Work Motivation among Secondary School Teachers

Abstract

IntroductionWork motivation is a set of active forces that originate within and beyond an individual's being, to initiate work-related behavior and to determine its form, direction, intensity and duration. Motivation can be used as a tool to help predict behavior; it varies from person to person and sometimes combined with ability and environmental factors to improve the behavior as well as performance. Work motivation helps a person to increase his performance level and willingness towards a task. It is important for any organizations to understand and to create a healthy work environment to encourage productive and enthusiastic behaviors. It can be done with the help of right motivation strategies. Three psychological processes are concerned with work motivation: arousal, direction, and intensity. Arousal is provocation, which is stimulated by individual's necessities. Direction is the way; a person follows in achieving the aims. Intensity is the amount of energy an individual put into task performance. Motivation can help the employees to focus on particular task. It encourages them to put best of their abilities. Motivation prevent one from deviating from the goal-seeking behavior and results in task strategies. Mitchell & Daniels, define it as-patterns of behavior produced to reach a particular goal, in their study measurement in universities-implications for work motivation revealed that performance measurement is based on quantitative rather than qualitative measures. The current management by results system has a negative effect on work motivation. In the light of the findings of the study it revealed that management by results is in conflict with intrinsic motivation. Sylvia (1985) examined the need patterns of public school teachers which are essential for the motivations with consideration to teacher awareness of pay equity with relation to intrinsic work elements, work autonomy and satisfaction of higher order needs. The investigator found that teacher motivation is based on the achievement of proper responsibility levels, freedom to try new ideas and inherent work elements. On the bases of results, it was concluded that, those institutions which employ trained people, they should apply some schemes i.e. merit pay scheme. Van & Aline, (1986), conducted a study of administrative communication system, teacher motivation and job satisfaction. The primary purpose was to find out whether there was relation between school communication system, work motivation and job satisfaction. Significant relationship was found between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction. It was suggested that administrators could increase job satisfaction in their schools by increasing communication satisfaction.