Effect of On-the-Job Training on Employee Performance: Insights from Tanzania’s Public Service Management and Good Governance Office

On-the-job training is widely regarded as a critical factor in enhancing employee performance and organizational productivity. It equips employees with practical skills and knowledge relevant to their roles, fostering efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. The study examined the effect of on-the-job training on employee performance at the President’s Office Public Service Management and Good Governance (PO-PSMGG) in Dodoma. Utilizing a pragmatic philosophy and a mixed-methods research approach, data were elicited from 189 respondents and five key informants through questionnaires and interviews. The research employed simple random sampling to select respondents, and the data were subsequently analyzed utilizing frequencies, percentages, multiple linear regression, and content analysis. The results revealed that coaching has a positive yet minimal effect on employee performance, characterized by a coefficient of 0.059 and a significance level of 0.032. Conversely, mentorship emerges as a significantly more robust contributor to performance enhancement, with a coefficient of 0.304 and a highly significant p-value of 0.000. In contrast, job rotation exhibits a negative impact, reflected by a coefficient of -0.069 and lacking statistical significance. This study concludes that mentorship is the most influential factor among the three variables analyzed, significantly improving employee performance. Job rotation appears to have a negligible and potentially adverse effect on performance. The study recommends that organizations invest in comprehensive coaching programs, establish formal mentorship initiatives, encourage job rotation practices, and consistently assess the effectiveness of coaching, mentorship, and job rotation strategies. These measures should ensure alignment with organizational goals while effectively addressing the needs of employees.