange theory, which leads to psychological stress and poorer morale,
all of which worsen the altruistic and voluntary nature of OCB (Chang, Rosen, & Levy,
2009). Employees begin to exert less effort at work if they perceive asymmetry in the
employee-organization relationship because they believe that their decreased involvement in
extracurricular activities makes them less likely to be noticed and disciplined by managers
(Rosen et al.2009a, b). The aforementioned viewpoint, however, falls short of completely
illuminating the connection between organisational politics and OCB.

Organizational politics-related studies have adopted a different strategy.

Organizational politics and its connection to organisational performance have been the
subject of substantial research in recent years. Studies have generally focused on employees'
perceptions of organisational politics, which are described by Ferris et al. (1989) as behaviour
intentionally geared to maximise self-interests and thus conflict with the group's overall aims
or other people's interests. When asked to explain workplace politics, people frequently
mentioned self-serving and manipulative behaviours that are not seen favourably, according
to Gandz and Murray (1980) and Madison et al. (1980). Studies that helped to develop this
idea (e.g. Andrews and Kacmar, 2001; Vigoda-Gadot, 2003) discovered that workplace
politics was viewed as employees acting in a self-serving manner to advance their own
interests, advantages, and benefits at the expense of others and occasionally in opposition to
the goals of the entire organisation or work unit. This behaviour was commonly linked to
subversion, slander, manipulation, and illegal means to abuse power in order to further one's
goals (Kipnis et al., 1980).

Perception of Organizational Politics Scale (POPS) is a concept that Ferris et al.

(1989) proposed as a useful tool for measuring OP. In addition, Kacmar and Ferris (1991, pp.
193–194) and Ferris and Kacmar (1992, p. 93) suggested that the level of justice, equity, and
fairness is perceived by an organisation member as being lower the higher their opinion of
politics is although these studies made a distinction between politics and fairness, it
eventually became clear that these two factors are closely related. Employees in highly
political situations do not believe that their efforts will be acknowledged and worthwhile
incentives will be allocated by taking their efforts into consideration (Cropanzano et al.,

11
1997). Employees may therefore believe that if they only perform their official job duties,
they are powerless to make a difference. Employees may feel pressed to make a difference in
highly political workplaces, and they may feel under pressure to find other hobbies like OCB
to demonstrate who they are in order to survive.

Employee inspiration and Performance

"Cash is the best incentive or motivational tool available." Such a statement
generates the dominant viewpoint in the administration secretarial works that compensation
for performance enticement organisations have a motivating effect. In contrast, according to
some authors, the primary goal of motivation is to increase extrinsic motivation by sustaining
an individual worker's resources skillfully through earnings of wages and benefits
(Anthony , 2007). According to the expectation theory, which was developed by Porter and
Lawler in 1968, a pay-for-performance system affects work consumption. Pool, who supports
this viewpoint, examines the link between job satisfaction and exertion motivation and
discovers some crucially encouraging evidence that suggests job fulfilment increases as
exertion motivation increases. (Pool 1997).

According to Rizwan et al. (2012), the concepts of currency and profitability are
those that offer organizations advantages over their competitors. According to Manzoor et al.
(2012), worker efficiency is largely determined by several elements, including worker
evaluation, incentives, happiness, rewards, professional training, protection, and formal
structures. Workers are accountable for the objectives they must meet. There are speculations
that Rutherford's (2011) incentives have helped associate degree organizations succeed since
disgruntled employees are always looking for best practices when they strive to generate
work, therefore the company must impact their motivation. The job description of each
employee reveals his approach toward attaining his objectives.

Employee goals are defined by company management depending on the

efficiency of senior personnel. The talents of each worker change according to their
efficiency, resulting in variances in their performance. The job description demonstrates
efficiency and power, which can help the organization achieve its objectives. Employees
couldn't make work-related decisions in the past because the company system wouldn't let
them. When an employee's needs and expectations are fulfilled by the
organization/management, it inspires people to work towards the organization's common
goals and objectives, whether at a individual or group level. (Haque et al, 2014).

12
 Organizations should place a greater emphasis on staff development in terms of
incentives and other requirements, since it will ensure that employees are efficient, effective,
and inspired, lowering employee turnover (Bocciardi, 2017). It is also believed that
interacting with the community, the public, and other people can increase worker
performance, therefore work is less important than interpersonal interactions. According to
Choudhary et al. (2017), if employees are given the freedom to interact and speak with one
another, their task-performance will improve in the presence of organization compassion. In
the 1870s, the idea of control was that happy employees were more productive. Compassion
has a vital impact in improving task-performance, which is closely tied to objective measures
of job tasks and responsibilities, when it comes to employee motivation(Choudhary et al.,
2017).

Many ideas and examples show that workers need to enjoy their work in order to
attain their objectives. The evaluation of workers, the incentives for workers, the happiness of
workers, the rewards for workers, the training and protection of professions, and the
company's arrangements all have a role in the introduction of workers. This document, on the
other hand, concentrates solely on two key factors: staff training and motivation.

Career Planning

The human resource management department's human resource planning is

inextricably linked to people's career planning (Gerhart, B, 2005).A valuable human capital
development strategy is career planning, which identifies, recognizes, prepares, and
establishes a group of people to service their organisation in response to future organisational
demands (Mondy, Noe, & Premeaux, 2002). According to Pennell (2010), the goal of career
planning is to investigate individual efficiency and effectiveness in order to fulfil corporate
goals. Career planning has demonstrated its worth, and it extends beyond the confines of the
workplace. People want to join the organization that provides them with the most
opportunities (Gardner, Wright, and Moynihan, 2011).

Employees should have equal opportunity regardless of gender, ethnicity,

nationality, caste, color, or religious convictions. Rayburn, Grigsby, and Brubaker (2016)
emphasized the relevance of career planning by emphasizing transparency. They discovered
that career planning improved long-term organizational performance, improved talent
management, and prepared individuals for leadership positions. In Pakistan's public sector,
civil servants provide progressive career planning, making this service appealing (Khilji S. E,
13
2006). Career planning for non-cadre work, on the other hand, is a passive process. As a
result, there are disparities in perception between cadre and non-cadre employees. Ali,
Mehmood, Ejaz, and Ashraf (2014) argued that employee performance can be enhanced by
career planning practices such as training and development.

Organizations need human capital to achieve their long-term objectives (Patidar,

Gupta, Azbik, & Weech-Maldonado, 2016). Wilson (2018) suggested that succession
planning models were essential for career development, enhancing confidence, and
improving individual performance at the workplace. Career planning is a phenomenon in
which individuals' skills and skill profiles are matched to the goal of organization.

Factors affecting employees’ motivation

Feelings of progress indicate that an individual's actions are progressing and will
result in positive outcomes. Feelings of choice express an individual's flexible mind and free
will to choose activities within an organization's qualitative natural surroundings.
Competence feelings indicate that a person possesses the necessary skills to complete a task
(Naseeb et al., 2019).Consider a pay structure that reflects the company's value to each role
and is based on the presentation (Adeyinka et al., 2007). Worker orientation is also critical for
working with and through others because employees must have faith in management in order
to execute their tasks properly (Baldoni J, 2005).

In order to reduce the cost of turnover, it is more cost-effective for the business to
keep existing employees than than hire new ones. The reason for this is because current
employees are familiar with organisational activities and have sufficient experience working
in certain organisational contexts (Naseeb et al., 2019). Many research and theories suggest
that employees and bosses are supportive of one another (Rukhmani K, 2010). Managers
must provide incentives to motivate employees to attain their objectives (Baldoni J, 2005).
Authorization is also used to make employees happy and keep them interested in attaining
organizational goals in order to motivate them. It is, in fact, beneficial to both employees and
the organization.

Workers' abilities and efficiency can improve as a result of empowerment since

they are happier and more motivated in completing jobs efficiently (Yazdani B. O., et al.,
2011). Someone's perception, being called to do something, an action, and their calling are all
examples of belief (Hassan et al., 2010). Trust is essential for associate degree organizations

14
to promote and prosper, thus it must be maintained at all times to secure the survival of the
company and boost employee motivation (Annamalai.T, 2010). High productivity is
dependent on the degree of motivation and efficiency of the labor force, regardless of the
machine-driven associate degree company. Employee training is therefore an essential
approach for motivating employees. Information about the procedure that is relevant
(Adeyinka et al., 2007).

Declining Employee Performance in Public Sector Organizations

Lack of Accountability
Pakistan's public sector has a bad reputation due to corruption, bureaucratic and
political influence, inept appointments of influential persons, insufficient resources, and low
wages of government officials( Dr. Sultan Khan (2002: 250). "In Pakistan, the bureaucracy is
a tool for the government to supply citizens with all facilities, but no one is provided,"
according to Dr. Sultan Khan (2002: 250). "The expense has contributed to a fall in the
country's production." The system has been shut down as a result." The perception is that
government organizations lack technology, processes, and training, yet this is not the reality.

Most businesses and government agencies have money set aside for training and
development, as well as the acquisition of new procedures and technology, but these plans are
doomed owing to a lack of desire, corruption, discrimination, and political pressure.
Employee training is centered on nepotism/favoritism rather than merits and choices.
Incompetent firms that reengineer procedures or technology offer the cheapest quotes and
kickbacks to government officials. This is why training and technical innovation have failed
to generate the desired benefits in the public sector(Najabat Ali:2015).

Corruption
It promotes widespread corruption, lowers morale, and increases inefficiency.
Many skilled government employees aspire to work in the private sector. Low salaries and
perks are cited as one of the key causes of bureaucratic inefficiency. Employee performance
is suffering most as a result of lower pay and compensation when compared to the private
sector. (Reform of Pakistan's civil service).

So, the following hypotheses has been proposed.

Hypothesis 1: Organizational politics perception is positively related to employee
performance.

15
Hypothesis 2: Power is negatively and significantly mediates organizational politics
perception and employee performance relationship.
Hypothesis 3: Conflict is positively and significantly mediates organizational politics
perception and employee performance relationship.

Power o

Organaizational
Employees’
Political Perception
Performance o
o

Conflict

Figure 1.1: Proposed Model

Methodology
An exploratory descriptive survey approach is used in this study to evaluate the
relationship between organizational policies and employee performance. The research
population consisted of employees from 15 different public sector organizations, including
ministries and autonomous units. Survey respondents work in a variety of roles in
management and administration, including CEO, secretary, deputy minister, and assistant
secretary positions, as well as chief executive officer, director, chief accountant, managing
director positions. Management, professionalism, and work abilities are among the functions
and professional backgrounds and occupations of those who answered the survey questions.
People in positions such as personnel managers, assistants, and administrative staff are
recruited from the ranks of authorized government entities. Because of the research factors,
the population has been determined to be relevant. The individual who provided the sample
had been arrested, thus he or she was picked. It was decided on a sample size of 400 in order
to take into consideration the students who would be participating in this manner (Sekaran,
2003; Thomas, 2004).

16
 A total of 228 questionnaires were used, all of which were correctly filled out
and were of use to the researchers. The self-management inquiry is used to gather
information on employees' perceptions of business policies and performance. Projects
involving employee performance (20 projects) were based on research conducted by Johnson
(2003),(Diamantidis & Chatzoglou, 2019) and Podsakoff et al. (2010), while project
involving organizational policy (15 projects) was based on research conducted by Vigoda
(2006, 2007). Both English and Urdu versions of the course cover the fundamentals of
musical instruments. Translation processes are used by researchers to ensure correctness.
Responders will find it simpler to react to inquiries if they can communicate in their own
language. When it came to determining the accuracy and consistency of the instrument,
Cronbach was chosen. With a Cronbach's alpha score ranging from 0.75-0.87, the
questionnaire's applicability is demonstrated. Further examination of the data was carried out
using Pearson regression and correlation analysis. Before beginning the regression, double-
check that all of the assumptions have been satisfied..

Results and Discussion

Table 1 displays descriptive statistics. The mean value implies that the responses to
the study variable-related items are consistent. The skewness and kurtosis values
(skewness=+1, -1; kurtosis=+1, -1) are likewise within the desired range. The numerical data
on the display is normal.

Table 1
Descriptive Statistics
Mean Std. Dev. Skewness Kurtosis
Organizational politics perception 3.2781 .83811 -.332 -.411
Power 3.1640 .91811 -.225 -.558
Creating Conflict 3.3158 .78258 -.136 -.477
Employee Performance 3.8759 .58267 -.439 .014

As demonstrated in Table 2, the Pearson correlation of variables (organizational policies and

employee performance) reveals a weak but statistically significant association between them.
Table 2
Correlations (variables)
Employee Organizational politics
Performance perception
Employee Performance 1
Organizational Politics Perception .237(**) 1

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** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
The relevant data related to organizational politics dimensions and employee performance are
shown in Table 3. The findings demonstrate that there is a modest but statistically significant
link between perceptions of organizational politics and the production of conflict, and there is
no link between power and employee performance.

Table 3
Correlations (Dimensions)
Organizational politics Power Creating Employee
perception Conflict Performance
Organizational politics perception 1
Power .575(**) 1
Creating Conflict -.018 .123 1
Employee Performance .184(**) .049 .286(**) 1
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Linear regression analysis for the composite variable of organizational politics and employee
performance was conducted. The result is shown in Table 4.

Table 4
Regression for OP-EP Model

Description R R2 Adj. R2 F- Stats Sig Beta t-Stat Sig.

Dependent Variable: Employee Performance
0.237 0.056 0.52 13.443 0.000
Constant 3.122 14.941 0.000
Organizational politics perception .232 3.666 0.000

Table 4 shows the regression results, which demonstrate a weak relationship (R 0.237). The
model's fitness is represented by the F statistic. The R2 score implies that organizational rules
are to blame for the 5.6 percent shift in employee performance. According to the Beta
coefficient, organizational politics have a 23.2 percent impact on employee performance.

The impact of the personal component of organizational policy on employee performance is

investigated using multiple regression analysis. Table 6 summarizes the findings. The
multiple R-value is 0.363, indicating that there is a 36.3 percent connection between the
various elements of organizational policy and the dependent variable employee performance.
R2 implies that organizational polictics are responsible for 13.2 percent of changes in

18
employee performance. The population-adjusted variation of the dependent variable is
12.0%, according to the adjusted R2 value. The F statistic has a value of 11.361 (p0.01). This
confirms the model's applicability (R2 0).

Table 5 also shows how different organizational rules affect employee performance on a
personal level. Employee performance is influenced by perceptions of organizational politics,
power, and conflict, with beta values of 0.191, -0.093, and 0.230, respectively. 3.586 (p
0.01), -1.96 (p > 0.05), 4.903 (p0.01), and 5.817 (p0.01), respectively, are the t statistics for
these variables.

Table 5
Multiple Regression for Dimensions of Organizational Politics

Description R R2 Adj. R2 F- Stats Sig Beta t-Stat Sig.

Dependent Variable: Employee Performance
0.363 0.132 0.120 11.361 0.000
Constant 2.782 12.882 0.000
Organizational politics perception 0.191 3.586 0.000
Power -.093 -1.906 0.058
Creating Conflict 0.230 4.903 0.000

Employees in the public sector agree that organizational politics are universal,
according to the findings of the survey. This suggests that there are organizational policies in
the public sector that have a bigger impact on performance. The findings of Burke and Ng's
study are supported by organizational policy (2006). Employees have differing perspectives
on organizational policy in various areas, including career services and promotion, they
pointed out. Employees in the public sector, according to Mosadegh et al. (2006) and Ram
and Prabhakar (2010), are more inclined to use political tactics such as personal relationships
to seek their benefits and have a strong sense of their own working environment. According
to experts, when employees view their workplace to be extremely political, it can lead to
substantial effects such as higher absenteeism, higher turnover intentions, increased job
stress, and lower organisational commitment, productivity, and job satisfaction (Chhetri,
Afshan & Chatterjee, 2014;Rashid, Karim, Rashid & Usman, 2013). Organizational politics
can cause employee conflicts of interest and have a negative impact on the workplace
environment (Bodla & Denmark, 2010). Organizational policies only play a minor effect in
determining employee performance, according to the study. This could be because the

19
leadership function in Pakistan's public sector organizations is more seen as a regulator,
capable of suppressing the negative impacts of organizational politics, particularly power,
which also presents itself in a negative but little way. Organizational politics, according to
Bodla and Denmark (2010), is the conduct that impacts individuals or groups within an
organization. There is a negative association between organizational policy and
organizational commitment and work environment, according to previous research (Boerner
et al., 2007; Bodla and Danes, 2010). Employee attitudes and organizational policies are
useful markers of employee behaviors such as neglect of obligations and intent to leave.
Employees have the ability to work for themselves, engage in organizational politics, and
fulfill their full potential (Bono & Judge, 2003).

Conclusion
The impact of organizational politics perception on the performance of Pakistani
public sector personnel was explored in this study. Organizational politics is prevalent in
public organizations, according to studies, although its link to employee performance is
minimal. Organizational policies also have a statistically significant but minor effect on
performance. These findings are relevant from the standpoint of underdeveloped countries.
Employees in the public sector, according to popular belief, use their own political clout and
demonstrate their strength to achieve their goals, particularly in terms of professional
advancement. The results, however, reveal that this is not the case. Political power exists, but
it is limited and contrary to common assumptions. Although much study has been done from
the perspective of industrialized countries, there is limited data to illustrate how
organizational politics affect employee performance in developing countries, particularly in
the public sector.

Limitiations of study and future reserch

There are certain limitations to this research. To begin with, the research results are
unpopular due to the use of convenience sampling technology. As a result, future research
should concentrate on probability sampling methods. Second, the study concentrates on
government organizations in the capital territory. The results may alter if the study included a
bigger sample size and public agencies based in provincial capitals. Comparative analysis of
the public and private sectors, as well as between countries, can help us better understand the
politics and performance of organizations in developing countries. Other factors, according to
the findings, influence corporate policy and employee performance. Future research should

20
take into account leadership, corporate culture, human resource practices, and demographic
characteristics, as well as a better understanding of the link between organizational policies
and employee performance.

21
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