Pay reward system management and staff performance in Nigeria: a study of the Delta state civil service Kelly Bryan Ovie Ejumudo7 7 Department of Political Science, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria. Contact:drkellypaulovieejumudo@yahoo.com. Abstract This study examines pay reward system management and staff performance in Nigeria: using the Delta sate civil service as a focus. The data utilized in this study were obtained from both primary and secondary sources. While the primary data were derived from focus group discussions, the secondary data were obtained from relevant textbooks, journals and government documents. The findings of the study indicate that the incongruence of the pay reward system of the Delta state civil service and the central guiding principles of fairness, costs of living and moderation, the in-grained culture of poor performance and the dysfunctional employee mode of entry have negatively impacted on the performance of staff. The study made some useful recommendations including the exigency of a fair, moderate, dynamic pay reward system that should be reflective of the prevailing societal costs of living, the dismantling of the culture of poor performance and a merit-based employee entry practice. Key words: Pay Reward System, Management, Staff Performance, Nigeria. Introduction Reward systems are arguably at the heart of employee performance. This assertion is premised on the understanding that reward systems have the potency of engendering higher levels of performance in organizations through the stimulation and direction of employees along the path of goal accomplishment (Ejumudo, 2011). As a matter of fact, employees are the most critical of all organizational resources and their capacity to function and meet the expected standards is a function of both their inward potentials and the outward environment in which they operate. This nature-nurture perspective of explaining the indicators of employee performance underscores the indispensability of reward systems as integral part of organizational environments. In this light, it is instructive to assert that well rewarded employees are much likely to feel valued and cherished by their organizations. Despite the arguably important nexus between reward systems and employee performance in both public and private sector organizations, it is worrisome to note that the much-desired employee performance that is a critical input for sustainably increasing organizational productivity is largely absent and consequently a constraining factor to the actualization of organizational goals and objectives. For instance, while Akerele (1991) blamed the low productivity level of Nigerian workers on several factors, particularly the failure of employers to provide adequate compensation for hard work, Markova and Ford (2011) emphasized that the real success of organizations originate from employees willingness to use their creativity, abilities and know-how in the direction of their organizations’ growth and development path in response to the favourably stimulating and encouraging reward practices. This study examines the relationship between the pay reward system management and staff performance in the Delta State Civil Service. Statement of the Problem In the face of the importance of an integrated sustainable pay reward system management and practice in the performance of employees in both public and private sector organizations, it is disheartening to note that pay reward systems and practices in the Nigerian public sector are largely disconnected from the demands of fairness, prevailing realities and moderation. The environment created by this reward system and practice has the potency of constituting a cog in the much-desired process of initiating and sustaining the attraction, motivation and retention of a team of competent, efficient, goal-driven, proactive and value-adding human resource in organizations and institutions. This study examines the relationship between the pay reward system management and practice and staff performance in the Delta state civil service. Objectives of the Study The objectives of the study are to: i. Examine the relationship between pay reward system management and staff performance in the Delta state civil service. ii. Assess the relationship between pay reward practice and staff performance in the Delta state civil service. iii. Make useful recommendations that will engender an integrated sustainable pay reward system management and practice in the Delta state civil service that will be cognisant of the dynamics of the prevailing economic realities and costs of living. Research Questions i. Is there any relationship between the pay reward system management and staff performance in the Delta state civil service? ii. Is there any relationship between the pay reward practice and staff performance in the Delta state civil service? Reward System: A Conceptual Understanding Reward systems emphasize the importance of considering all aspects of compensation as an integrated and coherent whole. All the elements of reward-base pay, pay contingent on performance, competence or constitution, employee benefits and non-financial rewards-are deliberately linked together so that they are mutually supportive. Reward systems also refer to all the employer’s available tools that may be used to attract, retain, motivate and satisfy employees (Armstrong, 2012). This encapsulates the totality of investment that an organization makes in its people and everything its employees value in the employment relationship. In a simplistic parlance, the notion of reward systems mean that there is more to rewarding people than throwing money at them (World at Work, 2010). It essentially connotes that the monetary values in the reward package still matter, but they are not the only factors as Murlis and Watson (2011) rightly articulated. Reward systems are based on building a much deeper understanding of the employee agenda across all elements in employment relationships. Reward System Management: A Conceptual Clarification Reward system management is concerned with the formulation and implementation of strategies and policies that aim to reward people fairly, equitably and consistently in accordance with their value to the organization (Armstrong, 2012). It deals with the design, implementation and maintenance of reward practices that are geared to the improvement of organizational, team and individual performance. Reward system management is an integral part of a human resource management (HRM) approach to managing people. It supports the achievement of the organizational strategy in the sense that it addresses longer term issues relating to how people should be valued for what they do and what they achieve and it is integrated with other HRM strategies, especially those concerning human resource development. Reward system management is concerned with developing a positive employment relationship and psychological contract and adopting a ‘total reward’ approach which recognizes that there are a number of ways in which people can be rewarded (Cascio, 2012). It embraces both financial and non-financial rewards and recognizes the integration of the two core elements in order to maximize the effectiveness of reward policies and practices. Reward system management is premised on a well-articulated philosophy- a set of beliefs and guiding principles that are consistent with the values of organizations and accepts HRM as investment in human capital from which a reasonable return is required. It focuses on the development of the skills and competencies of employees in order to increase the resource based capability of organizations and it is an integrated process which can operate with flexibility (Andrew, 2005). Strategic Aims of Reward System Management The overall strategic aim of reward system management is to develop and implement the reward policies, processes and practices required to support the achievement of organizational goals by helping to ensure that it has the skilled, competent, well-motivated and committed people it needs (Mintzberg, 2011). The philosophy underpinning the strategy is that people should be rewarded for the value they create. The objective is therefore to create reward processes that are based on beliefs about what the organization values and is prepared to pay for. The reward strategy will be driven by the need to reward the right things to convey the right message about what is important in terms of expected behaviours and outcomes (Federick, 1986). Brown (2011) asserts that reward strategy is ultimately a way of creating value and recognizing that effective reward system management encapsulates the process of clearly defining goals that are linked to organizational objectives, designing pay and reward system management programmes that are tailored to the needs of organizations and their people in a consistently integrated fashion. The basic purpose of reward system management is thus to support the macro organizational strategy, align reward policies and processes to corporate needs and provide a sense of purpose and direction and a framework for reward planning (Quinn, 2010). The criteria for an effective reward system management are that it should link reward plans to corporate goals; reflect and help to enact organizational values; be clear on the goals but flexible in achieving them; be justified in terms of how it will help to meet business needs; take account of the resources available and contain achievable plans for implementation which will establish priorities that are incremental. Pay Reward System The debate as to whether money motivates is still on-going. There is however the contention that money can take on varying degrees of importance because it has the potential of serving sundry needs (Bright, 2012). More importantly, pay reward system is a product of an organization’s philosophy and policy that provide guidelines for the implementation of reward strategies and the design of incentives and packages. This understanding explains why the policy direction and the level of rewards of an organization is an indicator of its pay reward system whether the company is a high payer, is content to pay average. Pay reward system that is an out-growth of policy refers to the ‘pay stance’ of an organization. Pay reward system is a function of the inter-play between the extent to which the organization demands high levels of performance from its employees, the degree to which there is competition for good quality people, the traditional posture of the company, the organization culture and the level of commitment to the dynamics of a competitive high pay (Atiomo,1984). Pay reward systems are therefore externally competitive and internally equitable, but may have to sacrifice its ideals of equity to the realism of the market place. They also involve an integrated approach that relates pay to individual, team or organizational performance and encompass processes that encourage flexibility in response to fast-changing conditions (Anikpo, 1994). The three major determinants of pay reward systems are pay equity, pay level and pay administration practices. Staff Performance: A Conceptual Understanding Staff Performance is a multi-dimensional construct, the measurement of which varies depending on a variety of factors (Bates and Holton (2009:13). It can be simply understood to mean the record of outcomes achieved among staff. Kane (2010:23) argued that performance is something that employees leave behind and that exists apart from the purpose. Bernadin et al (2010) also opined that performance is the outcome of work because they provide the strongest linkage to the strategic goals of organizations, customer satisfaction, and economic contribution. This refers to outputs/outcomes (accomplishments) and it is about doing the work as well as being about the results achieved. Staff performance should therefore be regarded as behaviour – the way in which organizations, teams and individuals get their work done. Campbell (2009) posited that staff performance is behaviour and should be distinguished from the outcomes, because they can be contaminated by system factors. A more comprehensive view of staff performance is achieved if it is defined as embracing both behaviour and outcomes of employee. This is well articulated by Brumbach (2010:10) who asserted that performance means both behaviours and results. Behaviours emanate from the performer and transform performance from abstraction to action. Not just the instruments for results, behaviours are also outcomes in their own right – the product of mental and physical effort applied to tasks – and can be judged apart from results. The above understanding of staff performance leads to the conclusion that when managing the performance of teams and individuals both inputs (behaviours) and outputs (results) should be taken into consideration. This is the so-called ‘mixed model’ (Hartle, 2010). Pay Reward System Management and Staff Performance Managing staff performance through effective pay reward system management is a strategic and integrated approach to delivering sustained growth and development in organizations by improving the performance of the people who work in them and by developing the capabilities of teams and individual contributors (Armstrong and Baron, 2012). This pay reward system-staff performance linkage is strategic in the sense that it is concerned with the broader issues facing organizations if they are to function effectively in their environments and with the general direction in which they intend to go in order to achieve longer-term goals. It is integrated because it links different aspects of human resource management, especially organizational development and reward in order to achieve a coherent approach to the management and development of people (Hulin and Water, 1971). Ensuring sustained higher levels of employee performance through competitive pay reward system is a way of achieving organizational goals. This process is owned and driven by line management. The pay reward systems bring about high productivity of workers and in turn help the organization to accomplish its goal. Locke and Latham (2013) argue that an individual’s motivation is enhanced when feedback on performance is available, that is the extent to which the individual is committed to pursuing the goal even when things get rough. Goal commitment is likely to be enhanced when goals are made public and when they are set by the individual rather than imposed externally. According to Humble (2012), a major aspect of management by objectives is the intension that the process should attempt to harmonize individual and organizational goals. In order for the organization to achieve its goals there is need to integrate the personal goals with the goals of the organization and this can be done by an effective reward system that brings about employees’ high productivity. Without adequate pay reward system, current employees are likely to leave and it will also be difficult to engage new people. The outcome of pay dissatisfaction may detract from the objective of enhancing organizational productivity and suggest a decline in the quality of work life. In severe cases, pay issues may lower employee performance, increase grievances or cause workers to quit (Andrea, 2012). Poorly remunerated jobs can also lead to absenteeism and other forms of employee withdrawal. Even over-payment can harm the organization and its people, causing anxiety, guilt and discomfort as Thompson (2013) explicitly stated. Public Service Reward System in Nigeria From the colonial period to date, there have been series of reviews in terms of grading and wage structures as well as other conditions of services in the public service of Nigeria. These reviews were effected either by unilateral revision of rates of pay by employers, by series of tripartite provincial wages committees or through ad-hoc fact-finding committees and commissions of enquiry set up by government. Some of these are listed below: Adebo Wages and Salaries Review Commission (1970-1971) This Commission was headed by Chief S.O. Adebo. It looked into wages and salaries as affected by the cost of living and the development of the national economy. With wide terms of reference covering review of wages and salaries in the public service, rationalization and harmonization of pay and conditions of employment between the public and private sectors, consideration of the need to establish a system of constant review and harmonization of remunerations in the public services, the commission was said to have gone beyond its terms of reference and recommended a new 20-grade salary structure. The commission also defined the role and responsibilities of permanent secretaries and handled issues of management of statutory corporations, productivity, prices and incomes policy, and the requirements for better industrial relations. It also recommended the establishment of a public service review commission. Furthermore, it reduced the wage zones to three, raised the minimum wage rates per zone and gave some percentage increases to the established and monthly rated staff (OHSF, 1988). The above first phase was characterized by a multifarious grading and pay structure based on the traditional British Civil Service concept of classes, viz: administrative, professional, clerical, technical, skilled and unskilled, etc. There were then more than 600 cadres having arbitrary relationship with the work contents of the various posts. The several salary scales could not be scientifically related to one another and the differentials in pay amongst the various levels in the promotional ladder were invariably too insignificant to make promotion meaningful to the recipients. During this period, the review machineries (e.g., the provincial wages committee, 1937 and the Whitley Council, 1948) did not function efficiently and failed, either for reasons or their composition or political complication. It is relevant to note that the grading referred to here “laid emphasis on academic attainments which seldom have any direct bearing on the output requirements of the positions. The logic in the old system was that if a capable person was employed as judged by the academic performance, it allowed that his/her services would provide an equitable return on the employer’s investment in terms of his/her salary” (OHSF, 1988). Udoji Public Service Review Commission (1974) Specifically, the commission examined, among others things, the organization, structure and management of the public services; investigate and evaluate methods of recruitment and conditions and undertake the re-grading of all posts in the services, establish scales of salaries corresponding to such grades. The commission was thus confronted with a fundamental question of how to design a reward system that would meet the needs of the dynamic and expanding Nigerian economy. In implementing the white paper on the Udoji recommendations, the extremely powerful top bureaucracy under the Gowon regime, spurred by huge revenue surpluses from oil, decided to facilitate the implementation of the handsome remuneration package (Yahaya and Akinyele, 1992). The more fundamental aspects of the report were to be implemented as soon as conditions were conducive’, which turned out to be never. Thus, throughout the nearly three decades of its post-independence life, the Nigerian Civil Service had to be contend with major institutional and structural problems which, in no small measure, combined not only to drastically weaken its capacity to perform but also its creditability in the face of both government and the general public (FMI, 1974). 1988 Civil Service Reforms The 1988 Reform was instituted against this background. The rationale for the Reforms becomes obvious from the myriad of problems which had bedevilled the Civil Service and which had severely constrained its efficacy. Issues and Problems of the Public Service Reward System in Nigeria The public service reward system in Nigeria has been plagued with sundry problems including wage determination by wage tribunals, unrealistic pay indicators, gap between the public and the private sectors and economic mismanagement and erosion of pay by inflationary trend. Wage Determination by Wage Tribunals Wage determination by wage tribunals may be a reflection of the manipulation by the elite in the Nigeria society, apart from the fact that it could be unilateral in approach. Moreover, wage tribunal system may not be consultative enough and could consequently fail to capture the different determinants that should be considered in arriving at a pay system that is both rewarding and objective. Wage tribunal system appears to be fiat-like in approach and the final product may not be a comprehensive and holistic representation of the realities on ground. Unrealistic Pay Indicators The indices used in determining pay could be unrealistic and faulty. Any pay system that does not take into cognizance the demand and supply implications of the economic system of any society lacks the potencies of actualizing a pay reward system that will be a critical input in the productive output or outcome of that society. Gap between the Public and the Private Sectors The difference in the pay system of the public sector when juxtaposed with that in the private sector may be unrealistic and disturbing considering the fact that they are operators in the same socio-economic environment. The operating authority in the public sector in ensuring a reasonable measure of comparability between public and private sectors seem to be also handicapped by inadequate control of the private sector by relevant authorities. It is gathered that there are pays which cannot be related to the economy of the country and the presence of many such pays render the public sector pay incomparable in any sense. Erosion of Pay by Inflationary Trend In the civil services of Nigeria, salary and wages have been mainly handled centrally at the federal level (Yahaya and Akinyele, 1992). The major problems are its inappropriateness as a tool for coping with inflation. In this context, the pay reward system is conservative to the extent that it does not reflect the changing inflationary trend. The financial capacities of civil servants are consequently largely eroded because of the dwindling purchasing power of their pay. Theoretical Framework For purpose of this study, the equity theory of Adam and the expectancy theory of Vroom were adopted. According to Adam (1964), people make comparisons between themselves and other in terms of what they invest in their work (input) and what outcomes they receive from it. Their senses of equity or fairness or applied to their subjective view of conditions and not necessarily to the objective situation. The theory states that when people perceive an equal situation, they experience “equality tension” which they attempt to reduce by appropriate behavior. This behavior may be to act positively to improve their performance and seek to improve rewards, or mat be to act negatively, for instance, working more slowly (on the grounds of being under rated or under paid). Managers should be advised to reflect on the idea of equity theory especially in recognizing that subject perceptions are extremely powerful factors in motivation. According to Jaque (2011), questions of equitable payment in relations to discretion or autonomy available to an individual in the job are key factors in achieving a sense of fairness at work. The expectancy theory, on the other hand, provides a guide for understanding the condition under which an economic incentive system (such as performance, contingent rewards) might be successful (Vroom, 1964). A key point of this theory is that an individual’s behaviour is formed not on objective reality, but on his or her subjective perception of the reality. The core of the theory relates to how a person perceives the relationship between three things, effort, performance and rewards. Vroom also explains three factors which stimulate an individual to put effort into things or work which is based on the individual perception of the situation. These includes: expectancy, that is to extent of the individual’s perception or believes that a particular act will produce a particular outcome, instrumentality that is the extent to which the individual perceive that effective performance will lead to desired rewards and valence, that is the strength of the belief that attractive reward potentially available. Vroom also distinguished “valence” from value, by defining the formal in terms of the anticipated satisfaction the individual hopes to obtain from the outcome or reward, and by defining “Value” in terms of the actual satisfaction obtained by the individual. As stated by Vroom the three factors expectancy, instrumentality and Valence combine together to create a driving force which eventually motivates an individual to put in effort, achieving a level of performance and obtain rewards. Vroom opined that force was a multiple of expectancy and valence. The expectancy theory takes a compressive view of the motivation process, underscores the importance of individual perceptions of reality in the motivational process and shows that individuals will only act when they have a reasonable expectancy that their behavior will lead to the desired outcomes. The utilitarian value of Adam’s equity and Vroom’s expectancy theories is evident in their relevance in explaining the relationship between pay reward system management and staff performance in the Delta State Civil Service. Research Methods This study adopted a qualitative case study method. This research method, according to Yin (2003), has three aspects viz: investigation of a contemporary phenomenon within its real life context, the existence of boundaries between the phenomenon and the real life context and the use of multiple sources of evidence. The qualitative case study method also lends itself to exploratory, descriptive and explanatory methods. Yin emphasized that exploratory research attempts to find out about a situation, while the descriptive and explanatory research types respectively seek to know “what happened” and how and “why it happened.” This study which examined pay reward system and staff performance in the Delta state civil service utilized both primary and secondary sources of data. Primary Data The primary data utilized in this study were derived from focus group discussion sessions conducted by the researcher. Whether to test ideas for new projects, to uncover attitudes to volunteering or understand the needs of the community, focus groups are a straightforward way for research into topical issues that can benefit from the vast ideas and experiences of experts and significant others from different or related fields of study. Focus groups have proved to be a highly insightful research technique for engaging a group of people with a question, product or idea. Bringing together a group to discuss a particular topic provides a more natural setting than one-to-one interviews, as it allows participants to share their ideas and experiences and through discussion new strands of thought can emerge (Stone, 2013). This qualitative research method can generate rich data in a less resource intensive manner than interviewing. Using focus group discussion technique to engage with questions of local, national or global significance can form part of the design process of a wider survey, or it can uncover the opinions of key stakeholders. The design, size and facilitation of a focus group can be flexible, although a key to its success is having clear aims and objectives and keeping it enjoyable and useful for the participants so as to ensure the information gathered is the most useful. Focus groups in this study were structured in a manner that the researcher interacted with the participants so as to allow conversations to flow and develop, rather than to encourage expected answers. To enable these conversations to occur, it is important to clearly plan the focus group sessions, create a topic guide and think carefully about the facilitation of the session or sessions (Charleson, 2012). In order to ensure the fruitful use of the focus group discussion (FGD) technique, a topic guide was planned in advance and the areas for discussion were outlined with key ideas and questions to be discussed. The topic guide was constructed with some degree of flexibility because the topics may be covered in a different order. To guarantee robust and insightful discussion sessions, the mix of individuals that participated was carefully determined by the researcher who facilitated during the discussion sessions. The importance of this approach is evident in the fact that more interesting ideas can emerge from a diverse range of individuals, as their experiences and attitudes may be broader as Bolt (2011) rightly articulated. Three sessions were conducted with three different groups made up of six (6) participants each. There is no optimal number of participants advocated in the literature, but in order to fully involve every participant and avoid uncontrollable discussion sessions, Frich-Lyon, (1981) recommended 8-12 participants, Viassof (1990) recommended 6-12 participants, Oke and Oluwadare (2002) recommended 5-8 participants and Andrew (2010) recommended 6-8 participants. In this study, the researcher used six (6) persons. The three groups were made up of civil servants and political public servants. While the first group comprised of directors in the office of the head of service, the second and the third groups were made up of permanent secretaries and commissioners on the board of the Delta state civil service commission. The three FGD sessions were conducted in three different days during the month of May, 2014. Before the FGD commenced, the researcher discussed fully the issues with the participants to ensure they clearly understood them. The discussion was guided by the selected topic pay reward system management and staff performance in the Delta state civil service and it was introduced by the researcher as the facilitator. Different questions relevant to the above topic were asked and the discussions took place in a friendly and productive manner with an observer in each of the three focus group discussion sessions. According to Woods (2012), it may also be helpful to include observers in addition to the facilitator, either for writing notes or ‘sparks’ who take a role in discussion offering opposing arguments to encourage new ideas into the group if necessary. Also, the focus group discussions were recorded in order to ensure that the data captured can be analyzed later. This can be achieved through detailed note taking, although a preferred option is to record the session, so that a transcript of what was said can be written up later. Digital recorders are usually available for hire from your university. It should be noted transcription takes considerable time to carry out. A debrief of the session with the facilitators and any observers is also useful as they may have further insights (Opara, 1984). Secondary Data The secondary data in this study were derived through the content analysis instrument. This instrument was utilized in collecting relevant data from texts, journals, newspapers and magazines in an analytical manner that is fruitful for the study. Content or textual analysis enables a researcher to carry out an in-depth analysis of existing data and to provide explanation for them in a manner that is useful and fruitful as Richard (2012) rightly emphasized. Data Analysis Analyzing focus group discussions involve firstly revisiting your aims and objectives and looking through the detailed notes or a full transcript if you have had the time to produce one. The analysis is aimed at identifying key themes and points of consensus or disagreement as well as noting useful quotations which reflect the purposes of your research (Woods, 2012). In this study, all the notes taken at the focus group discussion sessions were read and transcribed. The transcribed versions of the focus group sessions were compared with the notes taken during FGD sessions to fill the identified gaps. The consensus in the opinions and the commonality in the ideas expressed and presented during the focus group discussion sessions constituted the basis for answering the research questions raised in this study. This process was supported with the qualitative data generated in the study through in-depth content analysis of cognate text books and journals (Richard, 2012) premised on the thematic discourse reward system management and staff performance in the Delta state civil service. Data Presentation In Nigeria, the civil service is the bedrock of the executive arm of government and, by implication, the nerve centre for the implementation of governmental policies. The Nigerian civil service is therefore responsible for the management of governmental machinery and me execution of the functions and duties that public administration demands. The strategic importance of the Nigerian civil service is evidently not subject to controversy primarily because of the pivotal position that it occupies in the Nigerian society. In fact, the notable importance of the Nigerian civil service may have accounted partly for the numerous commissions that have been set up to deal with the reward system affecting the governmental sector. The Udoji public service review commission (1974), for instance, addressed itself to reform measures that would enable both the federal and state governments to assume not only constructive roles in planning and administering development programmes. A key area addressed in the reform is the poor reward system. The commission was thus confronted with a fundamental question of how to design a reward system that would meet the needs of the dynamic and expanding Nigerian economy. Available data obtained during the focus group discussion sessions with directors in the office of the head of service of Delta State, some permanent secretaries in the service and commissioners on the board of the civil service commission of the state reveal that the indispensability of the state civil service is not in doubt despite the growing concern about its poor and abysmal performance. This agrees with the contention of Peters and Pierre (2007: 2) that although the failure of the public sector has its own negative consequences for government and society, yet; it is the major point of contact between citizens and the state. The Nigerian civil service has, in fact, come under severe attack for its performance dilemma despite the gargantuan of reforms in the sector (Ejumudo, 2011). The focus group discussion sessions also indicated that, in the face of the somewhat disappointingly low performance of the Delta State civil service and the poor service delivery record, the reward system is quite poor and its response to the changing economic realities is weak and slow. The discussants generally agreed that the poor reward system management in the Delta State civil service is a reflection of the generic trend that is obtainable and discernable in the Nigerian civil service. They were also of the opinion that while there is a weak relationship between the pay reward system and staff performance in the Delta State civil service, the relationship is not significant. This assertion was based largely on their argument that the real problematic issue is the worrisome and disturbing prevailing environment and culture of abysmally poor performance in the civil service, that the poor pay reward system is part of. They added that the reviews so far implemented in the Delta State civil service produced only a token effect considering the fact that the general attitude of civil servants in Delta State did not change in the face of such pay reward system reviews. The following tables representing the pay reviews in the Delta State Civil Service between 1993 and 2011 indicates that the pay reward system is not only quite poor and its response to the changing economic realities weak and slow, it is also in tandem with the informed views expressed by the various participants in the three focus group discussion sessions: Consolidated public service salary structure (CONPSS) Effective 1993 Pay Grade level 01 4356 02 4440 03 4560 04 5088 05 5760 06 7020 07 8748 08 12624 09 14568 10 17232 12 19416 13 21358 14 24276 15 25700 16 29112 17 31662 Source: National salaries, income and wages commission, Abuja. Harmonised public service salary structure (hapss) Effective 1st may, 1996 GRADE LEVEL PAY INCREMENT RATE 01 7500 3144 02 7725 3285 03 7919 3359 04 8228 3140 05 9103 3343 06 11612 4732 07 14522 5774 08 18240 5616 09 21026 6458 10 24284 7052 12 28584 9168 13 31585 10227 14 34601 10325 15 48977 23277 16 62355 33243 17 66927 35265 Source: National salaries, income and wages commission, Abuja. Consolidated public service salary structure (conpss) Effective 1999 Pay Grade level Increment rate 1 8437.50 937 2 8497.94 4433 3 8552.09 772 4 8877.17 958 5 9831.24 728 6 11752.38 140 7 15683.76 1161 8 19517.23 1277 9 22498.25 1472 10 25984.09 1700 12 30012.99 1428 13 33164.67 1579 14 36331.05 1730 15 51334.20 2357 16 65602.98 3247 17 70253.44 3326 Source: National salaries, income and wages commission, Abuja. Consolidated public service salary structure (conpss) Effective 1st january, 2004 PAY GRADE LEVEL INCREMENT RATE 01 12808.13 4371 02 12930.85 4433 03 13058.52 4506 04 13572.58 4695 05 15139.98 5308 06 18066.13 6454 07 26988.66 11305 08 34092.23 14575 09 39601.80 17103 10 46044.39 20060 12 53161.10 23149 13 56096.08 22932 14 64835.23 28534 15 88579.28 37245 16 98112.57 32510 17 109404.62 39151 Source: National salaries, income and wages commission, Abuja. Harmonised publicservice salary structure (Hapss) Effective january-may 2007 PAY GRADE LEVEL INCREMENT RATE 01 15600 2796 02 16032 3102 03 16440 2976 04 18288 4716 05 20664 5525 06 25044 6978 07 30576 3588 08 42768 8676 09 49392 9791 10 60000 13956 12 67704 14543 13 76032 19936 14 78336 13501 15 90312 1733 16 111703 13591 17 120298 10894 Source: National salaries, income and wages commission, Abuja. Consolidated public service salary structure (conpss) Effective from july 2010 GRADE LEVEL PAY INCREMENT RATE 01 17,073.14 1827 02 17,350.44 1827 03 17,586.94 1827 04 18,422.81 1827 05 20,875.19 900 06 25,451.75 900 07 40,642.53 900 08 52,507.12 900 09 61,671.16 900 10 72,386.61 900 12 83,495.65 900 13 93,183.57 900 14 102,914.50 900 15 135,603.03 900 16 169,127.29 900 17 296,566.83 900 Source: National salaries, income and wages commission, Abuja. Consolidated public service salary structure (conpss) Effective 23rd march, 2011 GRADE LEVEL PAY INCREMENT RATE 1 18,900.00 1826.86 2 19,177.23 1826.79 3 19,413.76 1826.82 4 20,249.64 1826.83 5 21,775.19 900.00 6 26,351.75 900.00 7 41,542.54 900.01 8 53,407.13 900.01 9 62,571.17 900.01 10 73,286.61 900.00 12 84,395.65 900.00 13 94,083.57 900.00 14 103,814.50 900.00 15 136,503.04 900.01 16 170,027.28 900.00 17 297466.83 900.00 Source: National salaries, income and wages commission, Abuja. The focus group discussion participants equally emphasized that the poor performance culture in the Delta State civil service manifest in sundry ways including poor response to deadlines on official assignments, inability to skilfully handle official responsibilities, absenteeism, lateness to work and truancy. The momentary token effect of pay reviews in the Delta State civil service has not over-time significantly reduced the level of the poor performance indicators mentioned above. Although, the discussants noted that the poor reward system management culture in the Delta State civil service has contributed to the existing climate of poor performance that has largely permeated the civil service, they opined that the relationship between the pay reward system management and staff performance in the service is weak. Data Analysis The central aim and objective of the focus group discussions was to identify the key areas of consensus or disagreement among the discussants. The out- come of the three focus group discussions on different aspects of the central theme “Pay Reward System Management and Staff Performance in the Delta State Civil Service” shows that the pay management practices are largely a deviation from acceptable principles that demands linking pay with the changing economic realities such as inflation. All the discussants agreed that there is a poor level of commitment by the Delta State Government to the dynamic trend in the pay reward system. There was also a commonality of opinion among the discussants on the culture of poor performance that has largely stifled the potential effects of the pay reviews executed so far in the Delta State Civil Service. In a similar vein, there was convergence of opinion by the discussants on the poor level of staff performance mainly due to the persisting culture of lackadaisical attitude to work and the enduring environment of poor performance in the Delta State civil service. In sum, the consensus in the opinions and the commonality in the ideas expressed and presented during the focus group discussion sessions constituted the basis for answering the research questions raised in this study. This process corroborated and modestly re-enforced the qualitative data generated in the study through in-depth content analysis of cognate text books and journals premised on the thematic discourse “Pay Reward System Management and Staff Performance in the Delta State Civil Service”. Consequent upon the data presented and analyzed above, the two research questions in this study-is there any relationship between the pay reward system management and staff performance in the Delta state civil service and is there any relationship between the pay reward practice and staff performance in the Delta state civil service are partly and insignificantly sustained and accepted. Summary of Findings This study came up with some valuable findings. Such findings became possible through the use of selective utilization of focus group discussion and in-depth library and documentary sources of information. First and foremost, the study revealed the existence of poor pay reward system and poor pay reward system management in the Delta State civil service. The study also revealed that the poor pay reward system and poor pay system management are not significantly responsible for the low level of staff performance in the Delta Sate civil service. The study further show that the major reason for the low level of staff performance in the Delta Sate civil service is the persisting and enduring environment and culture of poor attitude to work and poor performance. This culture of poor performance has largely manifested in sundry ways including: poor response to deadlines on official assignments, inability to skilfully handle official responsibilities, absenteeism, lateness to work and truancy. Conclusive Remarks and Recommendations Reward systems are arguably central to employee performance. This assertion is premised on the understanding that reward systems have the potency of engendering higher levels of performance in organizations through the stimulation and direction of employees along the path of goal accomplishment. And, in so far as employees are the only resource that can deliberately frustrate the accomplishment of organizational goals, the total environment of work should be adequately rewarding. In fact, employees are the most critical of all organizational resources and their capacity to function and meet the expected standards is a function of both their inward potentials and the outward environment in which they operate. In this light, it is instructive to assert that well rewarded employees are much likely to feel valued and cherished by their organizations. To actualize the facilitating role of pay reward system management in the increasingly sustainable levels of employee performance in the Delta State civil service, there is a need for the recognition and acceptance of adequate pay reward system that relates existing pay to the dynamic trend of economic realities. Moreover, the enduring climate and culture of lackadaisical attitude to work and poor performance should be dismantled and altered through a process of re-orientation that will be engineered by the Delta State Government and top management of the civil service. Once a regime of genuine commitment from both government and top management is in place and discernable, other employees are largely likely to give more than a token support to the new environment of work. 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