A performance matrix for strategies to improve satisfaction among faculty members in higher education

Most studies of higher education focus on students as ??customers??, and these studies tend to evaluate educational services on the basis of the satisfaction of these customers. This approach often neglects the question of the satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) of faculty members. The study designs a questionnaire for higher-education faculty members on the basis of the literature on this subject and discussion with scholars. Surveys of importance and satisfaction are then undertaken among Taiwanese faculty members with respect to various items. Each item is then placed on was modified a performance control matrix to determine an appropriate improvement strategy. Items that are found to be outside the range of an appropriate performance zone (APZ) are identified as objectives for improvement. The quality loss function (QLF) is then adopted to calculate an area of improvement objectives. A large QLF value indicates that faculty members satisfaction needs to be improved in these items. The results of this investigation demonstrate that retirement arrangements, job security, salaries, and fair promotion systems need to be improved. The resources of higher-education institutions must be invested appropriately to avoid waste and to enhance satisfaction among faculty members.