A good administrator does not work alone. No manager can single handedly maintain a high level of organizational functioning. To achieve organizational goals, the energies and actions of others must be brought and directed. Because administrators usually must delegate to others to get things done, understanding the motivational processes and needs of the individual increases, both organizational and managerial effectiveness.
The term motivation comes from Latin word, “to move”. Psychologically, human motivation pertains to internal conditions or states; it is tangible. Motivation then is a hypothetical construct. It is based on what we infer about external needs and the activity or behavior consequent to them. A well stated definition is given by Bernard Berelson and Gary Steiner, “a motive is an inner state that energizes, activities or moves and that directs or channels behavior towards goal”
Motivation takes place within a culture, it reflects an organizational behavior model, and it requires communication skills.
Motivation also requires discovering and understanding teachers’ drives and needs, since it originates within an individual. Positive acts performed for the school as organization- such as creating teachers satisfaction through well managed school atmosphere. Teachers will be more motivated when their administrators have clear goals to achieve.
Motivation is an important organizational concern for several reasons:
It determines the extent to which they will allow others to direct and control their behavior. Administrators should give each teacher a chance to feel they are effective and crucial in their school. Delegating some tasks may boost their confidence and feel they are one of the members of the organization.
It influences whether they strive to accomplish personal or organizational goals or both. Motivated teachers will perform better if they see and feel the support of the administrator. It is very necessary to communicate with his or her teachers. Setting goals to achieve must clearly observed for the teacher to highly motivate in pursuing the goal.
Internal needs and drives create tensions that are modified by one’s environment. Performance is the product of effort and ability within the context of opportunity such as right training, education opportunity etc. Administrators must see to it that those teachers must have opportunity to alleviate tension in the organization and to perform the presence of goals and awareness.
Each teacher as person tends to develop certain motivational drives as a product of the cultural environment in which that teacher lives, and these affect the way teacher view their jobs and approach their lives.
Mc Clelland of Harvard University studies revealed that people’s motivational drives reflect elements of the culture in which they grow up- their family, school, church and books. His discussion of the drives for achievement, affiliation and power and the competence motive is an important factor in current attempts to attain high-quality product and services.
Achievement Motivation. It is a drive to overcome objectives and get ahead. An individual with this drive wishes to achieve and advance up the ladder of success. Accomplishment is important for its own sake, not for the rewards that accompany it. They work harder when their supervisor provides a detailed evaluation of their work behavior. They select assistants who are capable, with little regard for personal feelings about them.
Affiliation Motivation is a drive to relate on social basis. Persons with affiliation motives work better when they are complimented to their favorable attitudes and cooperation. They tend to select friends to surround them.
Competence motivation is a drive to be good at something allowing the individual to perform high-quality work. Competence motivated employee seek job mastery, take pride in developing and using their problem-solving skills, and strive to be creative when confronted with obstacles to their work. They place greater value on the level of their own capabilities, and are more responsive quality oriented goals regarding products and services.
Power Motivation is a drive to influence people and change situations. Power motivated people wish to create and impact on their organizations and are willing to take risks to do so. They make excellent managers if their drives are for institutional power instead of personal power.
By: Brenda R. Perdio | Teacher III | Bagumbayan Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan
