The importance of four motivational factors and job satisfaction of managers and nonmanagers

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to look at the importance of fourmotivational factors (financial reward, power, self actualization andjob security) for managers and nonmanagers. Moreover, the studywas designed to investigate differences in terms of motivation andjob satisfaction at different organizational levels.Questionnaire data were collected from a sample of 180people randomly chosen from five different associated companies,including the principal company.Eleven hypotheses were tested. Three of them have to do withmotivational factors. These are as follows:1) Higher level managers place greater emphasis on the need for selfactualization than employees at lower job levels.2) Job security is more important to lower level personnel than tohigher level personnel.3) The desire for high financial reward has the greatest importanceIII the non-managerial level and the least importance in the middlemanagement level.The remaining hypotheses have to do with the relationsbetween demographic variables such as gender, age and educationand job-related motivation and satisfaction.4) The management level does not significantly affect jobsatisfaction.5) Males give more importance, than females, to financial reward andjob security.6) Self actualization and power are more important factors forwomen than for men, independent of their management level.7) Older personnel, regardless of their sex, give more importance tofinancial reward and job security.8) Overall job satisfaction increases with age.9) The desire for power over others is related to job satisfaction.10) Overall job satisfaction increases with education.11) Overall job satisfaction increases with the amount of money theperson receives independent of his family income.Except for the fourth hypothesis, none of them are confirmedby this study. The findings are discussed in terms of the literaturereView done.The failure to support the hypotheses may be due to two mainthings. One is that the studies done on job satisfaction, motivationalfactors taking into account age, sex and educational factors arecontradictory to one another. There is not a consistent trend.Secondly, the findings of the studies that take these variables intoconsideration differ from one country to another depending on thegeneral conditions of the country. A. country's stage of developmentmight be an important factor in how the work conditions aredesigned and how they operate, thereby affecting the variables 10this study.