IMPACT OF HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING ON ORGANIZATIONAL

PERFORMANCE:

(A Case Study of Nakuru County Government)

BY:

RACHEL KABOCHI WANGUI

KIM/141999/19

RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE

AWARD OF DIPLOMA IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TO THE KENYA INSTITUTE OF

MANAGEMENT.

DECEMBER 2023
DECLARATION
Declaration by Candidate:
I declare that this project is my original work and has not been presented for an award of
a degree in any other institution of higher learning.
Signature Date
…………………………… ………………………..
RACHEL KABOCHI WANGUI
KIM/141999/19

Declaration by supervisor:
I confirm that the work in this project has been done by the candidate under my
supervision as the Lecturer.

Signature Date
…………………………… ………………………..

MR. JEFFERSON KIRUI,

Lecturer, Department of Business Administration,
KENYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT,
NAKURU BRANCH.

DEDICATION
I warmly dedicate this research work, first to my family for their unwavering support
during my entire DBM program and most importantly, research journey. Their immense
understanding has propelled me to greater heights of learning. A Big Thank you.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I hereby acknowledge my Supervisor, Mr. Jefferson Kirui for her relentless guidance
and direction with regard to the development and writing of this proposal. His comments
and compliments made this research journey a smooth success. Secondly, I thank the
Kenya Institute of Management Lecturers, beginning with the Certificate and Diploma
Coordinator and all Business Administration Department teaching fraternity. Their
scholarly guidance and provision and dissemination of much-needed knowledge and
materials eased the process and completion of this Diploma program. Third, I recognize the
presence of my Diploam student for spurring me and sharpening me during my low and
high moments. Finally, I recognize the Kenya Institue of Management Nakuru Center
Coordinator
for continually offering guidance on many academic matters, which were very essential
for completion of this program.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION.............................................................................................................. II
DEDICATION................................................................................................................. III
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................. IV
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................ V
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... VIII
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ IX
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS ............................................................... X
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ....................................................................... XI
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... XII
CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background to the Study ............................................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Employee Performance .......................................................................................... 4
1.1.2 Performance Appraisal ........................................................................................... 6
1.1.3 Kibabii University .................................................................................................. 7
1.2 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................. 8
1.3 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................................... 10
1.3.1 General Objectives ............................................................................................... 10
1.3.2 Specific Objectives ...............................................................................................10
1.4 Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 11
1.5 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................ 11
1.6 Scope of the Study ...................................................................................................... 12
1.7 Limitations of the Study.............................................................................................. 12
1.8 Organization of the Study ........................................................................................... 13
CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................ 15
LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................. 15
2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 15
2.2 Theoretical Literature Review .................................................................................... 15
2.2.1 Organizational Justice Theory ..................................................................................15
2.2.2 Goal Setting Theory ................................................................................................. 16
2.2.3 Expectancy Theory ............................................................................................... …17
2.2.4 Management by Objectives Theory (MBO) ......................................................... …18
2.3 Empirical Literature Review ....................................................................................... 19
2.3.1 Evaluation and Employee Performance ............................................................... 19
2.3.2 Management by Objectives and Employee Performance..................................... 21
2.3.3 Performance Appraisal Design and Employee Performance ............................... 23
2.3.4 360 Degrees Appraisal Method and Employee Performance .............................. 24
2.4 Summary of Literature and Research Gaps ................................................................ 24
2.5 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................... 27
CHAPTER THREE ........................................................................................................ 29
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 29
3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 29
3.2 Research Design.......................................................................................................... 29
3.3 Target Population ........................................................................................................ 29
3.4 Sampling Design ......................................................................................................... 30
3.4.1 Sample Size .......................................................................................................... 30
3.5 Data Collection Instruments .......................................................................................30
LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1: Summary of the Studies and Knowledge Gaps ............................................... 25
Table 3.1 Target Population .............................................................................................. 30
Table 3.2 Sample Size Stratification ................................................................................. 31
Table 3.3 Reliability Results ............................................................................................. 33
REFERENCES

APPENDIX;

QUESTIONNAIRE

BUDGET

TIME FRAMEWORK

DATE;

LIST OF FIGURES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

An organization is established to perform certain in tasks and use a different cadre of staff to achieve its
objectives. To maintain standards and anticipated outputs organization has to keep abreast with both
new knowledge and technological advances. This fast-growing challenge requires that organizations
engage or update their staff so that they can cope with the rate of generation of new changes in these
areas. Some of the coping mechanisms applied by organizations are the recruitment of trainable staff,
reproofing of present staff, in-service training in certain disciplines, and on-the-job training including
exchange programs.

For an organization to achieve its objectives, planning the appraisal process is an important subject that
should be undertaken to enable it to achieve objectives like workforce development, including
improvements, promotions and assignments in managerial positions, persuasion and punishment, salary
increase, personnel performance feedback and determining their educational needs. Therefore, an
appraisal can be considered as an important factor in identifying the people's talents and capacities and
its results can make them aware of advancements, plans, and goals. An organization, itself, needs to
detect the employees' efficiency to improve the manpower's status, increase the volume of the
production and services, and make positive changes in its trend. Appraising performance is important
because it helps to ensure that the organization system will be easily understood by employees and
effectively put into action by managers. Appraisal structures that are complex or impractical tend to
result in confusion, frustration, and nonuse. Likewise, systems that are not specifically relevant to the
job may result in wasted time and resources. Indeed, most successful appraisal programs identify and
evaluate only the critical behaviors that contribute to job success. Systems that miss those behaviors are
often invalid, and inaccurate, and result in discrimination based on nonrelated factors.

Performance appraisal should be conducted periodically to evaluate an employee’s performance

against the job’s stated or presumed requirements. Members of the organization must know exactly
what is expected of them, and the yardsticks by which their performance and results will be measured.
Laurie J. Mullins substantiated the necessity of an effective appraisal scheme by saying that it can
identify an individual’s strengths and weaknesses and indicate how such strengths may best be utilized
and weaknesses overcome. Results of performance appraisal are used to discuss the performance and
progress of personnel to goals. Performance strengths are recognized and weaknesses identified so that
individual action plans can be developed to make the necessary corrections. The performance appraisal
method applied should be valid.

1.1 Background to the Study

Employee performance as defined by Ibeogu and Ozturen (2015) is a goal-oriented

process to ensure that the employee, team and organizational objectives are met. Most
organization consider maximizing performance as critical priority and hence it is
important to achieve that through the employees. Jalal and Putri (2015) emphasize people if an
organization needs to have sustainable competitive
Performance is a combination of both effectiveness and efficiency and in the case of employee
performance, it is how well they perform on the job measured against accepted organizational
standards.

To maintain an organization’s vitality, performance appraisal should be approached as a participative

method and not a command-like procedure. Focusing on Kenyan county schools, Gichuhi (2008)
documented the importance of performance appraisal in ensuring that the teachers performed and met
their targets Employee performance is a key element of the Social Pillar component of Kenya Vision
2030, the blueprint guide to economic growth from 2008 to 2030. Optimal utilization of human
resources is crucial in efficiency and effectiveness in quality service delivery to citizens hence, a
realization of the vision. Unfocused leadership, limited funds, poor evaluation and reporting system, lack
of employee involvement in decision-making, and weak legal framework hinder employee performance.
Employee involvement, training on performance contracting, employee participation, autonomy, and
investment into new technology were proposed as ways of improving employee performance.

1.2STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

At Nakuru County, performance appraisal linked to employee performance is not effectively
adopted thereby among the less practiced HR functions. The activity is mostly conducted as a mere
exercise with no relevance to the journey of individual career growth and improvement as well as
reward, training, or job transfer. The appraisers lack exposure to the exercise, especially concerning
linking it to other HR functions. This has forced the process to look like a mere normal process in the
organization where feedback is hardly considered in decision-making. Performance appraisal should
be an ongoing process where the feedback is well utilized to realize its benefits.
While this is the case, other interrogations have called for a complete abolishment of the
performance appraisal system citing shortcomings in the process. Most managers felt that the
process was not beneficial to the organization and didn’t add any value to it.
Therefore, this study sought to fill these gaps by investigating the influence of performance
appraisal on employee performance at Nakuru County.

1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY/RESEARCH

This study seeks to establish a way in which the employees' performance is evaluated in terms of
quality, quantity, cost and time help in understanding employee ability to perform assign tasks.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY/RESEARCH

The specific objectives that guided the study included:

i. To establish the influence of evaluation on employee performance at Nakuru County.

ii. To determine the influence of management by objectives on employee performance at
Nakuru County.
iii. To examine the influence of performance appraisal design on employee performance at
Nakuru County.
iv. iv. To assess the influence of 360 degrees’ appraisal method on employee performance at
Nakuru county
 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study was guided by the following questions:

i. What is the influence of evaluation on employee performance at Nakuru County?
ii. What is the influence of management by objectives on employee performance at
Nakuru County?
iii. What is the influence of performance appraisal design on employee performance
at Nakuru County?
iv. What is the influence of 360 degrees’ appraisal method on employee performance
at Nakuru County,

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Employee performance is a critical concept in most organizations and hence the findings
of this study is critical not only to the county of Nakuru but also other organizations in both the
private and public sectors.
The County may benefit from the recommendations of the study regarding the best
approaches of performance appraisal which can bring about higher productivity. Other
county can similarly benefit from the findings of the study in a similar manner
Human Resource practitioners may also find the recommendations of the study useful in
their pursuit of employee productivity. They may be able to follow up on the
recommendations to achieve high employee productivity given various performance
appraisal techniques as discussed by the study
It is hoped that this study will be useful in their pursuit of employee productivity.

The stakeholders and management may be able to follow up on the recommendations to achieve high
employee productivity given various performance appraisal techniques as discussed by the study.

The topic of performance appraisal remains important in the modern world and hence it is
vital to the county fraternity to build more on the research gaps by this study.
Considering that this study may have limitations, other researchers can build more on it
and focus more on an in-depth analysis of the subject matter

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study was based in Nakuru County, where it was limited to studying the influence of performance
appraisal on employee performance at Nakuru County.

The target population was 400 employees working in various job groups in Nakuru County.

The method to be adopted in the research will be a case study method.

As a way of establishing the study population, the study targeted the management team
(comprising senior management, middle management, and lower-level management) as
well as other personnel involved in administration, governance, teaching, and nonteaching
positions. The four major variables that were covered in the study include
evaluation, management by objectives, performance appraisal design, and 360 degrees’
appraisal method. The time was between November 2022 and 2023. The study
adopted a descriptive survey design

1.7 LIMITATION AND ASSUMPTIONS

One of the major limiting factors was the unwillingness of the respondents to supply the right responses
as required by the researcher due to their perceived sensitive nature.

Secondly, some of the respondents were not honest enough to give the right and truthful answers that
would aid in reliable findings. Failure by some respondents to 13 enumerate detailed responses to
questions raised posed a negative scholarly impact on the subject matter under study.

The third limitation facing the researcher and the research process was limited access to relevant data
from the targeted management levels regarding the topic under study. For instance, the management
levels lack a centralized system where all information on project identification approaches and
sustainability is stored and can easily be retrieved.

To counter the above limitations, the researcher guaranteed all participants total
confidentiality and privacy of every piece of information, as a measure to facilitate
participants to give only accurate and honest answers. In addition, the researcher obtained
a letter from the county and a research permit from the Government; these two
documents enabled the researcher to allay their fears. Most importantly, the researcher
assured the respondents that the information collected was purely for academic purposes.
This automatically built and restored

1.8 Organization of the Study

The organization of the project starts with the first chapter which discusses the
background of key concepts regarding performance appraisal and employee performance
as well as the context of the study. The chapter also presents the problem that
motivated the study, objectives as well as significance, scope and limitations.

CHAPTER TWO

2.1 Introduction
The chapter presents a review of other empirical works on the topic under study. In this
chapter, theories building up the theme as well as an interrogation of other scholarly
works have been presented. A critique has also been presented and the research gaps
are summarized in a Table.
2.2 Theoretical Literature Review
The study was anchored on the Organizational Justice Theory, Goal Setting Theory,
Expectancy Theory and Management by Objectives Theory (MBO) as discussed in the
subsection.
2.2.1 Organizational Justice Theory
Greenberg in 1987 proposed the theory to enable a personal evaluation of moral standing
regarding managerial conduct. The theory simply argues that the organization also needs
to take the perspective of the employee when making justice. The control model posits
that employees prefer justice because they can control the outcomes that they
expect to receive from the organization. Technically, the theory argues that even though
we may feel that our personal decisions can go either way, people need certainty
regarding their future benefits (Greenberg, 1987).
Greenberg (1987) thus applied the theory to performance appraisal in answering the
question of what makes performance appraisal fair as to whether it is who receives it or
how the decision-making process is. Starting from procedural and distributive justice, the
theory went ahead to propose what constitutes fairness and importance in decision
making the supervisors seek input before using an input evaluation method,
two-way communication, provision for the employee to challenge or dispute a rating given
as well as a show of consistency in making decisions and ratings.
The theory supports the management by objectives variable. The relevance of this theory
is exhibited in the management of human resources. Since human resource management
is an important and complex process in County government, organizational justice theory
reinforces performance management systems in terms of retaining the talents within
the organization. The theory enables the performance management process of the
institution to appear more transparent, trustworthy, and reliable. The theory therefore supports
management by objectives variable.
2.2.2 Goal Setting Theory
Locked in the 1960s the proponent of the theory, argued that human actions are motivated by a
goal. The theory argues that reward is the central reason why people would be motivated
to act (Edwin Locke, 1960). An efficient goal, according to the theory must have the
characteristics of proximity, difficulty, specificity, and feedback. A good goal must have a
short turnaround time and be moderately difficult to make success more possible
(Fried & Slowik, 2004).

A good goal is also supposed to be clear and specific and individuals must be able to
understand their expectations from the goal. The goal should also be identified with a
particular performance appraisal system to ensure its optimum functioning.
Locke praises goal setting and argues that apart from the fact that it has been found to
inspire people, it has also been used to create a challenge that enables people to
overcome even the most daring of tasks. Studies have proved in the past that efforts are
mostly directed toward the most difficult tasks (Fried & Slowik, 2004).
Some of the factors that have been highlighted to affect the effectiveness of this theory
are improper management techniques, not factoring in the individuals’ subconscious
actions because sometimes people can do things without being aware of what motivates
them to do such things (Pennsylvania State University World Campus, 2015).
In relevance to the study, the theory supports the MBO variable. It argues that those who set
difficult but clear goals are more likely to achieve them compared to those who set
general and easy goals. The theory also demonstrates that goal setting can be a requisite
to enable them to complete their work quickly and effectively. It also leads to an
improvement in performance since it can lead to an increase in motivation and effort
2.2.3 Expectancy Theory
The theory, proposed by Vroom in 1964, posits the importance of mental choices
touching on choices, expectations, and rewards. It presents a connection between the
people’s wants, behavior expected of them, and the organizational goals. The theory
separates effort from outcomes and provides a perception of behavior in that it is a
result of deliberate move among alternatives to maximize pleasure and minimize pain
The theory presents concepts such as expectancy to mean that when the effort increases,
results will also increase, instrumentality means that a valued outcome is a result of
better performance and valence to mean that there is a value which has been placed on an
outcome. The theory posits that people will always adjust the way they behave in regard
to the expected satisfaction of achieving a certain goal (Vroom, 1964).
Vroom (1964) demonstrated that based on the worth with which individuals perceive a
certain goal, they will be motivated to achieve it. The theory indicates that the motivation
of doing something is based on the value and worth with which people consider that goal.
The scholar demonstrates that people are motivated if they feel that their effort will bring
about better performance.
In line with this study, it is considered that people think rationally, and as a result, the way
they perceive the importance of a performance appraisal system matters. A good
performance appraisal system should be based on an entirely rational directive view of
the organization which links articulable HR processes to the organization’s strategic
objectives. The theory was anchored on the variable of employee feedback since
employee expectations are best influenced by managerial actions and organizational
performance.

2.2.4 Management by Objectives Theory (MBO)

Drucker (1954) proposed the theory to challenge the previous argument by the Human
Relations School of thought that effectiveness was considered natural and was more
important than efficiency. The theory was therefore developed to make performance
appraisal put more emphasis on understanding the goals and objectives. In this
approach, both the employees and management set targets together, revise them and
discuss them before they set about implementing them.
The approach then emphasizes a comparison of an individual employee’s actual
performance against their set targets. It is believed that involving employees in setting up
goals play a crucial role in enabling them to accomplish it thus meeting
expectations. In this theory, therefore, performance appraisals demand that both the
employees and managers work together in coming up with objectives and targets in a
partnership that involves the sharing of responsibilities and expectations in equal measure
(Drucker, 1954).
The study therefore measures appraisal as understanding the organization’s objectives,
setting and agreeing on organizational targets, performance reviews from time to time and then
providing feedback and rewards. The bottom line behind MBO is to create a
situation where the employees understand what is expected of them in terms of goals
alongside its contribution to the overall organizational performance. The theory therefore
hinges on the management by objectives (MBO) variable of this study.
2.3 Empirical Literature Review
The sub-section gives a review of other related studies on the topic. The evaluation has
been conducted per the objective of the study in order to identify the research gaps.
2.3.1 Evaluation and Employee Performance
Companies may need to evaluate the employees against their set targets and hence
appraisals are important. A study conducted by Ibeogu and Ozturen (2015) revealed that
in as much as the use of evaluation varies, it is mostly used to recognize the efforts of
certain employees especially in small businesses and at the same time enable the
organization point out areas for improvement. In Nigerian context, managers use
evaluations to motivate their employees since it communicates to them feedback and
expectations.
Vance (2013) conducted a survey linking evaluation to employee performance and
indicated that through evaluation, the employees are able to know areas of improvement.
Through evaluations, employees are given direct response on their performance by their
supervisors and thus it can inform their decisions to stay with the company or not. The
evaluation process also identifies areas where an employee needs to improve. It can also
provide opportunities for recognition, positive reinforcement, and performance
improvement of the employees. Employee job satisfaction and decisions to stay with the
company are associated with him or her meaningful feedback about performance especially from
their direct supervisors. There are many different models and procedures
of the employee performance evaluation that companies have in the form of standard
documents.
A study by Khuong and Tien (2013) indicated two critical roles of evaluation as either for
administrative decisions such as promotions and rewarding of employees or for making
planning decisions regarding the growth of employees which can involve coaching and
career development. It was revealed that some of the steps in evaluation as measurement
of the current performance, collection and analysis of data, interpreting the results of
analysis and giving feedback for improvement In another interrogation, Lee and Chen (2013)
base a good evaluation on three building
blocks namely competencies, accurate duty statements and consistency in standards of
practice. Its effect on employee performance was established to be positive and
significant.
A study by Mwema and Gachunga (2014) established that those companies aiming to
build employees based on knowledge management can adopt evaluation. Through a
quantitative survey, it was established that evaluation has improved employee
performance positively and significantly. A study by Wagacha and Maende (2017)
interrogated the impact of performance appraisal systems among commercial banks
operating in Nairobi County. It was established that those conducting the appraisal on the
employees were from higher positions and that the employees had a positive attitude
towards it. In the long run, it improved their satisfaction and organizational output.
A study by Karimi (2013) on the other hand interrogated the impact of performance
appraisal in the public sector in Kenya and revealed that it was an exercise that was
conducted seldom because it was considered expensive. The study recommended for
more of the same to be conducted so as to establish better ways of compensating the civil
servants.
2.3.2 Management by Objectives and Employee Performance
A study conducted by Hoffmann-Burdzinska and Flak (2016) documented that several
steps come into play starting with establishment of clear goals and objectives, then
allowing the employees to implement and take part in its planning and thereafter taking
corrective actions where there has been a deviation from the set goals and objectives. The
study indicated that MBO had a positive significant effect on employee performance.
Another study was conducted by Mulolli, Islami and Skenderi (2015) which indicated
that involvement of the employees in formulation of the goals and objectives which
directly affects the survival of the organization. Its effect on employee performance was
positive and significant. Fulk, Bell and Bodie (2011) similarly emphasized on the
importance of collective decision making as well as employee involvement.
A study by Shaout and Yousif (2014) found the method quite effective and beneficial to
both the organization and the employees. The method allows for objectivity and
encourages improvement in the performance of the employees. A similar study by
Drucker (2013) underscored that the method is good in enhancing fairness and efficiency
in that the employees show support to goals which they themselves agree to be
achievable and acceptable. The method however has a weakness whereby the one
monitoring is not able to see the way employees deal with any eventuality since it only
focuses on the outputs (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014).
Xhavit, Enis & Naim (2018) interrogated whether the MBO method was effective in
achieving employee effectiveness. The study which focused on firms in Kosovo, used ttests
and inferential analysis to establish that the method led to enhanced employees’
effectiveness. A study by Ofojebe, Olibie, Ifeoma and Nnamdi (2014) interrogated
whether the stipulations of MBO could be adopted by the institutions for higher
education in the southern region of Nigeria. It was determined through a survey that
MBO stipulations could be essential in improving the administrative procedures curriculum and
quality assurances across colleges, polytechnics and universities in the
region.
2.3.3 Performance Appraisal Design and Employee Performance
A study conducted by Kim (2015) through the 2005 Merit Principles Survey indicated
that the most critical factor for the success of an appraisal system is how the employees
view its fairness. Intrinsic motivation of employees was determined more specifically by
the perceived fairness of the system and not the system itself. The findings supported the
previous interrogation by Fletcher (2010).
Mwangi (2013) interrogated the specific performance appraisal systems that had been
adopted by firms in the banking sector in Kenya. The study through a survey, established
that the frequency of appraisal in this sector was quarterly and its link to productivity was
quite insignificant.
Nyamboga (2016) took a case study of National bank and interrogated whether the
appraisal methods they adopted were quite effective. The study through a survey of the
entire workforce in the bank, revealed that the methods applied have so far been a good
revelation and have impacted significantly on performance.
Kirai and Kisang (2016) taking a case study of Equity Bank, interrogated whether
employee motivation was determined by the specific appraisals being conducted by the bank. It
was determined that indeed it does give the system and the feedback process is
objective and positive.

2.3.4 360 Degrees Appraisal Method and Employee Performance

In Ireland, Farrell (2013) focused on consumer service companies to determine whether
the performance appraisal methods they had put in place were effective. It was
determined that the employees were comfortable with the methods adopted and were
happy to participate in the process. However, the success rate of the investigated methods
for improving employee performance was still demanding. Munguti and Kanyanjua (2017)
conducted a case study at Savannah Cement Ltd to
determine how the 360-degree method of appraisal impacted the productivity of
employees. Considering all the employees in the company, the study adopted a
descriptive approach and established that the method has brought about improved quality,
job knowledge, and accuracy of work as well as teamwork.
Sigei (2013) similarly interrogated the extent of the adoption of 360 degrees method with a
bias towards the banking sector in the Kenyan context. Through a survey, it was revealed that
the method has been adopted and feedback is given by immediate supervisors. However,
the use of consultants to pursue the method has not been affected.
CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
This chapter gives a review of the methods to adopted in ensuring that the objectives of
the study was achieved. From the design, the chapter also highlighted the population and
sampling as well as how data was collected and analyzed.
3.2 Research Design
The research adopted a descriptive research design of Nakuru county. A descriptive
research design, according to Creswell (2014) is used to analyze a phenomenon, to
generate hypotheses, and to validate a method through data collected using
questionnaires. The rationale behind the adoption of this research design was because of
the need to interrogate a cause effect relationship between the variables.
3.3 Target Population
According to Creswell (2014), a population refers to the total entities targeted in a study.
The study targeted all the employees of Nakuru County. The organization has a total of
400 employees, who are permanent staff and staff on contracts
Target Population
Level of Employment Population
Top Management -56
Middle and Lower level management -128
Subordinate Staff -216
Total 400
Source: Nakuru County HRM
3.4 Sampling Design
The study adopted both stratified sampling procedures. Stratification ensures that the
target population is divided into groups to ensure equal chance of representation. A
sample was then randomly determined from each stratum (Bryman, 2016). In this study,
the employees were stratified into the senate Committee Members, county
Management Board Committees, Administrative staff, and other subordinate staff. After the
stratification, the target sample size was determined randomly. The use of this method
ensured unbiased representation and that each element had an equal chance of being
selected (Cooper & Schindler, 2006).
3.4.1 Sample Size
A sample refers to a subset of an entire target population (Cooper & Schindler, 2006). An
acceptable sample size in surveys differs significantly whereas Mugenda and Mugenda
(2013) indicates that a sample up to 30% is suitable, other scholars such as Cooper and
Schindler (2006) argued that a formula can be used to determine the sample size. This
study therefore used a formula to determine the sample size. Yamane (1957) formula was
adopted in this study at a confidence level of 95% as shown in the equation:
n = N______
1 + N (e)2
Where n is the sample size, N is the population size and e is the margin of error.
n = __ 400_____
1 + 400 (0.05)2
Using the formula, the sample size was 200 employees out of the 400 who were
stratified. The sample size was 50% of the target population which was above the 30%
recommended by Mugenda and Mugenda (2003) hence it is sufficient. Table 3.2 indicates
the stratification method.

Table 3.2 Sample Size Stratification

Level of Employment Population Sample Size
Top Management 56 28
Middle and Lower level management 128 64
Subordinate Staff 216 108
Total 400 200
3.5 Data Collection Instruments
The study utilized primary data which was collected using a structured questionnaire. A
structured questionnaire collects quantitative data which can enable analysis of
quantitative trends such as descriptive and inferential. The questionnaire was grouped
into two sections, A which asks about the background information and B which asks
about the objectives of the study. The questionnaire will be structured in a Likert scale of
five points.
3.6 Validity and Reliability of the Research Instrument
A pilot test was conducted on the instrument before it is used in the survey. Creswell
(2014) refers to a pilot as a trial to ensure that the instrument is reliable and valid. The
observations in the pilot were used to improve the instrument further. A pilot study was
done to help in refining the questionnaire by administering it to 10 participants from a
nearby sub county, ideally Molo sub county offices who were not part of the selected sample
size. The administration of a pilot study was further meant to improve the research instrument
readability and reduce misinterpretations by the
participants. The participants in a pilot study can be between 1 and 10 percent of the
sample size and hence a sample size of 10 respondents was 5 percent according to
Creswell (2014).
3.6.1 Validity of the Research Instrument
Validity implies the meaningfulness of a research instrument (Mugenda & Mugenda,
2013). Celsi et al (2011) further argued that validity demonstrates the ability of a research
instrument to measure what it is supposed to. This study established content validity
whereby, the opinion of the supervisor and other HR practitioners was established. The
suggestions they gave for improvement was incorporated into the questionnaire.
3.6.2 Reliability of the Research Instrument
Cooper and Schindler (2006) refer to reliability as the consistency with which an
instrument captures the same concept if subjected to repeated trials. It can be measured
through internal consistency whereby Cronbach Alpha coefficient is the measure. In this
study, Cronbach Alpha was the unit of measurement and the threshold for reliability was
set at 0.7.
3.7 Data Collection Procedures
The process involved first obtaining an introduction letter from the national government and then
applying for the National Human Resources coordinator. With those two letters, a visit to the
Sub County offices was conducted to be issued with a letter from the Sub County office. The
researcher then sought permission to survey Nakuru county after introducing the
topic and the intention of the research. Consent was sought from the respondents before
the process and the method were drop and pick for a duration not exceeding 3 weeks.

3.8 Data Analysis and Presentation

The study collected quantitative data which was analyzed through quantitative methods
using descriptive (percentages, Mean and Standard deviation) and inferential statistics
(correlation and regression). The tool used was Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS) version 22. The descriptive statistics were frequency, mean and standard
deviation. Correlation and regression on the other hand were considered to establish the
relationship between the variables. The results were presented in form of Figures and
Tables. The multivariate regression model was as shown below:
Y = βo + β1 X1 + β2 X2 + β3 X3 + β4 X4 + ɛ
Y is Employee Performance
X1 = Evaluation
X2 = Management by objectives
X3 = Performance appraisal design
X4 = 360 degrees’ appraisal method
ɛ = error term.

3.9 Ethical Considerations

The researcher conducted the study with full observance of the ethical issues in a survey.
The principles of respect were observed fully. A consent was sought from the participants
before the process and that was signed in a hard copy. Besides, the participants were
given a right to withdraw from the interrogation at will without being coerced. They were
also informed about the nature of the survey, its implications and purpose. The study
observed confidentiality matters and ensured that anonymity is upheld as much as
possible whereby the respondent’s names were not asked of nor written in order to allow
them to be as free as possible to give the right information