Application of the motivator :

Abstract

Ninety seven (97) faculty members and forty (40) administrators of the University of Lagos participated in the study. Responses were obtained from each subject by the use of a job attitude questionnaire.

The two-factor theory otherwise referred to as the motivator-hygiene theory, and originally developed by Herzberg in 1959, was applied in this study. In the theory motivators are considered satisfying factors capable of having a positive effect on job satisfaction, while hygiene factors are an extrinsic part of a job that may cause no growth in worker's output capacity.

This study was done with the central purpose of gaining information about the morale and job attitudes of the faculty and university administrators in a Nigerian university. The investigation was carried out in an attempt to delineate the situational factors that promote or lead to job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction among the two groups of the university employees.

The findings of the study indicate that five out of six motivators were strong determiners of job satisfaction among both the faculty and administrators. Hygiene factors were also found to be the major sources of job dissatisfaction feelings among the two groups involved in this study. The findings show that the leading motivators and hygiene factors with faculty were not the same with administrators. Not much difference was found among the hygiene factors leading to dissatisfaction feelings among the two groups studied. Generally the study is in basic agreement with Herzberg's previous findings.