Determinants Of Academic Staff Job Satisfaction In Selected Public And Private Higher Education Institutions (Heis) In Tanzania

ABSTRACT

This study, sought to investigate the determinants of job satisfaction experiences among academic staff in four selected public and private universities in Tanzania. Specific objectives were to: assess job satisfaction differences by socio-demographic characteristics among academic staff in public and private universities in Tanzania; compare job satisfaction experiences among academic staff in each selected public and private university in Tanzania; assess the context differences on experiences of job satisfaction among academic staff and assess the behaviours of satisfied and dissatisfied academic staff. The study was guided by the Two Factors Theory by Herzberg (1959) and Value-percept theory by Locke (1976). Cross-sectional survey design was employed with mixed research approaches. Sample size consisted of 130 respondents; 76 from public and 54 from private universities and questionnaires, interview, observation and documentary review were techniques used for data collection. Data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively (t-test and ANOVA) where SPSS version 20.0 computer software was used.  Findings indicated that, there is a significant difference between socio-demographic factors and academic staff job satisfaction in public and private universities in Tanzania. Leadership, religious ideologies, pay, promotion, academic growth, job security, and organizational cultures determined different levels of job satisfaction. There is a difference in job satisfaction within and among universities (public and private) in Tanzania. Counterproductive behaviours including conflicts, absenteeism, revenge, emotional cruelty, service sabotage, divided loyalty and intention to quit are the main threats to public and private universities in Tanzania. This study suggests that, university leadership need to consider factors such as religious ideologies, fairness in promotion among others to create a friendly organizational culture. It is also recommended that dialogue through regular academic staff meetings, effective communication, and enough academic freedom can foster the culture of curiosity, autonomy, and trust in public and private universities in Tanzania.