Socio-Cultural Environment: In a social system, the environment generally comprises institutions, history, law, ethics, philosophy, religion, education, traditions, beliefs, values, symbols, myths, and so on which may be described as material or non-material culture (Sharma et al, 2011). These are capable of forming, shaping, or placing boundaries (Peters, 1984) on developments and sub-systems that enter into transactions with the environment, with the aim of influencing or being influenced by them (Riggs, 1979). Public Administration is far-reaching in scope and must always take into consideration, the culture within the environment it is expected to serve since culture is a way of life. The content of culture as explained by Sharma et al (2011) provides justification for the views of Peter (1984) and Riggs (1979) on its ability to shape, influence or define the structure and content of public administration. This premise contributes to the thrust of this research. It is geared towards developing a springboard for improving the target-specificity and orientation of employee motivation strategies, policies and programs implemented in the course of administration particularly in developing countries.
Non-Administrative Criteria: ‘Non-administrative’ implies that the phenomena in question are not administrative in character. They include the unofficial considerations that may be economic, social, political, cultural, and so on or that may overlap. They are those factors with the capacity
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to impose particularistic obligations on the public administrators and interfere with goal attainment by diverting officials from the use of their labour to accomplish an organization’s presumed policies or goals (Riggs, 1961). This definition is broad-based and suffices in capturing the factors inherent in the socio-cultural environment of public administration that were evaluated in this research. In essence, these non-administrative criteria as implied are those distractions with far reaching consequences especially in the context of administration that may influence employee motivation in the Plateau State Civil Service.
Immediate-Work-Environment: It is the public workplace or the changing environment in which public servants work. It takes on new shapes affected by diverse cultural and organizational views on leadership and authority as against the established more traditional views of organizing that have always characterized public bureaucracies (Denhardt and Denhardt, 2009). Deriving from this view, the immediate-work-environment in this instance denotes the instant vicinity including the offices of the Plateau State Civil Service within which the employees carry out their public administrative duties guided by the predetermined formal and legal procedures, policies and structures which dictate and bind their conduct.
Motivation: It refers to motives in an action. It is that which promotes action, initiates movement or guides behaviour. Motives encompass the needs, wants, drives or impulses within the individual that arouse, direct and maintain his behaviour and activity toward a goal or reward. Motivation signifies the willingness of a person to do a job or task and the direction, strength and persistence of the individual’s behaviour at work. It is usually motivated by two types of factors: the intrinsic forces within the human being and the external stimuli which are perceived by the human beings as incentives, rewards or goals to be pursued (Polinaidu, 2004).
This research focuses on the factors to which the employees respond that have the capacity to
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elicit a corresponding commitment or apathy to the work or job content. As explained within the definition, they may be intrinsic or extrinsic. The research however was geared toward the assessment of the factors external to the work environment which also drive employees’
behaviour and willingness to carry out tasks.
Civil Service: This is the branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations. It is the body of employees in any government agency other than the military. It is the instrumentality through which the political office holders or elected representatives of the people exercise their powers and carry out their duty of law implementation (Obi and Obikeze, 2000). Adamolekun (1983) described the civil service as, ‘the body of permanent officials appointed to assist the political executive in formulating and implementing governmental policies’ and as referring to, ‘the ministries and departments within which specific aspects of government are carried out’. Section 318 of the Nigerian Constitution defines the civil service of the Federation as, ‘Service of the Federation in a civil capacity as staff of the Office of the President, the Vice-President, ministry or department of the Government of the Federation assigned with the responsibility for any business of the Government of the Federation’. Civil Service is basically, a term used to cover those directly employed by the state and federal governments. Adamolekun’s (1983) view on the Civil Service as having specific responsibilities that cover the execution of developmental policies and programs is workable for the research. The Civil Service assists the executive by ensuring policy continuity, the fulfilment of the obligations of the government to its citizenry and the economic growth of the nation.
Civil Service/Administrative Reforms: These are efficiency measures introduced to enhance public management performance. They entail a change in operating policies and programmes to
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enhance professionalism, improve administrative effectiveness, performance, qualification, job satisfaction and welfare of personnel and are a response to criticisms (real and anticipated) and or threats from the environment (Mosher, 1965; Okoli and Onah, 2002). To reform is to amend or make changes to a phenomenon to ensure that it performs according to expectations. Civil service/administrative reforms result from the assessment of inherent flaws, procedural gaps, output levels, performance inhibitors, etc. They are therefore, intentional efforts made and actions taken to realign and reposition the civil service. They ensure optimum performance especially with reference to national goals and objectives that emanate from the policy makers, the environment and the polity.
Performance: This entails the accomplishment of a given task measured against pre-set known standards of accuracy, completeness, cost and speed. In a contract, performance is deemed to be the fulfilment of an obligation in a manner that releases the performer from all liabilities under the contract. Performance entails evaluating the behaviour of employees in the work- spotincluding the qualitative and quantitative aspects of job performance (Carrell and Kuzmits, 1982). It refers to the degree of accomplishment of the tasks that make up an individual’s job and is an indicator of how well the individual is fulfilling the job demands. Performance is always measured in terms of results (Rao and Rao, 1997). As described by Rao and Rao (1997), performance centres on results. These results whether quantifiable or unquantifiable relate the quality of input to the processes and procedures being evaluated. It also entails the achievement of the best possible maximum utility or output with minimally inputted efforts of man and material in the face of lean resource bases.
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