Effectiveness of employee performance appraisal process in international non-profit organizations in the agricultural sector: Lusaka, Zambia.
| dc.contributor.author | Tembo, Elledy | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-09-16T08:06:07Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-09-16T08:06:07Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.description | Thesis of Master of Science in Human Resource Management. | |
| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of the employee performance appraisal process in non-profit organisations in the agricultural sector in Lusaka, Zambia. Despite the existence of an extensive body of literature on performance management systems in Zambia, very limited information was found on performance management systems on non-profit organisations as most studies conducted relate to performance management systems in the public sector in Zambia. This study aimed to contribute to the knowledge and data gaps in this area. The researcher targeted donor funded non-profit organisations in the agriculture sector within Lusaka district and these were provided for by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services under the Registrar of Non-Governmental Organisations Department. The objectives of the study were to investigate the effectiveness of employee performance evaluation, to determine the effectiveness of the recognition and reward system on employee performance and to examine the effectiveness of employee feedback on employee performance. The problem identified with the international NGOs in the agricultural sector in Lusaka was high staff turnover attributed to the ineffective employee performance appraisal process which affects the organisation’s critical success factors. The global acceptable employee turnover rate is 10% (Australian HR Institute, 2019). Data from one sampled NGO revealed that the lowest turnover rate in the period under review was 13% in 2022, while the highest was 41% in 2021. On average the staff turnover in the period under review stood at 23% which is substantively above the acceptable rate. This study showed that this problem fluctuates year by year depending on the organization’s performance. Consequently, some funders pullout their resources due to poor organizational performance at large stemming from ineffective employee performance appraisal system. The ripple effect however, is high staff turnover as retention becomes impossible. This study utilized a descriptive research design and mixed-method research was used. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and self- administered questionnaires. Analysis was conducted using SPSS software for quantitative data and for qualitative, thematic analysis was used to identify patterns, themes, and relationships within the data. The main findings of this study were that the outcome from the performance evaluations have an impact on an employee productivity. Unconstructive feedback highly demotivates employees and result into high turnover rate. Findings show that over 80% of the employees did not find the process satisfying due to poor feedback mechanisms. The results also revealed that over 70% of respondents found the rewards and recognition systems not inspiring due to lack of transparency and objectivity with the system. Based on the study findings, it is highly recommended that the INGOs management should implement strategies that guide their decision making in order to be consistent. These include; aligning employee’s goals and objectives to the organisational strategy, policy adherence, improved feedback mechanism, structured skills development, offer performance-based rewards. Not only will this promote staff retention, it will also enhance the overall organisational performance as well as impacting employee motivation, development, and organizational outcomes, including job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Key Words: Employee performance Appraisal, Feedback, Reward System, Agricultural Sector | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://dspace.unza.zm/handle/123456789/9412 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | The University of Zambia | |
| dc.title | Effectiveness of employee performance appraisal process in international non-profit organizations in the agricultural sector: Lusaka, Zambia. | |
| dc.type | Thesis |