The Impact of Organisational Stress on The Motivation of The Nigerian Police Personnel

Abstract

The police force in Nigeria is hindered by the long-standing issue of low motivation caused by insufficient pay, poor working conditions, lack of training and equipment, and high occupational risks. This has led to a demotivated and disengaged police force, resulting in poor performance and cases of violence and corruption. This study investigated the impact of operational and organizational stress on the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of Nigerian police personnel. The study adopted the ex–post facto design. The participants in the study consisted of officers of 405 personnel of the Nigeria Police, with a mean age of 41.3 years (SD = 6.9), comprising 307 males and 89 females. Three instruments were used to measure operational stress, organizational police stress, and work motivation. These include the Operational Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-OP), Organisational Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-ORG), and the Work Preference Scale (WPS). The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used as the statistical analysis tool in the study. Results revealed a significant effect of organizational stress on intrinsic motivation [F (1, 401) = 8.582, p = .004]. Organizational stress did not significantly affect extrinsic motivation [F (1, 401) = 1.377, p = .214]. The study concluded that organizational stress has a significant impact on intrinsic motivation. The study recommends designing targeted interventions to reduce workplace stress and improve extrinsic motivation.

Keywords: Organizational Stress, Motivation, Personnel, Nigerian Police