Why workers are fast losing interest in performance contracting

When former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui (right) congratulateed Raymond Komen, then newly appointed County Executive Committee (CEC) in charge of ICT moments after he was sworn in. [Harun Wathari, Standard]

'Concubine' is author Elechi Amadi's masterpiece of African literature that captures the practices of a village life in Nigeria. The novel's protagonist, a hardworking beautiful lady Ihouma, is the attraction of every man in the village. Yet any man who expresses love for her meets mysterious tragedy. Men after men continue to seek her, despite the tragedies that befell those who came before them.

This enticing odyssey, where exemplary attributes of men to win the lady seem not to bear fruits reflects emerging performance contracting outcomes in the ever changing workplace. Since inception in Kenya, performance contracting has been embraced by virtually every organisation as a means to an end in improving performance. However, overtime, the limitations of performance contracting have emerged, and are slowly anticipated to overshadow its benefits in the future.