Value congruence is a key factor in enhancing employees’ performance, as it is linked to teamwork, professionalism, and ethical values (1). It describes how a person’s values and those of the company connect, which boosts motivation, job happiness, and overall performance (1). The three main components of value congruence that are the subject of this study are professionalism, teamwork, and work ethics. A sense of shared purpose, mutual understanding, and enhanced cooperation and productivity are all fostered when values are in line with those espoused within a team (2). A cohesive workplace is ensured by teamwork, which also improves cooperation, communication, and trust (3). Value congruence and professionalism are strongly related because people who share comparable professional values are more likely to collaborate to accomplish corporate goals (4). Because they direct decision-making procedures and foster an environment of trust and accountability, ethical values further strengthen the link between value congruence and workers’ performance (3). Organizations can establish a favorable work environment that encourages cooperation, professionalism, and moral behavior by cultivating alignment in these areas, which will ultimately improve both individual and team performance. The Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture’s Khomas Directorate of Education has come under fire for failing to uphold fundamental principles, including responsibility, dedication, empathy, honesty, professionalism, decency, cooperation, and openness (1). These organizational cultural flaws, which include a lack of professionalism, collaboration, and ethical standards, have a detrimental effect on employee performance and cause values and behaviors to diverge, which in turn affects the organization’s overall performance (5). Due to a clear lack of understanding among staff members about the significance of their roles and how they affect overall performance, the Human Resources (HR) division of the Khomas Directorate of Education has also been found to perform below expectations on a number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which undermines the effectiveness of the directorate (5). This research therefore sought to address the misalignment between employees’ values and organizational values (lack of value congruence) by examining the relationship between value congruence and employees’ performance at the Khomas Directorate of Education, offering recommendations to enhance organizational effectiveness. The study further interrogated the lack of teamwork, professionalism, and work ethics as value congruence dimensions affecting the Khomas Directorate of Education in the Khomas region. The main objective of the study was to assess the effects of value congruence on employees’ performance within the Khomas Directorate of Education in Namibia. The following research objectives were pursued in the study: to assess the relationship between value congruence and employees’ service delivery at the Khomas Directorate of Education; to examine the relationship between value congruence and employees’ job satisfaction and motivation at the Khomas Directorate of Education; to evaluate the relationship between value congruence and employees’ emotional intelligence (EI) at the Khomas Directorate of Education; and to explore the relationship between value congruence and employees’ teamwork and collaboration in the Khomas Directorate of Education.

The role of congruence values in shaping employees’ performance is well-documented, with significant positive impacts on motivation, satisfaction, and productivity. There are still issues, however, such as the dangers of leaders betraying common principles and the differences in value orientation between generations. In order to close these gaps, the current study focuses on value congruence in Namibia’s public education system, where enhancing employee performance requires alignment of organizational, ethical, and professional values. The results of this study could guide evidence-based initiatives that address systemic issues and promote value congruence, providing a path forward for long-term growth in public institutions.

Given the fact that value congruence leads to better performance, it is essential for employees to match their personal values with those of the company. It is not without difficulties, though, as cultural and generational differences can make alignment difficult. Although some research indicates a negative or no association because of personality factors, others have found a favorable correlation between employee performance and value congruence. The three value aspects of the educational system that are the subject of this study are professionalism, team value, and ethical value. By filling a vacuum in the research, the goal is to evaluate how value congruence affects workers’ performance at Namibia’s Khomas Directorate of Education. The study also emphasizes how crucial cultural congruence and person-environment fit are in influencing how employees perceive their performance. Further investigation into these theories and their application in educational settings in Namibia could provide valuable insights into enhancing employee performance through value alignment.

The section presents the data and results of the study in accordance with the research objectives and the research questions. In addition, an analysis of the data is provided in line with the research hypothesis that was formulated for the study. The results are further analyzed and discussed in the context of research that has been conducted on the topic, both current and previous.

The results in Figure 2 suggest that while the respondents expressed their ability to cultivate and practice various key values that are essential to enhance employee performance, some of those values may not have been as effective in the areas of service delivery. This may be because service delivery is a rather complex theme that encompasses various motivational factors (28). As such, while the influence of value congruence on service delivery may not be apparent, it may be worthwhile to explore the influence of some of the specific factors related to such values, which may drive service delivery. In this context, some of the specific values, such as ethical and professional values, may still feature as driving factors of employee performance. For instance, Felix et al. (29) argued for the preservation of a productive workplace under moral principles and the influence of moral leaders on followers by their unselfish actions and charitable qualities.

These test statistical results on the relationship between value congruence and employees’ job satisfaction and motivation conform with the descriptive statistics in Figure 3, which further show the importance of value congruence on employees’ satisfaction and motivation. By consequence, highly satisfied and motivated employees often deliver high performances and can deliver services that are satisfactory to the customers. For this reason, efforts to develop a contented and driven workforce to increase productivity continue to be vital in the modern day (30). At the same time, research by Rahman et al. (31) establishes that there is a positive or negative correlation between job satisfaction and human health, both mental and physical, adding that job happiness is as unique as a person’s emotions or mental health.

The results in Figure 4 imply that EI is tested to the limits in environments that are characterized by deteriorating values (32). In the current study, however, it is apparent that the organizational value congruence at the Khomas Directorate of Education is characterized by positive values and attributes as revealed by the data and results presented in the study. As such, it can be argued that such values would go a long way in influencing the EI of employees, arguably in a positive way, thereby positively influencing employees’ performance. A similar line of argument is towed by Lubis et al. (33), who argued that the performance of employees or members of the organization is also strongly correlated with EI, and that the production of indicators and professions during a certain period can be regarded as the performance of HR. Similarly, Kamphuis (34) found that, in general, EI is self-help, and it entails emotional stability, flexibility, collaboration, and the capacity to keep an eye on one’s attitude through procedures that produce pertinent behavior but have a bigger effect on both the organization and its personnel. Both leaders and those with EI can successfully enhance the performance of their teams (34).

The results in Figure 5 suggest that an organization that promotes positive values such as teamwork, professionalism, motivation, and ethical standards, such as those expressed by the employees at the Khomas Directorate of Education, is likely to observe high employee performance and good service delivery. However, literature provides mixed perspectives and findings in this regard, with Kamphuis (34) stating that high-performing teams have limited levels of value congruence, which means that agile team performance can be positively correlated with values congruence without it. However, other studies, such as Rahman et al. (31), have discovered favorable relationships between organizational value congruence and teamwork and collaborations. However, personal values such as openness to change and self-enhancement have been found to have less congruence, whereas high-performing teams were found by Rahman et al. (31) to have substantially lower congruence, indicating that shared values like power do not improve team performance. Similarly, Lubis et al. (33) discovered that low-performing agile teams are more likely to participate in change-related and unproductive behaviors, whereas high-performing agile teams are more likely to exhibit relation-oriented behaviors such as humor and active listening.

The study focused on determining the relationship between value congruence and employees’ performance at the Khomas Directorate of Education. The research found no significant relationship between value congruence and service delivery at the Khomas Directorate of Education. The results suggest that while employees can cultivate key values to enhance performance, some may not be as effective in terms of service delivery due to the complexity of service delivery. The study further found that there was a significant relationship between value congruence and employees’ job satisfaction and motivation at the Khomas Directorate of Education. Research also shows a positive or negative correlation between job satisfaction and mental and physical health. It is posited by the study that high satisfaction and motivation lead to high performance and customer satisfaction. Developing a contented workforce is therefore crucial for productivity. It was established from the study that there was a significant relationship between value congruence and employees’ EI at the Khomas Directorate of Education. In this regard, most employees understood how their emotions impacted their work, provided support to colleagues, and managed stress levels. The study further suggests that positive organizational values can influence employees’ EI, positively affecting their performance. Essentially, EI is self-help and entails emotional stability, flexibility, collaboration, and the capacity to monitor one’s attitude. As such, it is argued by the current study that leaders and those with EI can enhance the performance of their teams. Finally, the study found that most employees contributed positively to team discussions, encouraged collaboration, and trusted each other. The results suggest that organizations that promote positive values like teamwork, professionalism, motivation, and ethical standards are likely to have high employee performance and good service delivery. The study further suggests that high-performing teams have limited levels of value congruence, while low-performing agile teams exhibit relation-oriented behaviors. Overall, the research posits that positive values can improve team performance.

The current study explored the relationship between value congruence and employee performance indicators such as service delivery from a rather broader perspective. However, the research was limited in the sense that the evaluation was not narrowed down to specific values, as the relationship between the parameters may not be as apparent when the congruence values are lumped or grouped into one broad category. In addition, the study was further limited in that it did not explore other underlying factors that may influence some of the employee and organizational congruence values in addition to professionalism, ethics, motivation, and teamwork, which require specific interrogation. These include leadership and foresight, which often set the tone for members of the organization and inspire them to perform better. Nonetheless, the research implies that EI is a critical value when it comes to employee performance. However, it was well established that other factors such as the work environment, leadership, and guidance may influence EI. As such, it is imperative to assess the relationship between EI and the aforementioned factors and, by association, explore how this in turn influences employees’ performance.

The Khomas Directorate of Education is encouraged to put mechanisms in place to ensure that the personal values of employees are recognized and respected within the context of the organisational values. This is because the harmonization of these two sets of values enables the organization to best visualize the effects of value congruence on employees’ performance. It has emerged from the current study that the right leadership and mentorship must be applied to enable employees to harness their values and those of the organization for the betterment of their performance. The values of teamwork and collaboration must be promoted, as the current study and relevant literature lay bare the fact that organizations that promote teamwork and collaboration often excel and achieve high organizational performance. It is also recommended that the Khomas Directorate of Education focus on sharpening and upholding ethical and motivational values among employees, as these emerged in the current study as key drivers of employee performance. Lastly, further training is recommended for the Management Team of the Khomas Directorate of Education on how to best evaluate employees’ personal values and organizational values in order to find remedies in cases where such values may be found to be lacking and enhance them in instances where employees and the organization demonstrated progress in that regard.

JH: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. NA: Validation, Writing – review & editing.