Factors Affecting Job Motivation Among Faculty Members of Tabriz School of Dentistry Based on the Herzberg’s 2-Factor Theory

Background: One of the main concerns of managers of different centers and institutions is the issue of employee motivation and increase of job satisfaction. Universities of medical sciences need motivated professors as educational elements to play an effective role in educating students and promoting community health and preventing the emergence of a sick and non-productive society in the future. The study aimed at investigating the motivation factors of faculty members of the School of Dentistry in Tabriz based on Herzberg’s 2-factor theory. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2018 on 110 official and unofficial faculty members of the School of Dentistry in Tabriz that were selected according to the census. The Herzberg Job Motivation Questionnaire with 40 questions was used to collect data. Out of 110 distributed questionnaires, 87 questionnaires were returned. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and chi-square and Fisher exact test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 48.3% of the individuals were female and the rest were male. Among the internal factors, the nature of the work with an average of 3.31 ± 0.42 and among external factors, occupational security with a mean of 3.47 ± 0.52 were reported as the most important factors. In sum, external factors, in comparison with internal factors, had a greater impact on employees’ motivation. By obtaining an average of 71.56 ± 17.6 out of 160, job motivation was moderate in research units. Chi-square and Fisher exact test showed that the motivating level of the studied individuals did not show a significant correlation with faculty members’ gender, marital status, academic degree and age (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The job motivation of research units was at a moderate level. Occupational security (external factor) and the nature of the work (internal factor) had more importance.