Global Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Employee Voice and Its Effects on Organizational Productivity: A Case of KPLC Eldoret

Cherono Lily Kitur and Sammy Kimutai Rop

Quality and timely decision making is essential for the success of any firm. In fact, how an organization chooses to design its decision-making process is one of the most fundamental aspects of its internal design. A firm’s ability to make good decisions is particularly important in the face of increasing global competition, and the greater uncertainty from exposure to more competitors. In many organizations, lower and middle level employees are not involved in decision making process. This is due to fear by the management that this would expose their weaknesses and their management strategies. However employee participation lead to a beneficial impact on quality, productivity and could deflect problems which otherwise may explode. In The Kenya Power and Lighting Company, there have been complains of delays of reconnection after disconnection and poor services among others which would be as a result of non-inclusion of lower level employees in the decision making process thus being demotivated. Therefore the study aimed at analyzing employee participation in decision making and its effects on organizational productivity. The study employed case study research design. The researcher adopted stratified and simple random sampling designs to select a sample. The study employed questionnaires in collecting data which was later analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics. Data was later presented in frequency tables and percentages. The findings established that the effects of employee participation in decision making on productivity at Kenya Power and Lighting Company are that it leads to varied options, enhances and improves quality services, gives broader perspective, and bring more alternative solutions leading to total customer satisfaction hence improved profits. Another benefit is that it enhances employee engagement. The major challenges associated with involvement of employee on decision making are that employees fear to air their opinions during decision making process, and that the organizational structures do not fully enhance employees’ participation in decision making.