scholarly journals Work Motivation: Directing, Energizing, and Maintaining Effort (and Research)

Author(s):  
Adam M. Grant ◽  
Jihae Shin

This chapter provides an overview of contemporary research on work motivation. We start by identifying the central premises, controversies, and unanswered questions related to five core theoretical perspectives on work motivation: expectancy theory, equity theory, goal-setting theory, job design, and self-determination theory. We then discuss four current topics and new directions: collective motivation and organizing, temporal dynamics, creativity, and the effects of rewards.

2020 ◽  
pp. 237929812093399
Author(s):  
Marie-Colombe Afota ◽  
Melanie A. Robinson

Work motivation is a core component of many management courses. However, its effective teaching can be hampered by the fragmentation and seeming incoherence of the various theories of work motivation. To address this challenge, we describe an interactive role-play activity that induces students to synthesize, apply, and compare several theories of motivation. In the first part of the exercise, students work in small groups to prepare a role-play skit illustrating a specific theory of motivation. In the second part, groups present their role-play skits in front of the class, and the rest of the students try to determine which theories were performed. Next, the debriefing session encourages students to discuss, compare, and contrast the theories. Though the present exercise focuses on four theories—the hierarchy of needs, the two-factor theory, expectancy theory, and self-determination theory—the activity can be easily adapted to incorporate other models of motivation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lurdes Neves ◽  
Joaquim Luís Coimbra

Abstrac The self-determination theory proposes a multidimensional concept of motivation and distinguishes how different types of motivation can be promoted or discouraged. For the application of the theory of self-determination to the educational context, this study aimed to adapt and validate the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS) in the educational context. The scale was answered by 419 teachers from 30 schools from the North and Center of Portugal. Factor analysis indicated that the 19-item scale has the same factor structure as that obtained in the original study. In this study, it was possible to identify that the items that constitute the MWMS are good indicators of constructs to be measured in an educational context and the factors are properly individualized. The scale showed five robust dimensions that permit a broad understanding of motivation, similar to the studies of the original scale. The dimension with the best internal consistency is demotivation, while introjected regulation obtained the lowest coefficient.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412110484
Author(s):  
Chang C Xiang ◽  
Xu Wang ◽  
Ting T Xie ◽  
Cheng L Fu

Surface acting—the management of emotional displays as part of a nurse’s work role—is increasingly getting scholars’ attention in organizational behavior. Previous research focused on the relationship between surface acting and outcomes (such as psychological well-being) on the basis of resource-centric theories, ignoring the subjective stance of surface acting provider. According to self-determination theory, surface acting affects an individual’s well-being through stimulating autonomous or controlled work motivation. Taking nurses as the subjects, the current study proposed that surface acting would affect job satisfaction and further psychological well-being through nurses’ controlled work motivation, and work and family support would moderate the above relationships in diverse directions. An online survey of n = 342 nurses working at a hospital in central China was conducted, evaluating surface acting, job satisfaction, psychological well-being, workplace support, and family support. Results indicated that surface acting negatively influenced nurses’ psychological well-being through job satisfaction. In addition, the results highlighted the two-faced aspect of social support, in which work support positively moderated the relationships between surface acting, job satisfaction, and psychological well-being, while family support intensified the abovementioned relationships negatively. These findings have important implications for surface acting, social support research, and managerial practices.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Henning ◽  
Andreas Stenling ◽  
Susanne Tafvelin ◽  
Isabelle Hansson ◽  
Marie Kivi ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Levesque-Côté ◽  
Claude Fernet ◽  
Alexandre J.S. Morin ◽  
Stéphanie Austin

PurposeAlthough one of the central premises of authentic leadership theory is that authentic leaders mobilize their followers, the underlying motivational mechanisms of this process remain poorly understood. Drawing on self-determination theory, this study aims to fill that gap by examining authentic leadership practices (ALP) as theoretical antecedents of employees' motivation profiles.Design/methodology/approachLatent profile analyses conducted on a sample of 501 employees revealed four profiles: self-determined, unmotivated, highly motivated and moderately motivated.FindingsALP were associated with a higher likelihood of membership into the most adaptive motivation profiles. Employees in these profiles displayed more optimal job functioning: higher organizational commitment and performance, and lower intentions to leave their organization.Originality/valueThese findings underscore the predictive power of autonomous motivation for employee functioning and provide new insights into how ALP can improve work motivation, and hence job functioning. Our results account not only for how ALP affects the complete range of behavioral regulations at work but also the different patterns in which these regulations combine within employees.


Author(s):  
Παναγιώτης Τσουμάνης ◽  
Χρυσάνθη Γεωργαντά

Εισαγωγή Η θεωρία του Αυτο-Καθορισμού [Self-Determination Theory, (SDT)] (Deci & Ryan, 1985a,2000) προτείνει μία πολυδιάστατη ανάλυση των εργασιακών κινήτρων συνδυάζοντας τόσο εσωτερικούς όσο και εξωτερικούς μηχανισμούς ρύθμισης της συμπεριφοράς. Σκοπός της παρούσας έρευνας ήταν η διερεύνηση των εργασιακών κινήτρων των μαθητών της Γ΄ Λυκείου στην Ελλάδα, καθώς βρίσκονται κοντά στη μετάβαση από το σχολείο στην εργασία. Η ανάλυση έγινε με βάση την SDT μέσω της προσαρμογής στον υπό μελέτη πληθυσμό της κλίμακας Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale-MWMS (Gagné, Forest, Vansteenkiste, Crevier-Braud και Van den Broeck, 2014). Μέθοδος Τα δεδομένα αντλήθηκαν από ένα δείγμα μαθητών ηλικίας 17-18 ετών από ΓΕΛ της Αθήνας (Ν=203, Μ.Ο.=17,58 Τ.Α.=0.50). Μελετήθηκαν οι ψυχομετρικές ιδιότητες της κλίμακας και συγκεκριμένα η παραγοντική δομή και ο βαθμός αξιοπιστίας της. Αποτελέσματα  Πραγματοποιήθηκε επιβεβαιωτική ανάλυση παραγόντων με τους στατιστικούς δείκτες (χ2, GFI, TLI, CFI, RMSEA, SRMR) να μην επιβεβαιώνουν τη δομή της αρχικής κλίμακας των κατασκευαστών αλλά να είναι κοντά στα όρια των επιθυμητών επιπέδων. Η διερευνητική ανάλυση παραγόντων παρουσίασε επίσης διαφοροποιημένη δομή σε σχέση με την αρχική κλίμακα. Συμπεράσματα Τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας θέτουν τη βάση για περαιτέρω μελέτη των εργασιακών κινήτρων των μαθητών της Γ΄ Λυκείου. Επίσης, εγείρουν ένα σημαντικό ζήτημα αναφορικά με το αν οι Έλληνες μαθητές αυτής της βαθμίδας δίνουν έμφαση σε εξωτερικά κίνητρα υλικών ανταμοιβών για τη μελλοντική τους εργασία μέσα σε ένα πλαίσιο κοινωνικοοικονομικής αβεβαιότητας και πολυπλοκότητας όπως αυτό της ελληνικής κοινωνίας. Η παρούσα έρευνα συνιστά την πρώτη προσπάθεια αξιολόγησης των εργασιακών κινήτρων των μαθητών στην Ελλάδα με βάση την SDT.


Author(s):  
Anja H. Olafsen ◽  
Edward L. Deci

Self-determination theory (SDT) is a macro theory of human motivation that utilizes concepts essential for organizational psychology. Among the concepts are types and quality of motivation and basic (i.e., innate and universal) psychological needs. Further, the theory has specified social-environmental factors that affect both the satisfaction versus frustration of the basic psychological needs and the types of motivation. The social-environmental factors concern ways in which colleagues, employees’ immediate supervisors, and their higher-level managers create workplace conditions that are important determinants of the employees’ motivation, performance, and wellness. In addition, SDT highlights individual differences that also influence the degrees of basic need satisfaction and the types of motivation that the employees display. This theoretical framework has gained increasingly attention within the context of work the last 15 years, showcasing the importance of basic psychological needs and type of work motivation in explaining the relation from workplace factors to work behaviors, work attitudes and occupational health.


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