Factors affecting work motivation of lecturers: An empirical study at Vietnamese technical universities

Abstract

This article examines the factors affecting the work motivation of lecturers at technical universities in Vietnam. A survey of 631 lecturers from 13 technical universities in Vietnam was conducted from February 2022 to November 2022. SPSS 26 and SmartPLS 3.0 software are used to evaluate converged validity, discriminant validity, reliability, and mean-variance extracted and to test research hypotheses. Findings show that six factors, including Nature of work (NW), Recognition of individual contribution (RIC), Wages and other benefits (WOB), Working environment (WE), Personal growth (PG), and Organizational culture (OC), have significant effects to the work motivation of lecturers at technical universities in Vietnam. Among them, Personal growth (PG) is the most influencing factor. Some recommendations are proposed to improve the work motivation of lecturers at technical universities in Vietnam. Firstly, top managers should recognize teaching staff needs and develop policies to strengthen their motivation at work. The university should have a fair compensation mechanism, including salary, bonus, incentives, and reward system for training units and research departments. Lastly, the university should use performance appraisal results appropriately in decisions on salary level, salary increment, rewards, and job promotion.