This article was downloaded by: [University of Montana] On: 08 April 2015, At: 20:37 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
Hospital Topics Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vhos20
Need Satisfaction and the Unit Manager Herbert J. Davis Ph.D.
a b
& Richard O. Blalack D.B.A.
a
Louisiana State University , USA
b
Virginia Commonwealth University , USA
c
Georgia State University , USA
c d
d
Northern Illinois University , USA Published online: 13 Jul 2010.
To cite this article: Herbert J. Davis Ph.D. & Richard O. Blalack D.B.A. (1976) Need Satisfaction and the Unit Manager, Hospital Topics, 54:1, 31-34, DOI: 10.1080/00185868.1976.9952373 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00185868.1976.9952373
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Need Satisfaction and the Unit Manager
Downloaded by [University of Montana] at 20:37 08 April 2015
bY Herbert J. Davis and Richard 0.Blalack
Richard 0. Blalack (D.B.A., Georgia State University) is Assistant Professor of Management at Northern Illinois University. Doctor Blalack has contributed a number of articles and research papers to the business literature. His research has been presented before the Eastern Academy of Management, and the National Academy of Management, and published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Management and Industrial Management.
Herbert J. Davis (Ph.D., Louisiana State University) is Assistant Professor of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the author or coauthor of over forty articles and research papers in the management literature. His research has been presented before the Academy of Management and the American Institute for Decision Sciences, and published in In dustrial Man agemen t, Educational Technologv, The Journal of Risk and Insurance, and the Proceedings of the Academy of Managemen t.
Abstract his study is concerned with the specification of need satisfaction on the part of unit managers in a 1000 bed teaching-referral hospital. The Porter Need Satisfaction Index in conjunction with Maslow’s Need Hierarchy provide the framework for this research. The researchers’ findings point to a high degree of need deficiency for the unit managers surveyed. They conclude that hospitals must offer enhanced opportunities to satisfy these needs if they are to retain the services of professional unit management.
Higher-order needs
1
I
Lower-order Esteem Social Safety
Physiolozical
Maslow’s Pyramidal Order of Needs These five sets of needs were perceived by Maslow as following a distinct hierarchy. However, he pointed out that individuals exhibit decreasing percentages of satisfaction as a higher order need replaces a lower order need in significance. A unit manager might be 90 percent satisfied in his physiological needs, 70 percent in his or her safety needs, 50 percent in social needs, 30 percent in esteem and status need, and 10 percent in the selfactualization need. JANUARYIFEBRUARY 1976
Professor Lyman W. Porter, in 1961, began a series of studies to evaluate managers perceptions of the phychological characteristics of their positions.’ Porter’s studies concentrated on the relationships between job level,’ type of work,‘ total organizational size’ and link and staff positions.6 Because Porter thought that the physiological needs of managers are basically satisfied, he eliminated the physiological need category and included an autonomy need category. 31
V. Self-actualization Needs
Porter’s studies led to a number of conclusions concerning perceived need satisfaction. A few of them are:
Downloaded by [University of Montana] at 20:37 08 April 2015
1. The variable of job level within the organization interacts with the overall firm size to form several interesting need satisfaction differences. At lower levels of management, small company managers were more satisfied than large company managers; however, at higher levels of management, large company managers were more satisfied than small company managers. 2. Lower- and middle-level managers are more dissatisfied than top-level managers in attempting to satisfy the esteem, autonomy, and self-actualization needs. 3. The self-actualization and esteem facets of job satisfaction seem to be the most critical areas of need fulfillment at all levels of management with pehaps the exception of the highest level of management - that of the chief executive.
Other researchers have employed the Porter method to study the job satisfaction of Union leaders, government managers,“ domestic and overseas managers,“ bankers,” and industrial accountants,” to mention a few. A general conclusion of these studies is that as one moves up the organizational hierarchy, the degree of job satisfaction increases. Additionally, the least satisfied need categories are those of autonomy and self-actualization. The present investigation is an attempt to empirically assess the extent to which the findings of previous organizational behavior studies are applicable to hospital Unit Managers.
Methodology The Porter Need Satisfaction Index The Porter Need Satisfaction Index was used to obtain the data for this study. This questionnaire contained thirteen items relating to Maslow’s conceptual model. These items were arranged in a random fashion. They are presented here according to Maslow’s Need Hierarchy. The categories are arranged from the lowest order (most dominant need) to the highest order (least dominant). Once again, recall that Porter substituted the autonomy category for Maslow’s physiological category. 1. SecurityNeed 1. The feeling of security in my hospital position
II. SocialNeeds 1. The opportunity, in my hospital position, to give help
to other people. 2. The opportunity to develop close friendships in my position. 111. EsteemNeeds
1. The feeling of self-esteem a person gets from being in my hospital position. 2. The prestige of my hospital position inside the hospital (that is, the regard received from others in the hospital). 3. The prestige of my hospital position outside the hospital (that is, the regard received from others not in the hospital).
IV. Autonomy Needs 1. The opportunity for independent thought and action in my position. 2. The authority connected with my position. 3. The opportunity, in my position, for participation in the setting of goals. 4. The opportunity, in my position, for participation in the determination of methods and procedures.
32
1. The opportunity for personal growth and development in my position. 2. The feeling of self-fulfillment a person gets from being in my position (that is, the feeling of being able to use one’s own unique capabilities, realizing one’s potentials). 3. The feeling of worthwhile accomplishment in my position.
The Study ~~~~
~~~~
The hospital unit managers who participated in this study were provided the following instructions: On the following pages will be listed several characteristicsor qualities connected with your hospital position. For each characteristic you will be asked to provide three ratings on a “7-point’’scale. a. How much of the characteristic is there now connected with your hospital position b. How much of the characteristic do you feel should be connected with your hospital position? c. How important is this characteristicto you? For each of the thirteen need-related items, the respondents were instructed to answer the above question by circling a number on a rating scale ranging from one to seven. The lower numbers represent minimum amounts, while high numbers represent maximum amounts. For each of the thirteen need items a perceived need deficiency was calculated by subtracting the rating for part “a” of an item (“How much is there now?”), from part “b” of the item, (“How much should there be?”).’ For example, assume that a participant completed the Security need question as follows: a. How much is there now? (min) 1 2 3 (4) 5 6 7 ( m a ) b. How much should there be? (min) 1 2 3 4 5 (6) 7 ( m a )
This particpant has indicated “4” in his or her answer to part a and “6” to his or her answer for part b. The need deficiency score for this questionnaire item would therefore be “2”. The larger the difference, when part a is subtracted from part b, the greater the degree of disatisfaction or the lesser the degree of satisfaction. Individual scores are then averaged to derive an overall need satisfaction score for each need item. This method of measunng perceived need satisfaction is an indirect measure derived from answering part a and part b. The method has two advantages: The subjects are not directly questioned as to their satisfaction. Therefore, a tendency for a simple “response set” to determine expressions of satisfaction is diminished. While it is not impossible for a participant to massage his satisfaction measure to conform to what he thinks he “ought” to put down versus what he actual&f e l s to be the actual situation; it is more dgficult. Also, this method permits measurement of need fulfillment to a more conservative measure than would be obtained by an individual question concerning sati.yfaction. Since higher-level positions should be expected to pmvide more rewards; it utilizes the dgferences between obtained and ex-
HOSPITAL TOPICS
pected satiqfaction. ~ f m t i w l y this , method arks the participant “How satisfied are you in terms of what you expected from this particular management position?” Consequently, it is constructed to be a useful memure in comparing different management group segments.
Procedure and Data Base The Porter Need Satisfaction Index was distributed to the entire Unit Management group at a large, (one thousand bed) teaching-referral hospital in the southeastern United States. Replies were received from the twenty-eight unit managers that make up this group. All replies were usable.
Downloaded by [University of Montana] at 20:37 08 April 2015
Findings The average scores for need deficiency and the importance of each need category to the individuals are presented in Table 1. The greatest deficiencies in need satisfaction are found in the esteem, autonomy and self-actualization need categories. Specific needs reported to be most deficient were: opportunity for growth and development, feelings of self-fulfillment, authority in the position, feeling of self-esteem, prestige within the hospital, and feeling of accomplishment (in that order). The respondents reported that they were relatively well satisfied with regard to the needs included in the security and social categories. TABLE 1 AVERACE NEED SATISFACT1O:I AND l!lFORTM’CC
SCORES
__Meed Need Deficiency* Importance
NEED CATEGORIES AND ITCIS
score
**
score I
1.
SECURITY NEED a.
11.
111.
E5TEf.X NEEDS n.
b. e.
IV.
, ,
..,.
,
1.32
5.79
.... ....
..64 .29
6.54 6.54
1.93 1.89 1.U
5.93 1.43 5.39
1.50 2.00
6.50 5.79
1.57
6.11
1.50
6.00
2.43 2.00
6.61 6.30 6.61
.......
( f r c l i n c o f self-eatcorn). (prcsticc w i t h the h o s p i t a l ) . (prcstijie o u t s i d e t h e hospital)
.... ...
AllTONOfl NEEDS a.
b. c. d.
V.
(security in position).
SOCIAL NCEDS a. (opportunity t o h r l p people). b. (opportunity f o r f r i e n d s h i p ) .
(opportuoity for indcpcndent thnup,ht nnd action) (authority i n position) (apeortunity t o participate i n coal sortinn). (opportunity t o portlclpatc in dctermination of methods and procedurrs)
.............
....... ..............
.
SELY-ACTl!AI.IZhTlOS NEEDS a. (opportunity f a r Groutti end
............
b. c.
‘The *A
devclopmcnt). ( f e e l i n p . of self-fulfillnent) (fccling o f nccomolis!,mcnt)
.,. ..... .
1.Rh
lowcr the score, flit hiplier the necd sutisfnction.
The Yir,lier tlie scorc, thc Ereotcr the importance.
An interesting point to note is that the rankings of the importance scores vary somewhat from those of need deficiencies. The feeling of prestige within the hospital was ranked first in importance followed by the opportunity for growth and development, feeling of accomplishment, the JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1976
opportunity to help people, the opportunity for friendship, and the opportunity for independent thought and action. Items ranked next in order of importance were: the feeling of self-fulfillment, the opportunity to participate in goal setting, the opportunity to participate in determination of methods and procedures, a feeling of self-esteem, the security of the position, the authority in the position, and the prestige outside the hospital. The item scores for each of the need categories were combined so as to derive cluster scores. Table 2 presents these cluster scores, showing that the hospital unit managers rank order is basically the same as the theoretical paradigm advanced by Maslow and Porter. With the exception of the score for the security need, the rank order of need satisfaction (from the most satisfied to the least satisfied) reported by the respondents is security, social, esteem, autonomy, and self-actualization. Relative to the importance factors, the rank order of need (from greatest to least) are Social, Self-Actualization, Esteem, Autonomy, and Security. These importance factors seem pertinent for professionals in the hospital environment.
Significance of the Findings The most important finding of the hospital unit managers studied is the fact that the most important need, “social,” is also that need which is the most satisfied in their current positions. The greatest deficiencies in job satisfaction appeared among the higher order needs (esteem, autonomy, and self -actualizat ion). These findings are particularly important when note is made of the need categories that the Unit Managers indicated as most important to them in their positions. The Unit Managers studied considered these to be esteem, autonomy, and selfactualization. The findings indicate that the Unit Managers are least satisfied in those areas they feel are most important to them in theirjob.
Improving lob Satisfaction In general, the findings of need deficiency reported by the Unit Managers surveyed are high. The findings of this study point out certain areas where enhancement of job satisfaction can be accomplished. Before improvement of job satisfaction of individuals can take place, it is essential that a program begin with determination of need deficiencies. For such a program to be successful, it is imperative that efforts be directed toward those needs that are: (1)deficient currently, and (2) of importance to the individual. 33
Downloaded by [University of Montana] at 20:37 08 April 2015
Heads of Unit Managers A program to improve the job satisfaction of the Unit Managers surveyed in this study would be most beneficial if directed toward fulfillment of the individual’s self-esteem, self-autonomy, and selfactualization. To facilitate in the accomplishment of selfesteem, the unit managers must be given the opportunity to develop an esprit de corps. To fulfill their autonomy needs, they should be given more opportunities for independent thought and action, increased authority in their positions, an opportunity to participate in goal setting, and the determination of methods and procedures. To assist in the fulfillment of self-actualization they should be given opportunity for growth and development, a feeling of self-fulfillment, and a feeling of accomplishment. Hospitals must offer opportunities to satisfy these needs if they hope to retain the services of professional unit management.
REFERENCES 1. A.H. Maslow, Motivation and Personaliry (New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc., 1954): and A.H. Maslow, “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Phychological Review, Volume 50(1943), pp. 370-396. 2. Lyman W. Porter, “A Study of Perceived Need Satisfaction in Bottom and Middle Management Jobs,” Journal of Applied PJychology Volume 45 (February 1961),pp. 1-10, 3. Ibid. 4. Lyman W. Porter and V.F. Mitchel, “Comparative Study of Need Satisfaction in Military and Business Hierarchies,” Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 51 (1967). pp. 139-144. 5. Lyman W. Porter, “Job Attitudes in Management: IV. Perceived Deficiencies in Need Fulfillment as a Function of Size of Company,“ Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 47 (1963), pp. 386-397. 6. Mason Haire, Edwin E. Ghiselli, and Lyman W. Porter, Managerial Thinking: An International Study, (New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1966). 7. Lyman W. Porter, “Job Attitudes in Management: IV. Perceived Deficiencies in Need Fulfillment as a Function of Job Level.” Journal of Applied Psychology. Volume 46 (December 1962),pp. 375-384. 8. Ibid., p. 378. 9. E. Miller, “Job Satisfaction of National Union Leaders,” Personnel Psychology, Volume 19 (Autumn, 1966), pp. 261-274. 10. Eugene E. Edel, “A Study in Managerial Motivation.” Personnel Administration, Volume 29 (NovemberDecember, 1967),pp. 31-38. 11. John M. Ivancevich, “Perceived Need Satisfaction of Domestic Versus Overseas Managers,” Journal of Applied PsycholoLv. Volume 53, (1969) pp. 274-278. 12. John W. Slocum, Jr., and Robert H. Strawser, “The Impact of Job Level, Geographical Location. and Organizational Size on the Managerial Satisfaction of Bankers, Journal of Bank Research, Volume 1 (Fall, 1970). 13. Vincent C. Brenner, Paul E. Dascher and Robert H. Strawser, “How Industrial Accountants View Their Work Environment,” Managerial Planning, (May-June, 1974). pp. 23-35.
34
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HOSPITAL TOPICS
Hospital Topics Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vhos20
Need Satisfaction and the Unit Manager Herbert J. Davis Ph.D.
a b
& Richard O. Blalack D.B.A.
a
Louisiana State University , USA
b
Virginia Commonwealth University , USA
c
Georgia State University , USA
c d
d
Northern Illinois University , USA Published online: 13 Jul 2010.
To cite this article: Herbert J. Davis Ph.D. & Richard O. Blalack D.B.A. (1976) Need Satisfaction and the Unit Manager, Hospital Topics, 54:1, 31-34, DOI: 10.1080/00185868.1976.9952373 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00185868.1976.9952373
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Need Satisfaction and the Unit Manager
Downloaded by [University of Montana] at 20:37 08 April 2015
bY Herbert J. Davis and Richard 0.Blalack
Richard 0. Blalack (D.B.A., Georgia State University) is Assistant Professor of Management at Northern Illinois University. Doctor Blalack has contributed a number of articles and research papers to the business literature. His research has been presented before the Eastern Academy of Management, and the National Academy of Management, and published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Management and Industrial Management.
Herbert J. Davis (Ph.D., Louisiana State University) is Assistant Professor of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the author or coauthor of over forty articles and research papers in the management literature. His research has been presented before the Academy of Management and the American Institute for Decision Sciences, and published in In dustrial Man agemen t, Educational Technologv, The Journal of Risk and Insurance, and the Proceedings of the Academy of Managemen t.
Abstract his study is concerned with the specification of need satisfaction on the part of unit managers in a 1000 bed teaching-referral hospital. The Porter Need Satisfaction Index in conjunction with Maslow’s Need Hierarchy provide the framework for this research. The researchers’ findings point to a high degree of need deficiency for the unit managers surveyed. They conclude that hospitals must offer enhanced opportunities to satisfy these needs if they are to retain the services of professional unit management.
Higher-order needs
1
I
Lower-order Esteem Social Safety
Physiolozical
Maslow’s Pyramidal Order of Needs These five sets of needs were perceived by Maslow as following a distinct hierarchy. However, he pointed out that individuals exhibit decreasing percentages of satisfaction as a higher order need replaces a lower order need in significance. A unit manager might be 90 percent satisfied in his physiological needs, 70 percent in his or her safety needs, 50 percent in social needs, 30 percent in esteem and status need, and 10 percent in the selfactualization need. JANUARYIFEBRUARY 1976
Professor Lyman W. Porter, in 1961, began a series of studies to evaluate managers perceptions of the phychological characteristics of their positions.’ Porter’s studies concentrated on the relationships between job level,’ type of work,‘ total organizational size’ and link and staff positions.6 Because Porter thought that the physiological needs of managers are basically satisfied, he eliminated the physiological need category and included an autonomy need category. 31
V. Self-actualization Needs
Porter’s studies led to a number of conclusions concerning perceived need satisfaction. A few of them are:
Downloaded by [University of Montana] at 20:37 08 April 2015
1. The variable of job level within the organization interacts with the overall firm size to form several interesting need satisfaction differences. At lower levels of management, small company managers were more satisfied than large company managers; however, at higher levels of management, large company managers were more satisfied than small company managers. 2. Lower- and middle-level managers are more dissatisfied than top-level managers in attempting to satisfy the esteem, autonomy, and self-actualization needs. 3. The self-actualization and esteem facets of job satisfaction seem to be the most critical areas of need fulfillment at all levels of management with pehaps the exception of the highest level of management - that of the chief executive.
Other researchers have employed the Porter method to study the job satisfaction of Union leaders, government managers,“ domestic and overseas managers,“ bankers,” and industrial accountants,” to mention a few. A general conclusion of these studies is that as one moves up the organizational hierarchy, the degree of job satisfaction increases. Additionally, the least satisfied need categories are those of autonomy and self-actualization. The present investigation is an attempt to empirically assess the extent to which the findings of previous organizational behavior studies are applicable to hospital Unit Managers.
Methodology The Porter Need Satisfaction Index The Porter Need Satisfaction Index was used to obtain the data for this study. This questionnaire contained thirteen items relating to Maslow’s conceptual model. These items were arranged in a random fashion. They are presented here according to Maslow’s Need Hierarchy. The categories are arranged from the lowest order (most dominant need) to the highest order (least dominant). Once again, recall that Porter substituted the autonomy category for Maslow’s physiological category. 1. SecurityNeed 1. The feeling of security in my hospital position
II. SocialNeeds 1. The opportunity, in my hospital position, to give help
to other people. 2. The opportunity to develop close friendships in my position. 111. EsteemNeeds
1. The feeling of self-esteem a person gets from being in my hospital position. 2. The prestige of my hospital position inside the hospital (that is, the regard received from others in the hospital). 3. The prestige of my hospital position outside the hospital (that is, the regard received from others not in the hospital).
IV. Autonomy Needs 1. The opportunity for independent thought and action in my position. 2. The authority connected with my position. 3. The opportunity, in my position, for participation in the setting of goals. 4. The opportunity, in my position, for participation in the determination of methods and procedures.
32
1. The opportunity for personal growth and development in my position. 2. The feeling of self-fulfillment a person gets from being in my position (that is, the feeling of being able to use one’s own unique capabilities, realizing one’s potentials). 3. The feeling of worthwhile accomplishment in my position.
The Study ~~~~
~~~~
The hospital unit managers who participated in this study were provided the following instructions: On the following pages will be listed several characteristicsor qualities connected with your hospital position. For each characteristic you will be asked to provide three ratings on a “7-point’’scale. a. How much of the characteristic is there now connected with your hospital position b. How much of the characteristic do you feel should be connected with your hospital position? c. How important is this characteristicto you? For each of the thirteen need-related items, the respondents were instructed to answer the above question by circling a number on a rating scale ranging from one to seven. The lower numbers represent minimum amounts, while high numbers represent maximum amounts. For each of the thirteen need items a perceived need deficiency was calculated by subtracting the rating for part “a” of an item (“How much is there now?”), from part “b” of the item, (“How much should there be?”).’ For example, assume that a participant completed the Security need question as follows: a. How much is there now? (min) 1 2 3 (4) 5 6 7 ( m a ) b. How much should there be? (min) 1 2 3 4 5 (6) 7 ( m a )
This particpant has indicated “4” in his or her answer to part a and “6” to his or her answer for part b. The need deficiency score for this questionnaire item would therefore be “2”. The larger the difference, when part a is subtracted from part b, the greater the degree of disatisfaction or the lesser the degree of satisfaction. Individual scores are then averaged to derive an overall need satisfaction score for each need item. This method of measunng perceived need satisfaction is an indirect measure derived from answering part a and part b. The method has two advantages: The subjects are not directly questioned as to their satisfaction. Therefore, a tendency for a simple “response set” to determine expressions of satisfaction is diminished. While it is not impossible for a participant to massage his satisfaction measure to conform to what he thinks he “ought” to put down versus what he actual&f e l s to be the actual situation; it is more dgficult. Also, this method permits measurement of need fulfillment to a more conservative measure than would be obtained by an individual question concerning sati.yfaction. Since higher-level positions should be expected to pmvide more rewards; it utilizes the dgferences between obtained and ex-
HOSPITAL TOPICS
pected satiqfaction. ~ f m t i w l y this , method arks the participant “How satisfied are you in terms of what you expected from this particular management position?” Consequently, it is constructed to be a useful memure in comparing different management group segments.
Procedure and Data Base The Porter Need Satisfaction Index was distributed to the entire Unit Management group at a large, (one thousand bed) teaching-referral hospital in the southeastern United States. Replies were received from the twenty-eight unit managers that make up this group. All replies were usable.
Downloaded by [University of Montana] at 20:37 08 April 2015
Findings The average scores for need deficiency and the importance of each need category to the individuals are presented in Table 1. The greatest deficiencies in need satisfaction are found in the esteem, autonomy and self-actualization need categories. Specific needs reported to be most deficient were: opportunity for growth and development, feelings of self-fulfillment, authority in the position, feeling of self-esteem, prestige within the hospital, and feeling of accomplishment (in that order). The respondents reported that they were relatively well satisfied with regard to the needs included in the security and social categories. TABLE 1 AVERACE NEED SATISFACT1O:I AND l!lFORTM’CC
SCORES
__Meed Need Deficiency* Importance
NEED CATEGORIES AND ITCIS
score
**
score I
1.
SECURITY NEED a.
11.
111.
E5TEf.X NEEDS n.
b. e.
IV.
, ,
..,.
,
1.32
5.79
.... ....
..64 .29
6.54 6.54
1.93 1.89 1.U
5.93 1.43 5.39
1.50 2.00
6.50 5.79
1.57
6.11
1.50
6.00
2.43 2.00
6.61 6.30 6.61
.......
( f r c l i n c o f self-eatcorn). (prcsticc w i t h the h o s p i t a l ) . (prcstijie o u t s i d e t h e hospital)
.... ...
AllTONOfl NEEDS a.
b. c. d.
V.
(security in position).
SOCIAL NCEDS a. (opportunity t o h r l p people). b. (opportunity f o r f r i e n d s h i p ) .
(opportuoity for indcpcndent thnup,ht nnd action) (authority i n position) (apeortunity t o participate i n coal sortinn). (opportunity t o portlclpatc in dctermination of methods and procedurrs)
.............
....... ..............
.
SELY-ACTl!AI.IZhTlOS NEEDS a. (opportunity f a r Groutti end
............
b. c.
‘The *A
devclopmcnt). ( f e e l i n p . of self-fulfillnent) (fccling o f nccomolis!,mcnt)
.,. ..... .
1.Rh
lowcr the score, flit hiplier the necd sutisfnction.
The Yir,lier tlie scorc, thc Ereotcr the importance.
An interesting point to note is that the rankings of the importance scores vary somewhat from those of need deficiencies. The feeling of prestige within the hospital was ranked first in importance followed by the opportunity for growth and development, feeling of accomplishment, the JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1976
opportunity to help people, the opportunity for friendship, and the opportunity for independent thought and action. Items ranked next in order of importance were: the feeling of self-fulfillment, the opportunity to participate in goal setting, the opportunity to participate in determination of methods and procedures, a feeling of self-esteem, the security of the position, the authority in the position, and the prestige outside the hospital. The item scores for each of the need categories were combined so as to derive cluster scores. Table 2 presents these cluster scores, showing that the hospital unit managers rank order is basically the same as the theoretical paradigm advanced by Maslow and Porter. With the exception of the score for the security need, the rank order of need satisfaction (from the most satisfied to the least satisfied) reported by the respondents is security, social, esteem, autonomy, and self-actualization. Relative to the importance factors, the rank order of need (from greatest to least) are Social, Self-Actualization, Esteem, Autonomy, and Security. These importance factors seem pertinent for professionals in the hospital environment.
Significance of the Findings The most important finding of the hospital unit managers studied is the fact that the most important need, “social,” is also that need which is the most satisfied in their current positions. The greatest deficiencies in job satisfaction appeared among the higher order needs (esteem, autonomy, and self -actualizat ion). These findings are particularly important when note is made of the need categories that the Unit Managers indicated as most important to them in their positions. The Unit Managers studied considered these to be esteem, autonomy, and selfactualization. The findings indicate that the Unit Managers are least satisfied in those areas they feel are most important to them in theirjob.
Improving lob Satisfaction In general, the findings of need deficiency reported by the Unit Managers surveyed are high. The findings of this study point out certain areas where enhancement of job satisfaction can be accomplished. Before improvement of job satisfaction of individuals can take place, it is essential that a program begin with determination of need deficiencies. For such a program to be successful, it is imperative that efforts be directed toward those needs that are: (1)deficient currently, and (2) of importance to the individual. 33
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Heads of Unit Managers A program to improve the job satisfaction of the Unit Managers surveyed in this study would be most beneficial if directed toward fulfillment of the individual’s self-esteem, self-autonomy, and selfactualization. To facilitate in the accomplishment of selfesteem, the unit managers must be given the opportunity to develop an esprit de corps. To fulfill their autonomy needs, they should be given more opportunities for independent thought and action, increased authority in their positions, an opportunity to participate in goal setting, and the determination of methods and procedures. To assist in the fulfillment of self-actualization they should be given opportunity for growth and development, a feeling of self-fulfillment, and a feeling of accomplishment. Hospitals must offer opportunities to satisfy these needs if they hope to retain the services of professional unit management.
REFERENCES 1. A.H. Maslow, Motivation and Personaliry (New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc., 1954): and A.H. Maslow, “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Phychological Review, Volume 50(1943), pp. 370-396. 2. Lyman W. Porter, “A Study of Perceived Need Satisfaction in Bottom and Middle Management Jobs,” Journal of Applied PJychology Volume 45 (February 1961),pp. 1-10, 3. Ibid. 4. Lyman W. Porter and V.F. Mitchel, “Comparative Study of Need Satisfaction in Military and Business Hierarchies,” Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 51 (1967). pp. 139-144. 5. Lyman W. Porter, “Job Attitudes in Management: IV. Perceived Deficiencies in Need Fulfillment as a Function of Size of Company,“ Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 47 (1963), pp. 386-397. 6. Mason Haire, Edwin E. Ghiselli, and Lyman W. Porter, Managerial Thinking: An International Study, (New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1966). 7. Lyman W. Porter, “Job Attitudes in Management: IV. Perceived Deficiencies in Need Fulfillment as a Function of Job Level.” Journal of Applied Psychology. Volume 46 (December 1962),pp. 375-384. 8. Ibid., p. 378. 9. E. Miller, “Job Satisfaction of National Union Leaders,” Personnel Psychology, Volume 19 (Autumn, 1966), pp. 261-274. 10. Eugene E. Edel, “A Study in Managerial Motivation.” Personnel Administration, Volume 29 (NovemberDecember, 1967),pp. 31-38. 11. John M. Ivancevich, “Perceived Need Satisfaction of Domestic Versus Overseas Managers,” Journal of Applied PsycholoLv. Volume 53, (1969) pp. 274-278. 12. John W. Slocum, Jr., and Robert H. Strawser, “The Impact of Job Level, Geographical Location. and Organizational Size on the Managerial Satisfaction of Bankers, Journal of Bank Research, Volume 1 (Fall, 1970). 13. Vincent C. Brenner, Paul E. Dascher and Robert H. Strawser, “How Industrial Accountants View Their Work Environment,” Managerial Planning, (May-June, 1974). pp. 23-35.
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