Analysing effects of professional burnout on procurement performance in Tanzania

Abstract

The increasing demand for procurement professionals to perform well even when the odds are against them breeds workplace burnout which is a feeling of dissatisfaction, cynicism and disinterestedness in their jobs. This paper analyses causes of burnout amongst procurement professionals and explain sits effect on procurement performance. The study on which the paper is based adopted a descripto-explanatory design to explain the causes of burnout and its effect on procurement performance. Expert sampling was used to draw a sample of 156 professionals, but the actual respondents from whom the data were analysed were 109 professionals. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire that was sent to procurement professionals who were selected using the expert sampling method. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression (OLR) analysis. The findings of this study indicated that there was a statistically significant association between professional burnout and procurement performance (p = 0.000), and turnover intentions (p = 0.000). Further, the study used ordinal logistic regression (OLR) to establish the influence of burnout on procurement performance. The findings show that workplace tensions (p = 0.030), workplace recognition (p = 0.002) and individual factors (p = 0.042) were statistically significant causes of professional burnout affecting procurement performance. The study concludes that professional burnout has the potential of affecting procurement performance by neglecting governance tools and failing to achieve value for money. The study recommends that, to maintain and improve procurement performance, it is crucial that management implement workplace stress management interventions and establish robust workplace social support systems.