INFLUENCE OF EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT ON JOB SATISFACTION OF COMMERCIAL STATE CORPORATIONS IN KENYA

Abstract

Organizations are increasingly striving to empower their employees in the quest to ensure optimal teamwork, self-confidence, innovation, and fulfilment in the workplace. The general objective of the study was to establish the effects of employee empowerment on job satisfaction of commercial state corporations in Kenya. Furthermore, the study sought to achieve four specific objectives. To begin with, the study sought to assess the influence of job design on job satisfaction of commercial state corporations in Kenya. Additionally, the study sought to establish the influence of transformational leadership on job satisfaction of commercial state corporations in Kenya. The study also sought to establish the influence of employee involvement on job satisfaction of commercial state corporations within Kenya. Lastly, the study sought to establish the influence of knowledge-sharing practices on job satisfaction of commercial state corporations in Kenya. The study employed the descriptive research design in collecting data from the field. The target population of this study consisted of 55 commercial state corporations in Kenya. The sample size was 48 commercial state corporations. The subsequent collected data was cleaned and compiled into a dataset using MS Excel software. The multiple regression analysis revealed a strong positive linkage between job satisfaction and staff empowerment (r=0.794). Importantly, only job design (β =0.909), transformational leadership (β =0.149), employee involvement (β =0.008) and knowledge sharing practices (β =0.385) were found to have a significant influence on job satisfaction of Commercial State Corporations in Kenya (α<0.05). Besides the degree of influence that the sub-variables of employee empowerment had on job satisfaction varied. Job design had the highest level of influence, followed by Knowledge-sharing practices, Transformational leadership, and lastly, employee involvement. The study thus determined that employee empowerment had a significant relationship with job satisfaction in the commercial state corporations in Kenya. In particular, the study revealed that job design was the most dominant employee empowerment tool at commercial state corporations in Kenya. The study recommended that these organizations consider employee empowerment policies that aim to boost knowledge-sharing practices, transformational leadership and employee involvement