Investigation of the effect of organizational image on motivation in terms of university administrative staff

Images are objects, concepts and symbols that are visualized in the mind through imagery. At the same time, it is the individual's interpretation, evaluation of the data obtained through channels such as natural relations, advertisements, the cultural environment in which he lives and the prejudices he has, or the whole of images that are formed slowly and cumulatively in the minds of each individual. Motivation, on the other hand, includes a broad meaning that includes the behavior process, beyond the motivation that will enable individuals to take action in displaying a desired behavior for a specific purpose. Motivation is the sum of both internal and external energy forces that explain the reason for an individual's productive behavior in the organization. Studies show that organizational image has a significant effect on motivation. For this reason, it is very important for organizations to create a positive image against internal and external stakeholders and to realize their expectations and goals. As a matter of fact, a positive image formed by the employees is expected to have a positive effect on the organizational commitment, organizational climate and atmosphere, as well as their motivation. This situation, which is valid for all organizations without distinction between private and public, is also valid for administrative personnel of public universities. Therefore, the determination of the image perceptions of the organization or institutions where the employees work can be very important in terms of giving important clues about the attitudes and behaviors of the employees towards the organization or institution. The purpose of this research is to draw attention to the extent to which the organizational image of a public university affects the motivation of the administrative staff. The research is in the relational screening model within the scope of the quantitative research method. The universe of the research consisted of 2000 administrative personnel working at Fırat University in the 2021-2022 academic year, and the sample consisted of 322 administrative personnel selected by random sampling method. The data of the study were collected through two separate scales. The first of these is the "Organizational Image Scale" developed by Uluçay to determine the organizational image perceptions of the employees, and the second is the "Motivation Scale" developed by Kaçer to determine the factors affecting the motivation levels of administrative staff. The results of the analysis of both scales were found to be valid and reliable. As a result of the analyzes made using the SPSS 26.0 package program, the scores obtained from both scales showed a normal distribution and statistically parametric tests were used on that. According to the research findings; The organizational image perception levels of the university administrative staff were found to be at a medium level with an average ofX=3.306, while their motivation perception levels were at a medium level with an average of X=3.231. According to the results of the analysis on whether there is a significant difference between organizational image and motivation perceptions according to some selected demographic characteristics; While there was no significant difference between organizational image and dimensions, and motivation and dimensions in terms of gender and length of service (p>.05), there was a significant difference between perceptions of image and motivation between managerial personnel and lower-level personnel according to their titles (p<.05). A positive and significant correlation (correlation) of 0.76 was found between organizational image perception scores and motivation perception scores. As a result of the regression analysis on the level of organizational image perception predicting motivation, it was seen that organizational image perception was a significant predictor of motivation. According to the research findings, the higher the organizational image perception levels of the administrative staff, the higher the motivation perception levels will increase.