The Impact of Higher Education Institution Culture on Teachers' Job Satisfaction

Abstract

A community of a higher education institution (HEI) is an important link in ensuring the quality of the entire organisation. The majority of its staff, i.e. teachers in particular, play the key role. It is therefore very important to find out whether teachers are satisfied with their work. In order to clarify the factors affecting job satisfaction of teaching staff, this article analyses the literature that has contributed to the understanding of job satisfaction as a complex construct, which is most influenced by the culture of the HEI. The second part of the article examines the attitudes of teaching staff at the Faculty of Arts and Creative Technologies of Vilniaus Kolegija/ Higher Education Institution (VIKO) towards the impact of HEI culture on their job satisfaction. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, as this method provides information rich in interpretation and a high degree of realism. This qualitative study assumed that social reality is created by its participants, with personal involvement in interpreting the views of the survey participants, exploring individual cases, phenomenon of the meaning created by individuals, and other internal phenomena. The research strategy is based on a phenomenological approach. The interviews were conducted in a way that ensured the ethics of the research and adherence to its principles. The following ethical principles were taken into account in the context of this study: confidentiality and anonymity, the principle of fairness, the principle of respect for personal privacy. The interviews were conducted until the data became full and the information obtained became repetitive. The study involved 9 teachers working at the Faculty of Arts and Creative Technologies of the study programmes of Fashion Design, Image Design, Fashion Technology and Business, Popular Music, Musical Theatre, Management of Cultural Activities and Dance Pedagogy. The analysis of the study revealed that the respondents are satisfied with their work, the psychological climate of the Faculty, the relationships based on support and assistance, mutual cooperation and collegial support, the working conditions at the Faculty, the opportunities for professional development and the improvement of competences, they feel a sense of pride in being a member of the VIKO community and identify the values declared by VIKO as their priority values.