Organization Behavior: Contrasting Administrative Perspectives on Motivation - Literature review Example

Running Head: ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOUR Organization behavior: Contrasting Administrative Perspectives on Motivation Name: Course Title: Course Instructor: Date of submission: Organization behavior: Contrasting Administrative Perspectives on Motivation Education administration requires excellent and relevant qualifications such as a masters or doctorial degree. Experience in related or similar occupations such as admission counseling and teaching is also important for anyone who intends to be an educational administrator. Education administrators’ work in collaboration with others and therefore the candidate taking up such jobs should have good communication and interpersonal skills. Education administrators are a source of instruction for educational leadership. They handle daily activities involved in the running of school, day care centers, pre-schools, universities and colleges. An educational administrator should be able to motivate the schools employees to channel their effort toward the achievement of the stipulated goals and set standards The significance of being a college professor There are several drawbacks of being a college professor and this should be weighed carefully before making a decision to become one. Taking a job that you are not suited to do will not only affect you but also the people you serve, likewise becoming a college professor when you don’t have a passion for teaching will not only affect you negatively, but will also have adverse effect on the students you teach and the learning institution. Being a college professor is prestigious, although the payment scale is low compared to other professions. College professors are very much respected by the pears and other people they interact with like the students, they tend to get a different treatment from professionals in other professions. Teaching at a college can be on full-time basis or part-time basis. The professors normally have flexible schedules irrespective of the basis of their work-part-time or full-time. In addition professors are not obliged to be at the institution during their non-teaching time. Another benefit that professors derive form their work is self-satisfaction. Professors derive much satisfaction from igniting the minds of their students and enlightening them. However, just like other professions, teaching also posses several drawbacks. Teaching both on ground and online is both physically and mentally challenging and at the end of the day teachers are normally very tired and find no problem with sleeping. Despite the high status that teaching is accorded, it is ironically low paying and this is a disincentive to many professors and further more full-time professor teach as adjuncts. Another source of frustration is teaching students that aren’t motivated to learn, which is very common in many schools today. Comparison and contrast on various models of motivation Motivation is a very critical factor in that it determines the workers productivity. Motivation at work can take different forms. For instance, worker may derive motivation from the need to rise in the employment ranks, the need for a hire pay and the need for self actualization (Fiore, 2004; Hellreigel et al, 2009). Various social theories have been used to explain motivation and the source of motivation. According to Fiore (2004) the theories include Maslow’s hierarchy of model, McClelland’s Achievement Motivation model and Herzberg’s Motivation Hygiene model. The models were developed at different times and aimed at explaining the driving force that makes people want to succeed. Asking for a rise at the work place by an education administrator can be explained differently in the light of each of these theories or models. These differences are mainly a result of the different arguments presented in the models pertaining worker or employee motivation. Maslow’s hierarchy model consists of five sections of hierarchies representing the human needs or wants. The model uses a pyramid with a large base and the needs are arranged from the base upwards in an ascending manner. The needs in the hierarchy include: physiological needs at level one; safety needs at level two; social needs at level three; self esteem needs which include the external (attention, recognition, and status) and internal (achievement, independence and self-respect) factors of esteem at the fourth level and final self-actualization which is includes self-fulfillment, growth and achievement of ones potential at level five. The need to satisfy higher needs becomes apparent as the lower needs get satisfied. In educational circles the lower three needs are more than satisfied and the educators are in most cases trying to satisfy the fourth and fifth needs. The need for a rise by education administrators could be attributed to internal or personal motivation which is the need to satisfy the higher needs. These needs are the needs for self actualization and the self esteem needs. Self actualization means self fulfillment and therefore the rise whether in salary or in position will certainly make the administrator feel fulfilled. As a product of self esteem, an administrator may demand for a rise because he/she feels that the rise will boost his confidence and status. The seekers of such a rise are motivated by status and want to feel as leaders in addition to deriving respect from their juniors or fellow employees. In McClelland’s achievement motivation model the need for a rise can be explained as a product of the need for achievement. People need for personal achievement according to McClelland motivate people to strive and do their best. As Manning & Curtis (2008) observes people desire power and affiliations and this is why most employ the motivational models due to this need. Similar to the Maslow’s Hierarchy model, the need for power or the need to feel important will drive employees to seek pay rises and rise in positions at the work place. The worker view attainment of status, or position as an ultimate achievement and are therefore motivated to achieve. Finally, according to Herzberg’s motivation hygiene model, workers are motivated by both extrinsic factors-such as pay and work condition- and intrinsic factors- such as need for achievement and responsibility. Theses factor can be termed as hygiene factors or motivational factors. Hygiene factors are extrinsic. They are work place factors which lead to job satisfaction if they are not met. Meeting the hygiene factors placate the workers to give their best in addition to motivating them. The hygiene factors include policies of the, the supervision quality, the physical conditions of work, the pay or salaries, the relation of the job with other jobs and the job security. On the other hand motivational factor include factors which are intrinsically rewarding. In a work environment such as a school these factors include recognition, promotions, responsibility, opportunities for personal growth and achievement. Meeting such factor encourages and motivates the employees to serve diligently. For instance provision of both hygiene factors and motivational factor will encourage college professors to teach and perform their duties properly. However, when the dons a dons feel that their pay is not does not reflect their worth or that their position does not reflect their status they may request for a rise Workers may demand high pay if they feel the current payment is not motivational enough. Though pay plays a great role in motivation it does so in conjunction with many other factors such as the need for growth, achievement, responsibility, advancement and challenge at work (Manning & Curtis, 2008). Middle or top administrators in educational institutions may similarly demand for a rise if they feel that their efforts are not being rewarded properly. They may demand for equity in treatment and in pay with their counterparts who share qualifications and responsibilities. Administrators can justify their self promotion and rise in payment using these models and explain their need for equity in the educational institutions. The models provide minimal insight on how people are motivated; however, they provide great insight on how educational administrators can motivate their members of staff and other stakeholder to provide their best in the running of the schools or educational facilities. The models can be used by applied by the schools administrator in the following manner. The application of the concepts put forward by the motivational models can be can be useful in improving the performance of academic institutions. An educational administrator can use the Maslow’s hierarchy perspective determine the stage of development that his colleagues-teachers and other employees in the school and thus understand how best to deal with the. As such the model gives education administrators a tool by which they can mange schools and through proper coordination of their employees while being responsive to their needs. Application of McClelland’s model calls for motivation of teacher and other schools employees and stakeholders through incentive geared towards their needs. Most worker have greater ambitions for self achievement and the work place should help the actualize this. Therefore a school administrator can motivate the schools workers to provide their best by providing incentive that help them actualize their goals (Manning & Curtis, 2008). The Herzberg’s motivation hygiene model emphasizes the working condition as the major source of motivation that motivates employees to strive and give their best. This model can also be very instrumental to school administrators who intend to motivate their staff to serve the school with dedication. A conducive and enabling environment can be one which enables the employees to achieve measurable objectives towards the attainment of the schools goals. Such an environment allows fare completion among the employees and equity in treatment or rewarding in terms of pay. Worker efforts should be rewarded according to motivate them to work proper. For instance, promotion should be given to employees who prove their ability to take the school to its desired level through good work. Prospects of promotion and the accrued benefits of promotion will encourage school employees to give their best due to their desire to secure a higher position and the need for growth (Fiore, 2004; Hellreigel et al, 2009). School administrations that relegate human relationships with their employees and other stakeholders find it hard to operate and motivate the employees to give their best. Administrators are leaders and should strive to provide proper leadership by motivating employees fully appreciate their work and provide their best for the enhancement of a schools performance. Administrators should never shy away from self promotion or rise as long as it is justified. Administrators also need motivation and they should therefore engage in activities that help boost the motivation to manage institutions. Such activities include promotions and rise in the pay. Reference Fiore, D. (2004). Introduction to educational administration: standards, theories and practices: Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education. Hellreigel et al (2009) Organization behavior, (12th ed.). Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College of publishing Manning, G., and Curtis, K. (2008). The art of leadership, (2nd ed.) New York: McGraw Hill. Read More