Perceptions of Employee Motivation and Its Role in Work Efficiency: a Qualitative Case Study in the Basic Court of Pristina
Summary: 1. Introduction. – 2. Research Methodology. – 3. The Importance of Motivation in Institutional Performance. – 3.1. Modern Approaches and Public Service Motivation (PSM). – 3.2. Reforms in Administration and Their Effect on Motivation. – 3.3. Motivation as a Precursor for Institutional Success. – 4. Empirical Analysis: Efficiency of Basic Courts in Kosovo (2020–2024). – 5. Discussion. – 5.1. Regional Comparison and Common Challenges in The Western Balkans. – 6. Conclusions
Background: Kosovo's judicial system has undergone ongoing legal reforms and improvements in infrastructure. However, despite these efforts, overall performance remains a significant challenge for public institutions, highlighting the need to examine factors influencing institutional efficiency. Among these, employee motivation is particularly significant due to its direct impact on the daily operations of the judicial system.
While international academic literature widely acknowledges the crucial role of employee motivation in institutional performance, this study specifically investigates how employees at the Basic Court of Prishtina perceive motivation as influencing their work efficiency.
Methods: The research draws on findings from semi-structured interviews with court employees and compares these perceptions with published official data on institutional efficiency.
Results and Conclusions: The analysis reveals the absence of sustainable mechanisms for fostering employee motivation within the Basic Court of Prishtina. Continuous reforms have not yielded the expected outcomes, mainly due to the predominance of a bureaucratic culture within the institution. Findings from this study closely align with the international academic literature and Public Service Motivation (PSM) theory, which posits that motivation is not merely a matter of financial compensation but is strongly linked to recognition, inclusion, and opportunities for professional development.
Findings from this research underscore the need for reforms that consider the human and cultural dimensions of public institutions, offering practical recommendations for establishing an effective, long-term motivation system within the judicial system.
Abstract
Background: Kosovo's judicial system has undergone ongoing legal reforms and improvements in infrastructure. However, despite these efforts, overall performance remains a significant challenge for public institutions, highlighting the need to examine factors influencing institutional efficiency. Among these, employee motivation is particularly significant due to its direct impact on the daily operations of the judicial system.
While international academic literature widely acknowledges the crucial role of employee motivation in institutional performance, this study specifically investigates how employees at the Basic Court of Prishtina perceive motivation as influencing their work efficiency.
Methods: The research draws on findings from semi-structured interviews with court employees and compares these perceptions with published official data on institutional efficiency.
Results and Conclusions: The analysis reveals the absence of sustainable mechanisms for fostering employee motivation within the Basic Court of Prishtina. Continuous reforms have not yielded the expected outcomes, mainly due to the predominance of a bureaucratic culture within the institution. Findings from this study closely align with the international academic literature and Public Service Motivation (PSM) theory, which posits that motivation is not merely a matter of financial compensation but is strongly linked to recognition, inclusion, and opportunities for professional development.
Findings from this research underscore the need for reforms that consider the human and cultural dimensions of public institutions, offering practical recommendations for establishing an effective, long-term motivation system within the judicial system.
About Authors
Besard Belegu
PhD in Public Administration, Assistant Professor, AAB College, Kosovo.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1870-4917
Author, responsible for writing this article – original draft.
Lavdim Terziu*
PhD in Public Administration, Assistant Professor, AAB College, Kosovo.
lavdim.terziu@aab-edu.net
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1297-8298
Corresponding author, responsible for writing this article - reviewing and editing.
Competing interests: No competing interests were disclosed.
Disclaimer: The authors declare that their opinion and views expressed in this manuscript are free of any impact of any organizations.
Rights and Permissions
Copyright: © 2025 Besard Belegu and Lavdim Terziu. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Editors
Managing editor – Mag. Bohdana Zahrebelna. English Editor – Julie Bold. Ukrainian language Editor – Lilia Hartman.
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АНОТАЦІЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОЮ МОВОЮ
Тематичне дослідження
УЯВЛЕННЯ ПРО МОТИВАЦІЮ ПРАЦІВНИКІВ ТА ЇЇ РОЛЬ В ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ РОБОТИ: ЯКІСНЕ ТЕМАТИЧНE ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ПРАКТИКИ СУДУ ПРИШТИНИ
Бесард Белеґу та Лавдім Терзіу*
АНОТАЦІЯ
Вступ. Судова система Косова зазнавала постійних правових реформ та вдосконалення інфраструктури. Однак, незважаючи на ці зусилля, загальна ефективність залишається значним викликом для державних установ, що підкреслює необхідність вивчення факторів, які впливають на інституційну ефективність. Серед них – мотивація працівників, яка є особливо важливою через прямий вплив на щоденну діяльність судової системи.
Хоча міжнародна академічна література широко визнає вирішальну роль мотивації працівників в інституційній ефективності, у цьому дослідженні спеціально вивчається, чи працівники Основного суду Приштини сприймають мотивацію як фактор, що впливає на ефективність їхньої роботи.
Методи. У дослідженні, що спирається на результати напівструктурованих інтерв'ю з працівниками суду, було використано порівняльний метод, що дав змогу зіставити ці уявлення з опублікованими офіційними даними про інституційну ефективність.
Результати та висновки. Аналіз виявляє відсутність стійких механізмів для сприяння мотивації працівників в Основному суді Приштини. Постійні реформи не дали очікуваних результатів, головним чином через переважання бюрократичної культури в установі. Результати цього дослідження тісно узгоджуються з міжнародною академічною літературою та теорією мотивації персоналу у сфері державної служби (PSM), яка стверджує, що мотивація — це не просто питання фінансової компенсації, а що вона тісно пов'язана з визнанням, інклюзією та можливостями професійного розвитку.
Результати цього дослідження підкреслюють необхідність реформ, які враховують людські та культурні виміри державних установ, пропонуючи практичні рекомендації щодо створення ефективної довгострокової мотивації в судовій системі.
Ключові слова: мотивація, ефективність, судова система, державне управління, результативність, лідерство, організаційна культура.
Publication history
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Date of submission: 04 Jun 2025
Date of acceptance: 27 Aug 2025
Online First publication: 06 Oct 2025
Last Pulished: 18 Nov 2025Whether the manuscript was fast tracked? - No
Number of reviewer report submitted in first round: 4 reports
Number of revision rounds: 1 round with minor revisions
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Plagiarism checks - Turnitin from iThenticate https://www.turnitin.com/products/ithenticate/
Scholastica for Peer Review https://scholasticahq.com/law-reviews
How to cite it?
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Belegu B and Terziu L ‘Perceptions of Employee Motivation and Its Role in Work Efficiency: a Qualitative Case Study in the Basic Court of Pristina’ (2025) 8(4) Access to Justice in Eastern Europe 436-58 <https://doi.org/10.33327/AJEE-18-8.4-с000128> Published Online 06 Oct 2025
