Effects of Unethical Behaviour on Organizational Performance in the Public Health Sector: A case of Baringo District Hospital Kabarnet , Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of unethical behaviors in the Kenya's Public Health Sector. Unethical behavior has the ability of reducing organization performance; it may cause disagreements, lawsuits, client dissatisfaction, poor service delivery, poor time management, and corruption among others. Some the unethical behaviours observable that may affect organizational performance includes; arrogance, ignorance, neglect, in attendance" absenteeism, alcohol consumption, smoking, and neglect among others. An organization's ability to bring forth ethical behavior that goes above and beyond the call of duty can be a key asset and one that is difficult for competitors to imitate. The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of unethical behavior on organizational performance in the Kenyan Public Health Sector. This was for the purpose of proposing appropriate strategies that could cultivate commitment, responsibility, accountability, trust, cooperation and compliance among health workers in the sector. The study was based on the Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura (1977). He stated that people learn from one another, by way of observation, imitation, and modeling. It was undertaken at Baringo District Hospital- Kabamet, Kenya. The study adopted a survey research design, with purposive sampling for the choice of the organization which is among the more than 200 Districts in Kenya. A census approach was used in collecting data since the Hospital had 182 personnel which could not be sampled further, with 174 respondents from the Hospital returning the questionnaires. This number was taken to represent both the entire public health sector. Questionnaires were used for data collection. The results showed that neglect, in attendance, poor time management, corruption, disputes, and dishonest were present in the sector. Its effects included; reduced work output, poor service delivery, absenteeism, and sometimes death of patients. It was recommended that organizational support and participatory systems be used to address unethical issues and the Public Officer Ethics Act, (2003) be adhered and implemented to curb these vices.