Assessing motivational needs: the case of the school superintendent

Abstract

Using needs theory as a framework, describes research that examined top rated school superintendents′ needs for power, achievement and affiliation. Identifies distinctive motivational profiles using the job choice exercise (JCE) and supplements quantitative results with telephone interviews which enabled comparison of JCE scores with verbal responses. Results indicated the need for power was the dominant motive and that it tended to be coupled with low affiliation rather than high affiliation. Interview data supported the importance of power, but suggested motives serve as predispositional tendencies which are often superseded by pressure to act in response to situational specifics.

Citation

Lonardi, E.M., Willower, D.J. and Bredeson, P.V. (1995), "Assessing motivational needs: the case of the school superintendent", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 6-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578239510085666