Relationship among intrinsic rewards, organisational performance, and intentions to stay among academic staff in a selected South African higher education institution

This study examines the relationship among intrinsic rewards, organisational performance and academic staff intentions to stay at a selected South African higher education institution. A quantitative research design and descriptive research approach were adopted. Data were collected from 400 permanent academic staff using a structured questionnaire and analysed using IBM SPSS and IBM SPSS-AMOS (version 31), applying descriptive statistics, reliability tests, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings reveal that intrinsic rewards have a significant positive influence on both academic staff intentions to stay and organisational performance. In addition, intentions to stay significantly influence organisational performance. The study contributes to the limited empirical literature on intrinsic rewards, retention intentions, and organisational performance within the South African higher education context.