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Motivation And Job Satisfaction Among Secretaries As Administrators
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1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
There is a wide spread belief that
public officers in our society are poorly motivated. This apparent low
level of motivation and its attendant job dissatisfaction affects
adversely the level of productivity and commitment to duty among
administrators.
Unfortunately, there seems to be lack of current and
reliable studies on the level of motivation and job satisfaction among
administrators. This state of affairs has made it impossible for one to
make reasonable recommendations on the way forward.
1.3 (a) MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS THEORY
Maslow
(1970) propounded one of the most popular theories of motivation. This
theory is normally called the need theory. According to this theory
human beings have needs. These needs are arranged in a hierarchy from
the basic to the highest. While the most basic are the physiological
needs which include the need for food, sleep, rest, sex, and relief from
pair as well as physiological imbalance. The second group of needs in
the hierarchy is the safety needs concerned with the maintenance of life
and status quo. This includes the desire for security, stability,
order, protection and dependency. These two needs (physiological and
safety needs) are called the “lowest order†or “deficiency†needs.
On
the other hand, the third hierarchy of needs is belongingness and love
for friendship or companionship, family identification with groups and
intimacy with other people. This need takes different forms throughout
life. According to Dicarprio (1994:239), the child seeks a warm,
accepting atmosphere with a great deal of physical demonstration of
affection, being understood and appreciated. The young adult wants to be
intimated with a loved one, to experience a greater deal of emotional
involvement. The strength of these needs is so great at each stage in
life that when they are not satisfied what results is psychological
disturbance.
Self esteem is the fourth need in the hierarchy. It
includes the need for respect admiration, self worth, self-acceptance
and confidence based on what others say about one. Two types of esteem
were identified bymaslow-
The first deals with self regard and self
evaluation. The second is concerned with respect from other people,
reputation, status, social success, fame and glory.
Finally the fifth
and highest level of need is the need for self-actualization. Maslow
(1970) saw self-actualization as fulfilling one’s individual need in all
its respect, being what one can be and which, according to Maslow, is
freedom from cultural and self imposed restraints. These three last
needs (i.e social esteem and self actualization needs) are called the
“higher order†or “growth†needs.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
operates in a cyclic manner in that the satisfaction of one need makes
the next one in the hierarchy to become potent. The lower or deficiency
needs are more potent and take priority over the higher order needs.
When the lower needs are partially or insufficiently satisfied, the
higher order needs cannot become potent or motivated.
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