Continuance Commitment and Employee Performance of Non-Academic Staff in Public Universities in Western Region of Kenya

Abstract

The present trend among firms is to prioritise the cultivation of dedicated employees due to the notable disparity in performance between devoted employees and their counterparts. Devoted personnel exhibit high levels of performance inside a company, hence contributing to the organisation's attainment of a competitive advantage over rival entities. The objective of this study was to examine the correlation between continuance commitment and employee performance of non-academic staff in public universities in the Western Region of Kenya. The research hypothesis suggested that there is no significant relationship between continuance commitment and employee performance of non-academic staff in public universities in the Western Region of Kenya. The study scope was limited to the six (6) Chartered Public Universities in the Western Region of Kenya, namely Maseno, Masinde Muliro, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kisii, Kibabii, and Rongo. The study was underpinned by social exchange theory. Descriptive and correlational research designs were adopted in this study. The target population was comprised of 3,574 non-academic staff currently working at the six (6) Chartered Public Universities in the Western Region of Kenya. The sample size was 97 respondents, determined through Nassiuma’s (2000) formula. Stratified sampling was employed to group the respondents into strata, and simple random sampling was applied to select the respondents. Data was collected through the use of a structured questionnaire. The data collected was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the demographic information, while inferential statistics were applied to test the relationship between the study variables. The key findings of this study indicated that there exists a significant positive relationship between continuance commitment and employee performance (p = 0.0000<0.05). The study recommended that university management should endeavour to enhance their staff organisational commitment through promoting their personal and career development and creating positive employee relations through organisational support programs.