Effects of Intrinsic Incentives on Employees’ Job Performance: A Case of Iringa Airport, Tanzania
Judith. N. Charles *
Graduate School, University of Iringa, Tanzania.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study examined the effects of intrinsic incentives on employees’ job performance at Iringa Airport, Tanzania. Specifically, it analyzed five intrinsic levers: job description clarity, recognition, promotion fairness, targets as motivators, and challenging work. A mixed-methods, explanatory cross-sectional design was employed, combining structured questionnaires administered to 59 employees with key informant interviews for contextual insights. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability tests, and multiple linear regression (MLR) through SPSS. The findings revealed that all five intrinsic incentives had a positive and statistically significant effect (p < 0.05) on job performance. The regression model explained 93.6% (R² = 0.936) of the variation in employee performance, with diagnostic tests confirming model reliability. These results suggest that strengthening recognition practices, designing participatory and feedback-linked targets, clarifying roles, and ensuring transparent promotion systems are critical for enhancing employee performance in resource-constrained public-sector settings. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that Iringa Airport management strengthen recognition practices, ensure transparent promotion systems, and design participatory performance targets to enhance employee motivation and productivity. Therefore, future studies should examine how intrinsic incentives interact with extrinsic factors such as pay and work environment in other public institutions for broader policy insights.
Keywords: Intrinsic incentives, recognition, job description clarity, promotion fairness, employee performance