Online Journal of Arts, Management and Social Sciences (OJAMSS); Vol.1 No.2, December 2016, pg.186 - 192 (ISSN: 2276 – 9013) 186 THE INTRICATES OF FINANCIAL AND NON FINANCIAL INCENTIVES AS A TOOL FOR MOTIVATING EMPLOYEE TOWARDS ACHIEVING ORGANISATIIONAL GOAL IN THE NIGERIA CONTEXT KAYODE ASAJU Department of Political Science, Faculty of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences, Federal University Wukari, P.M.B 1020, Wukari- Nigeria. +2348035992503, asajuk@gmail.com Abstract The dynamism and complexity of human factors of organisation constitute a great barrier to effective integration and retention among other functions of human resource management. Because of the complexity of human needs, identifying what could actually meet their needs constitute a herculean task. There is that general agreement that incentives (financial and non financial) constitute a strong driving force that could induce (motivate) a worker to act in a desired manner; but the complexity of these incentives has also led to its misapplication. The paper examines some of the intricacies of financial and non financial incentives on motivation, performance and achieving organizational goal as a whole. It was discovered that human needs apart from being complex and conflicting, varies over time. Because of this, incentives also will vary in terms of their impact on motivation. Also, identifying the right type of incentives which is preferable for the worker makes it more difficult. Finally, inability of identifying the unforeseen or unintended consequences of incentives could render them of no effect. Therefore, a proper knowledge of the intricacies of financial incentives is the beginning of wisdom for enhancing performance and achieving organizational goal. Finally, a mix of both financial and non financial incentives is desirable. Keywords: Employee, incentive, organisation, motivation, productivity Introduction It is obvious that human resource constitutes the most important factor in any organisation. For all other factors of production to function effectively, it has to be pivoted by the human factors. Therefore, managing human resources requires the creation and maintenance of an environment conducive for the performance of individuals working groups to achieve organizational objectives or goals However, apart from the organizational objectives, the individuals involved also have their needs and objectives that are very important to them. Thus, management must ensure that the needs and objectives of workers and that of the organization are reconciled. As asserted by Frank (1974). Human resources management (HRM) is a series of activities in which the job, the individual and the organisation all interact as each develops and changes. It was on this note that Onah (2003) argues that getting the right caliber of people by the