Factors that motivate software developers in Nigerian’s software development organizations

Abstract

Motivation is a strong tool in the hand of managers and leaders. This tool can only be utilized when the factors that motivate subordinates are known and built into the leadership process. This study investigated the factors that motivate software developers in Nigeria with aid of questionnaires and informal interaction with some Information Technology (IT) professionals. A five point Likert scale ranging from "strongly Agree" to "Undecided" was used to measure the degree of intensity of a respondent’s feeling about each item on the questionnaire. It was found that developers were motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically. It was also observed those courtesy, good reward systems, regular training, recognition, tolerance of mistakes and good leadership were high motivators of software developers.

Keywords: Software developers, information technology, project managers, Nigeria

International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(4): 406 - 411, 2010