I need university administrators (and probably some other people too, but definitely university administrators) to understand something: you cannot motivate your faculty to do more research or better teaching.
They are already maximally motivated people. They did not get the job by being unmotivated. A good chunk of them have more motivation than is healthy for them.
Any action you take to "motivate" them is going to be demotivational. Any of them. Yes, even that one that you just thought of. Yes, even the one you heard about from one of your peers at a different institution that you're jealous of.
Lean in close, here's the secret: all you have to do is (a) support them in doing their jobs, and (b) not fuck things up.
@ricci counterpoint: if they were better at research or teaching they wouldn’t have become university administrators.
@irene @ricci Please, do not use that counterpoint. Research and teaching are in no way superior to the admin work.
I've worked and I do work with some amazing people in admin, who do jobs I would never want to do but that it is critical for what I do.
Sure, I've been in situations where my job has been hindered by university policies or by admin, but I've also been in situations where that has come from fellow researchers/lecturers (case in point, people doing shabby work when marking).
