Understanding and motivating academic library employees: theoretical implications
| Date | 11 March 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-10-2017-0111 |
| Pages | 203-214 |
| Published date | 11 March 2019 |
| Author | Bibi Alajmi,Hessah Alasousi |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries,Library strategy,Library promotion |
Understanding and motivating
academic library employees:
theoretical implications
Bibi Alajmi and Hessah Alasousi
Department of Information Studies, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine the levels of motivation and needs satisfaction of
academic library employees, adopting Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to examine individuals’motivation.
Design/methodology/approach –The study collects and analyzes quantitative survey data. The research
population comprises 108 employees working across eight college libraries at Kuwait University.
Findings –While participants generally agreed that their needs were being satisfiedat each of the five levels
of Maslow’s hierarchy, they reported higher levels of satisfaction of their self-actualization and social needs.
Self-actualization is the summit of Maslow’s motivation theory representing the quest for reaching one’s full
potential as a person.
Research limitations/implications –One limitation is the relatively small sample size due to Kuwait
having only one public university. Future research could overcome this limitation by investigating both
private and public universities.
Practical implications –This research contributes significantly and in various ways to understanding
motivation in a library setting. It elucidates many aspects of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory criticized in
previous literature. Overall, the study’s results should be useful to scholars in the library field interested in
motivation, to academic librarians and to managers in academia.
Originality/value –Though many prior studies have focused on motivation in a library setting, Maslow’s
theory has been little considered in the context of academic libraries. This study uses a theoretical framework
based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to understand and explain the levels of motivation and needs
satisfaction of academic library employees.
Keywords Motivation, Academic libraries, Intrinsic motivation, Extrinsic motivation, Kuwait university,
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Motivation is the management process of influencing behavior based on the knowledge of what
makes people act (Luthans, 1998). It is the process that arouses, energizes, directs and sustains
behavior and performance; the process of stimulating people to action to achieve a desired goal.
The significant impact of employees’motivation on organizational productivity and
employees’commitment and effectiveness has been widely documented in the relevant
literature (Babalola and Nwalo, 2013; Tella et al., 2007). Understanding the factors that
contribute to individual behavior in the workplace can provide an organization’s
management with the theoretical basis upon which to initiate change and begin
improvement. In particular, previous research on motivation aimed to focus on motivational
determinants as a proper explanation of individual behavior (Ajzen, 2002; Ellemers et al.,
2004). These studies’findings support the notion that individual behavior is influenced by
salient factors underlying the attitudes and goals that give rise to actions.
Previous research has emphasized on an interesting aspect of individuals’motivation to
behave and act by pointing out that motivation depends on the realization of needs (Maslow,
1943). According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, if individuals’needs and desires are
realized, they will be motivated. The current study attempts to understand and explain the
levels of motivation and needs satisfaction of employees working in academic libraries in
Kuwait University (KU). Its investigations aim to understand to what extent academic
library employees perceive that their needs are satisfied. Satisfaction, based on Maslow’s
Library Management
Vol. 40 No. 3/4, 2019
pp. 203-214
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-10-2017-0111
Received 17 October 2017
Revised 9 January 2018
Accepted 18 January 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
203
Motivating
academic
library
employees
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