Motivational orientation of persons managing community water supply and sanitation programmes in the volta region of Ghana: An empirical study

Abstract

This paper reports on an investigation into factors that determined the decisions of Watsan members to participate in and commit themselves to management activities that would ensure the sustainability of water supply and sanitation programmes in their communities. The particular management activities considered for this study were Watsan meetings, implementation of decisions and promotion of hygiene and sanitation practices. The major finding was that there were emerging shifts in the motivational orientations of the Watsan members to initially provide voluntary services to their communities, which was based purely on normative values. The current trend is that their decisions to continue membership and to participate in and commit themselves to Watsan activities are increasingly being shaped by remunerative values. It implies that their continued membership and willingness to perform their management tasks satisfactorily, in future, would depend on how much satisfaction they derived from being members. It is argued that, the absence of these motivational factors will eventually make the Watsan Committees incapable of holding scheduled meetings regularly and frequently, effectively implementing their decisions and efficiently promoting hygiene and sanitation practices in their communities.