Reward Practice and Employees Performance Relationships: An Empirical Study of Tertiary Educational Institutions of Higher learning in Ghana

The study aimed to explore the management of performance from the perspective of rewards, which has received much attention due to the huge investments continually been put into tertiary education globally. This quantitative study argues that there is the need to determine the reward that goes with the expected performance and that, it is through the identification of rewards for a particular task that leads to an effective attainment of an equitable balance between contributions from both the employee and the organization respectively. This quantitative study used a canonical correlational method, through the use of a self-administered survey to investigate the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to performance of educational institutions of higher learning in Ghana, focusing on both academic and non-academic employees. The findings from the analysis was statistically significant in defining relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic reward practices, and that both predicted performance of academic and non-academic employee of educational institutions of higher learning in Ghana. The findings therefore emphasize that employees of educational institution of higher learning in Ghana understand that when employees are psychologically satisfied intrinsically, then a social context is created for conducive teamwork and other discretionary behaviors be achieved extrinsically, for enhanced general working conditions at the work place.


Introduction and Problem Statement
The cliché that the financial rewards, in other words, money via good salaries represents the most influential factor in motivating individuals into producing the expected high performance has lost a bit of attention (Parking, et al., 2004, cited in Dobre, 2013. The focus of attention has now shifted from only providing financial rewards to other non-financial factors that motivate employees in the form of rewards, social recognition and performance feedbacks (Dobre, 2013). To find out the effect of motivation on the performance of employees, there is the need to identify incentive schemes that links rewards to performance. Lut (2012) traced the contributions of psychological studies on how motivation within a company affects performance, results and work efficiency. The relationship Lut (2012) remarked exists within two variables. One is to make individuals to attach much importance to perceived difficult tasks, and the other having the intensity of motivation manipulated to really measure the effect of the impact of motivational interventions. It is through the identification of rewards for a particular task that would lead to the effectiveness of otherwise for the implementation of a reward System (Striteska, 2012).
Although the effect of reward on performance is not a phenomenon that is disputable, however there is the need for managers to embrace and accept the complexities of the effect of motivation which is influenced by individual, cultural, ethnic and historical factors; which must be managed and incorporated in defining reward systems and strategies to motivate employees, and to increase performance for both the employees and the organization as a whole (Khanifar, 2014). In the context of higher educational institutions in the in Ghana where even a formal performance evaluation system is not even in place to measure and appraise employee performance (Zakaria, 2014;Ohemeng, 2011;Ohemeng, 2009), then the linkage and possibly interdependence and its overall impact on organizational performance is an area worth undertaken studies. The study would therefore provide comprehensive study on the influence of reward on the performance of employees of educational institutions of higher learning in Ghana.
formulation of the hypotheses on the assumption that reward system enables institutions strategies to motivate employees and increase performance (Khanifar, et al., 2014). The assumed causal relationship provided the conceptual framework in developing hypotheses for testing. Figure 1. Framework for measurements and hypotheses (researcher's material) H1: There is a statistically significant relationship between intrinsic reward practices and performance of employees of Higher Educational Institutions in Ghana. H2: There is a statistically significant relationship between extrinsic reward practices performance of employees of higher educational institutions in Ghana. The measurement of rewards as independent variables was guided by studies of Güngör (2011);Pan, et al. (2015); Khan, et al. (2014) as produced in Table 1. Key performance indicators have become one of the mediums for the generation of the required information and data for measuring performances of organizations. Accordingly, "key performance indicators (KPI) represent a set of measures focusing on those aspects of organizational performance that are the most critical for the current and future success of the organization" (Parmenter, 2015, p.4). They are therefore expected to be the measure of performance in the study and thus, became the dependent variables. As the determination of key performance indicators for academic employees of educational institutions of higher learning could not be the same as nonacademics, it became necessary that different variables were used.

Statistical Technique
Canonical correlation (Hotelling, 1936) is a suitable methodology for multiple dependent (criterion) and multiple independent (predictor) analysis (Daniel Shim & Lee, 2003;Enginyurt, 2016;Joo & Nimon, 2014;, was used to determine which individual independent variables would be a significant predictor of the dependent variable of performance. The process enables a linear combination of criterion variables that is maximally correlated with predictor variables (Canonical Function or pair 1) was determined to pair linear combinations having the largest correlation to all pairs uncorrelated with the initially selected pair (Canonical Function or Pair 2). The process continues until the maximum number of canonical functions (pairs) is equal to the fewest number of variables in the sets, to form the canonical functions (pairs). The significance of association of an acceptable lower bounds of loadings lies between 0.30 and 0.50 (Bech, 2012). In the study, the significance of association with the loadings is set at 0.45 (Prera, et al., 2012;Yu, et al., 2017).

Relationship between Intrinsic Rewards and Performance (Academic)
Although the canonical correlation analysis (Table 2) produced five functions, however four functions cumulatively explained about 94.86 % with squared canonical correlations of 0.11, 0.100, 0.082 and 0.039 respectively, and deemed significant to be analysed.
(3)  Vol.11, No.32, 2020 and Social Status. Therefore, some of the intrinsic rewards practices predicted performance of academic employees of educational institutions of higher learning in Ghana.

Relationship between Intrinsic Rewards and Performance (Non-Academic)
The canonical correlation analysis (Table 4) on twelve intrinsic rewards practices variables as predictors of the five non-academic performance variables yielded six functions with squared canonical correlations of 0.430, 0.302, 0.258, 0.150, 0.090 and 0.049 for each successive function respectively. The result (Table 5) produced six functional standardized canonical function coefficients. Observations made on Function 1 coefficients with the structured coefficient, the relevant non-academic performance variables were Professional Competence, Strategic Leadership/ Integrity/Confidentiality, Management Skills & Productivity, Initiation & Accountability, Services. Furthermore, Ability of Utilization, Independence, Authority, Social Status and Variety were the primary contributors. All the variables were positively related to Function 1 except for Achievement. For Function 2, the results suggest that the criterion variable of relevance was Strategic Leadership/ Integrity/Confidentiality and Administrative Procedures, and was also inversely related to this function, whiles Moral Values was only the predictor variable. On Function 3, Professional Competence as well as Initiation & Accountability were the criterion variables for non-academic, and none of the intrinsic reward practices were main contributors. Function 4, none of the performance variables was significant contributor, although Social Status and Variety were the major intrinsic reward contributors to the function whiles Achievement and Social Services were the key intrinsic reward contributors. With regards to Function 6, Administrative Procedures and Management Skills & Productivity were the main contributors' whiles Achievement and Creativity for intrinsic reward practices were significant contributors. From the above analysis some of the intrinsic rewards practices predicted performance of non-academic employees of educational institutions of higher learning in Ghana.

Relationship between Extrinsic Reward Practices and Performance (Academic)
The outcomes (Table 6) Vol.11, No.32, 2020 Table 7  Services were the main contributors of this function, having correlated significantly with Company Policies as extrinsic variable. Therefore, some of the extrinsic rewards practices predicted performance of academic employees of educational institutions of higher learning in Ghana.

Relationship between Extrinsic Reward Practices and Performance (Non-Academic)
The analysis (  Vol.11, No.32, 2020  Regarding the predictor variable set in Function 1, Co-workers and Working Conditions were the primary contributors. Touching on Function 2, the coefficients suggested that the criterion variable of relevance was Services. For extrinsic rewards practices, Recognition and Advancement were the leading predictors.
For Function 3, Strategic Leadership/Integrity/Confidentiality, Management Skills & Productivity and Initiation & Accountability for non-academic performance variables and Advancement and Compensation for the extrinsic rewards practices were the main contributors. Therefore, some of the extrinsic rewards practices predicted performance of non-academic employees of educational institutions of higher learning in Ghana.

Discussion
Based on the findings from the academic perspective, the statistical significance test for the full canonical correlation analysis was not substantial in defining relationship between intrinsic reward practices and performance (Wilks's λ of 0.69327, F (60, 865.38) = 0.178, p >.05); and extrinsic reward practices (Wilks's λ of 0.7607, F (40, 826.63) = 1.3383, p >.05) respectively, therefore a canonical correlation function analysis was conducted. Firstly, all the performance indicators were relevant in describing performance for intrinsic, and all but Research & Innovation for extrinsic rewards (See Appendix A & B). Further all the reward items had significantly positive relationship with performance, leading to rejection of null hypothesis H1 and H2 for intrinsic and extrinsic rewards respectively.
From the non-academic perspective, the statistical significance test for the full canonical correlation analysis was statistically significant in defining relationship between intrinsic reward practices and performance (Wilks's λ of 1.56997, F (72, 348.56) = 0.21693, p < .05); but statistically inadequate in describing relationship between extrinsic reward practices and performance (Wilks's λ of 0.5099, F (48, 333.73) = 1.02002, p >.05). Also, all the performance indicators were relevant in describing performance for both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards (See Appendix A & B). Exhibiting same findings as the academics, all the reward items had significantly positive relationship with performance, leading to rejection of null hypothesis H1 and H2 for intrinsic and extrinsic rewards respectively.

Conclusions
The study provided evidence with the positive relationship between reward practices and performance of employees of educational institution of higher learning in Ghana with the conclusion that dissatisfaction with rewards lowers employee commitment to their jobs. The findings therefore emphasize that employees understand the principal benefits of rewards as well as the relative significance of the different aspects of the reward propositions. Further when employees are psychologically satisfied intrinsically, then a social context is created for conducive teamwork and other discretionary behaviors be achieved extrinsically, for enhanced general working conditions at the work place. The implication here is that management of the respective institutions need to build Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.11, No.32, 2020 a reward package that is both internally and externally competitive to include both monetary and non-financial rewards. It therefore imperative that putting a proper performance related reward system in place thus becomes the grounds for institutions to achieve its set goals, objectives and strategies.