STAFF MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES AS A TOOL TO IMPROVE QUALITATIVE EDUCATION

Abstract

Motivational strategies are ways by which management of an organization exploits to arouse their workers behaviour. The things that are responsible for variation in performance are firstly, the ability or skill of the individual to perform the job and secondly his drive or motivation to use this ability or skill in actual performance of the job. Hence a person with the ability to perform would increase if there are motivational packages at his/her disposal. People join organizations so that they can ultimately achieve their individual objectives (needs) by helping the organization achieve their own objectives. However, the study was restricted to Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu. Both primary and secondary data were used in the study. To collect the data, a set of questionnaire was designed and administered to a sample of respondents which the whole copies were completed and returned, representing 100 percent response rate.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The sole aim of every organization is the achievement of high productivity. To get at this according to Atuemyi (2001:24) depends very much on the performance of the workers, performance being a function of motivational ability, tools, moral and integrity that motivation according to O’ Donnel (1999:81) is a means of including people to work in a desired meaner. It is the process that causes, channels, and sustains people’s behaviour. Human beings are the neck that holds the head of an organization; they are the most precious capital resources of the industrial society that we cannot afford to overlook their inner state of mind towards performance in the organization.

It is believed that motivation is an internal state that causes a person to direct his energies towards a specific goal or set of goals. Motivation cannot be seen taking place in any human being but its effect can be seen. For a person to be motivated, a need has to be activated. This need activation is known as a motive. People are motivated by their various individual needs. For instance, one who is hungry has the need to obtain food to eat, and this need motivates him to take necessary steps to get food. Motives are the impulses within a person that causes certain behaviour.

According to Obayi (2009:52) motivation is imperative in promoting productivity. One of the greatest tasks confronting the educational sector is that of motivating his workers to greater performance. To succeed in getting his subordinates to achieve the organization goals and objectives, the manager should understand the fundamentals of motivation.

By and large, the motivation process begins with a need and a motivational need is a felt want; these needs can be physiological based or psychologically based. People join organization so that they can ultimately achieve their individual objectives (needs) by helping the organization to achieve their own objectives. In other words, a person joins an organization to satisfy his needs and therefore would be motivated to work willingly and enthusiastically if he sees his organization as helping him to satisfy his needs.

However, human needs are complex and varying and so are the processes of motivating them. Thus, motivation has faced a lot of thought as to how it operates in an organization. Many proposals or theories thereupon made overtime have ranged from the work of Fredrick Taylor to human relative movement, to Abraham Maslow, to Fredrick Herzberg, to Expectancy theory and to Douglas McGregor’s theory X and Y. an appropriate mix of these motivational theories coupled with an understanding of employees needs will help to solve the motivational problems in Enugu State College of Education Technical.

A manager or management should realize that every action he takes in the organization stimulates a reaction in employees (staffs). He should realize as well that a person comes to work to get both the intrinsic and self fulfillment, and intrinsic rewards like promotions, pay and other conditions of service. All these are some of the motivational strategies that would be borne in mind to stimulate employees to action. Increasing the pay package alone would not be enough to stimulate employees.

Consequently, the importance of motivation cannot be neglected. The research conducted by William James in the late 1800s indicated this; He found that hourly employees could keep their jobs by using approximately 20 to 30 percent of their ability. James also found that highly motivated employees work at approximately 80 to 90 percent of their ability.

In other words, highly motivated employees can bring about substantial decrease in problems such as absenteeism, turnover, tiredness, strikes and grievances.

This research work therefore, wants to use this study to explore the staff motivational strategies in Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu and hence see what the staff in this organization from their jobs and how best their expectations can be met with a view to motivating them to higher performance bearing in mind that their organization is service oriented.

Statement of Problem

What motivates a worker has since ages posed some problems. Why is it, for instance, that the self employed Nigerian is highly motivated to produce while the public sector employee is not? Why does the university student read round the clock for his examination but joins the rank of time watched and “not on seat” as soon as he gets employed after graduation? Consequently, to help answer these questions, psychologists and other social scientists postulated various theories on motivation. Maslow’s theory of needs, Hertzberg’s motivator.

Hygiene factors, theory X and Y and the expectancy model discussed in this paper attempted to explain what motivates workers.

Unfortunately many Nigerian managers and employees have a shallow view of the problems of motivation. For them the paralyzing analysis of arm-chair motivation theorists are dummy variables not worthy of any consideration in the practical problems of motivating workers to increase their productivity.

This research, therefore, intends to explore some of the ways or methods that are in sue on Enugu State College of Education (Technical) to make staff work harder towards achieving the goals of the organization. Infact, as we stated earlier, there are many ways in which employees could be made to work harder but this research specifically looks into the pay of the staff and the provision of some fringe benefits such as transport and housing allowances, medical and canteen services and their impact in motivating employees. Moreover, the researcher would want to find out whether there are opportunities for promotion and training their effect in making the employees work harder to improve the quality of teaching and learning processes.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of carrying out this research includes the following:

1. To find out whether Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu uses increase pay, promotion, training and fringe benefits to make their staff work harder.

2. To ascertain the employee’s perception of the effect of those measures in making them increase their efforts.

3. To assess the effectiveness of these measures in motivating the staff.

4. To establish a relative order to the implicit of those measures on employees motivation and its effects in qualitative education.

Significance of the Study

This study would help the management of Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu and other organization to identity the effects of high salary and promotion on their employees. This research in question will make a good contribution to the development of our economy in general and prosperity of individuals who deems it right to be employee. So we maintain that every part of this research project is important in all ramifications. The study makes a lot of contributions towards economic development and human development through staff motivation.

Research Questions

The following are some of the research question raised.

1. What strategies does the management of Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu employ in motivating their staff.

2. What is the effect of high salary on workers performance?

3. Does an employee get promoted in the college base don the person’s skill and hard work?

4. is the college helping their employee in achieving their personal need?

Definition of Terms

Motivation: The word motivator motivating mean the reason why somebody does something or behaves in a particular way.

Behaviour: Simply means a way of behaving.

Productivity: The efficiency with which things are produced.

Organization: An organized group with a particular purposes.

Employees: A person engaged to work and to receive pay for the job done.

Management: The act of managing or the management of an organization

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The sole aim of every organization is the achievement of high productivity. To get at this according to Atuemyi (2001:24) depends very much on the performance of the workers, performance being a function of motivational ability, tools, moral and integrity that motivation according to O’ Donnel (1999:81) is a means of including people to work in a desired meaner. It is the process that causes, channels, and sustains people’s behaviour. Human beings are the neck that holds the head of an organization; they are the most precious capital resources of the industrial society that we cannot afford to overlook their inner state of mind towards performance in the organization.

It is believed that motivation is an internal state that causes a person to direct his energies towards a specific goal or set of goals. Motivation cannot be seen taking place in any human being but its effect can be seen. For a person to be motivated, a need has to be activated. This need activation is known as a motive. People are motivated by their various individual needs. For instance, one who is hungry has the need to obtain food to eat, and this need motivates him to take necessary steps to get food. Motives are the impulses within a person that causes certain behaviour.

According to Obayi (2009:52) motivation is imperative in promoting productivity. One of the greatest tasks confronting the educational sector is that of motivating his workers to greater performance. To succeed in getting his subordinates to achieve the organization goals and objectives, the manager should understand the fundamentals of motivation.

By and large, the motivation process begins with a need and a motivational need is a felt want; these needs can be physiological based or psychologically based. People join organization so that they can ultimately achieve their individual objectives (needs) by helping the organization to achieve their own objectives. In other words, a person joins an organization to satisfy his needs and therefore would be motivated to work willingly and enthusiastically if he sees his organization as helping him to satisfy his needs.

However, human needs are complex and varying and so are the processes of motivating them. Thus, motivation has faced a lot of thought as to how it operates in an organization. Many proposals or theories thereupon made overtime have ranged from the work of Fredrick Taylor to human relative movement, to Abraham Maslow, to Fredrick Herzberg, to Expectancy theory and to Douglas McGregor’s theory X and Y. an appropriate mix of these motivational theories coupled with an understanding of employees needs will help to solve the motivational problems in Enugu State College of Education Technical.

A manager or management should realize that every action he takes in the organization stimulates a reaction in employees (staffs). He should realize as well that a person comes to work to get both the intrinsic and self fulfillment, and intrinsic rewards like promotions, pay and other conditions of service. All these are some of the motivational strategies that would be borne in mind to stimulate employees to action. Increasing the pay package alone would not be enough to stimulate employees.

Consequently, the importance of motivation cannot be neglected. The research conducted by William James in the late 1800s indicated this; He found that hourly employees could keep their jobs by using approximately 20 to 30 percent of their ability. James also found that highly motivated employees work at approximately 80 to 90 percent of their ability.

In other words, highly motivated employees can bring about substantial decrease in problems such as absenteeism, turnover, tiredness, strikes and grievances.

This research work therefore, wants to use this study to explore the staff motivational strategies in Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu and hence see what the staff in this organization from their jobs and how best their expectations can be met with a view to motivating them to higher performance bearing in mind that their organization is service oriented.

Statement of Problem

What motivates a worker has since ages posed some problems. Why is it, for instance, that the self employed Nigerian is highly motivated to produce while the public sector employee is not? Why does the university student read round the clock for his examination but joins the rank of time watched and “not on seat” as soon as he gets employed after graduation? Consequently, to help answer these questions, psychologists and other social scientists postulated various theories on motivation. Maslow’s theory of needs, Hertzberg’s motivator.

Hygiene factors, theory X and Y and the expectancy model discussed in this paper attempted to explain what motivates workers.

Unfortunately many Nigerian managers and employees have a shallow view of the problems of motivation. For them the paralyzing analysis of arm-chair motivation theorists are dummy variables not worthy of any consideration in the practical problems of motivating workers to increase their productivity.

This research, therefore, intends to explore some of the ways or methods that are in sue on Enugu State College of Education (Technical) to make staff work harder towards achieving the goals of the organization. Infact, as we stated earlier, there are many ways in which employees could be made to work harder but this research specifically looks into the pay of the staff and the provision of some fringe benefits such as transport and housing allowances, medical and canteen services and their impact in motivating employees. Moreover, the researcher would want to find out whether there are opportunities for promotion and training their effect in making the employees work harder to improve the quality of teaching and learning processes.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of carrying out this research includes the following:

1. To find out whether Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu uses increase pay, promotion, training and fringe benefits to make their staff work harder.

2. To ascertain the employee’s perception of the effect of those measures in making them increase their efforts.

3. To assess the effectiveness of these measures in motivating the staff.

4. To establish a relative order to the implicit of those measures on employees motivation and its effects in qualitative education.

Significance of the Study

This study would help the management of Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu and other organization to identity the effects of high salary and promotion on their employees. This research in question will make a good contribution to the development of our economy in general and prosperity of individuals who deems it right to be employee. So we maintain that every part of this research project is important in all ramifications. The study makes a lot of contributions towards economic development and human development through staff motivation.

Research Questions

The following are some of the research question raised.

1. What strategies does the management of Enugu State College of Education (Technical) Enugu employ in motivating their staff.

2. What is the effect of high salary on workers performance?

3. Does an employee get promoted in the college base don the person’s skill and hard work?

4. is the college helping their employee in achieving their personal need?

Definition of Terms

Motivation: The word motivator motivating mean the reason why somebody does something or behaves in a particular way.

Behaviour: Simply means a way of behaving.

Productivity: The efficiency with which things are produced.

Organization: An organized group with a particular purposes.

Employees: A person engaged to work and to receive pay for the job done.

Management: The act of managing or the management of an organization