Why researchers work in management schools: A comparative study of motivation and job satisfaction in France and Norway

Abstract

If any country is interested in high scientific results, it should have highly motivated and satisfied researchers. The purpose of this study is to establish the national characteristics and differences in motivation and job satisfaction of researchers in two developed European countries – France and Norway. The management schools of French and Norwegian universities were chosen for this study. A five-stage research methodology, including surveys, in-depth interviews, and statistical testing, was used to test four hypotheses. According to the vast majority (16 out of 20) of motivators considered, the average scores in Norway are higher than in France. Only four motivators are exceptions, namely challenging work, interesting work, job security, and social benefits, for which the French are somewhat better motivated. In general, French researchers have lower job satisfaction than their Norwegian colleagues. The only exception is the dissatisfaction of Norwegian senior researchers with their professional learning conditions. The considered case study proves that each European country, having its own system of incentives and working conditions, provides different levels of satisfaction for different researchers working there. The results will allow one to improve national incentive systems by benchmarking and adopting best practices within the continent. AcknowledgmentsThe authors acknowledge: the COST Action CA19117 – Researcher Mental Health (ReMO) for short-term scientific mission grant and supporting this study; academic staff of observed universities for participating in the survey; and the Hauge School of Management of the NLA University College (Kristiansand, Norway) for supporting this publication.