Perceived factors motivating healthcare workers in the South African NGO sector
Date
2014-12-12
Authors
Rech, Dino
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Abstract
Understanding what motivates employees has been the focus of much research and is a key question in organisations. This is particularly true within the healthcare sector in developing countries since health sector performance, and therefore health outcomes, have been found to be dependent upon worker motivation. Healthcare worker motivation is vital in addressing various health challenges in South Africa, such as the high HIV burden and meeting the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) and is therefore an important area of study.
This study assessed the importance of five motivational factors (namely financial reward, career and personal development, facility infrastructure and resources, leadership and management, and recognition and appreciation) on the motivation levels of healthcare workers in the South African NGO sector using conjoint analysis. A questionnaire consisting of 24 job scenarios containing various levels of the five motivational factors was developed and administered to 93 healthcare workers belonging to various healthcare cadres in two HIV-focused NGOs in Gauteng, namely the Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention Studies (CHAPS) and Right to Care (R2C).
Financial reward (24.2%) and career and personal development (21.8%) were found to be two of the most important motivational factors, with facility infrastructure and resources (19.6%) and leadership and management (19.5%) following closely, while recognition and appreciation (14.8%) was found to be least important to NGO healthcare worker motivation levels.
These findings are important for decision makers and managers in the NGO healthcare sector, and should be used to tailor interventions for staff when attempting to maximise their motivation and thus improve organizational functioning and outputs, and therefore overall health outcomes.
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Medical personnel , Non-governmental organizations , Employee motivation -- South Africa