Abstract

Job satisfaction is key to employee engagement and retention. Higher job satisfaction contributes to several positive outcomes for institutions, including lower turnover, higher productivity, lower costs, and employee loyalty. The need to retain experienced research administration professionals is highlighted by the fact that few formal educational routes exist that prepare employees for a career in research administration; rather, developing expertise takes a long period of on-the-job training. Consequently, strategies to increase employee retention are more important than ever for research administration leadership.
Utilizing a qualitative case study methodology, this program evaluation explores the elements that impact research administrators’ satisfaction in their job, including (but not limited to) salary, benefits, respect, trust, security, environment, career path, and development opportunities. Self-determination theory, a broad framework for the study of human motivation, links the concerns of organizational performance and employee satisfaction and wellness by suggesting that both are impacted by the type of motivation that employees have for their job activities. Evaluating the work environment of a research administration unit through the lens of self-determination theory provides the conceptual framework to guide the formation of processes and practices that positively impact both the organization and the employees.
Learning outcomes include an in-depth understanding of a real-world example of perceptions of job satisfaction in research administrators. The transferability of the case study research will prompt you to consider how perceptions of job satisfaction in your team may affect both the wellness of your employees as well as your institutional performance.