The Impact of Organizational Management on Teachers' Work Motivation in China: A Mediation Analysis of Perceived Fairness

Abstract

This study investigates how organizational management—particularly transparency in performance management and workload management—influences teachers' work motivation in China, with perceived fairness as a mediating mechanism. Findings indicate that clear performance standards and equitable workload distribution directly enhance both motivation and teachers' perceptions of fairness. Crucially, perceived fairness mediates this relationship: when teachers perceive decision-making and evaluations as fair, their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation improves significantly. The study further demonstrates that perceived fairness reinforces the positive effects of managerial practices on motivation. These results highlight the need for educational administrators to implement transparent and fair management systems, particularly in performance evaluation and workload allocation, to foster teachers' sense of fairness, thereby maximizing their work engagement and teaching quality.