Abstract
Employee motivation is an important factor which determines the success of any organisation. The aim of the study was to explore what motivates staff for higher performance within the NGO. A qualitative research approach was used. The findings showed that whilst there are many factors which influence staff motivation, like working conditions, training and development opportunities and many others, challenges in performance management implementation and leadership challenges play a major role in influencing staff motivation for higher performance. The study showed that implementation of factors like rewards, recognition and performance incentives become effective as motivators if they are incorporated into an effective performance management system. For effective implementation and understanding of the performance management system, the findings proposed the fusion of Western and Afrocentric Performance Management Perspectives, effective interpersonal leadership principles and enhancing intrinsic motivation by investing in non-monetary forms of rewards. The study was intended to contribute to the current body of knowledge on performance management, incentives policies and factors influencing staff motivation in the NGO sector.
Keywords: Leadership, employee motivation, performance management and Afrocentric Performance Management perspective.