Work Motivation and Job Attitudes

Organizational Psychology

Systematic study of person and situation variables that influence the behaviors and experiences of individuals and groups at work

Work motivation

A force that drives people to behave in a way that energizes, directs, and sustains their work behavior

Direction/Choice, Intensity, Persistence

Work motivation components

Need-Motive-Value theories

People driven by internal needs. Satisfy the need → motivation follows

Cognitive Choice Theories

People calculate probabilities and fairness before choosing how hard to try

Self-Regulation Theories

People actively monitor progress and adjust behavior toward their end goal

Job Characteristics Theory

Need-based foundation (meaningful work, autonomy) + self-regulation via feedback loop. Often classified separately as a job design theory

Self-Determination Theory

Has a need-based foundation, a cognitive layer about perceived autonomy, and a developmental self-regulation component. Not just interested in whether someone is motivated - interested in the quality and type of motivation. Most integrative and influential motivation theories of the last 30 years

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Behavior driven by unfulfilled needs, lower-order needs must be met before higher-order needs

ERG Theory

3 categories of needs: Existence, Relatedness, Growth. Can operate simultaneously rather than in sequence, frustration-regression hypothesis, theory has intuitive appeal but mixed results

Frustration-Regression Hypothesis

Blocking someone from a goal creates a strong urge for aggression

Two-Factor Theory

Factors related to job satisfaction are different than those related to job dissatisfaction

Satisfiers

Name for motivators in two-factor theory

Dissatisfiers

Name for hygiene factors in two-factor theory

Expectancy Theory (VIE/EIV)

People make choices based on their expectations that certain rewards will follow from certain behaviors

Expectancy

Perceived relationship between effort and performance

Instrumentality

Perceived relationship between performance and outcomes

Valence

Expected level of satisfaction from some outcome

Equity Theory

Motivation is influenced by our perception of how fairly we are treated at work

Equity Sensitivity

People differ in their sensitivity to overreward or underreward situations - in how much they want to receive vs. give

Benevolents

Prefer their input-output ratio to be LOWER than others

Equity Sensitives

Prefer their input-output ratio to be EQUAL to others

Entitleds

Prefer their input-output ratio to be HIGHER than others

Organizational Justice

Overall perception of what is fair in the workplace

Distributive Justice

Perceived fairness of outcomes

Procedural Justice

Perceived fairness of process used to determine outcome

Interpersonal Justice

Perceived degree to which one is treated with dignity and respect

Informational Justice

Degree to which employees are provided explanations for decisions and kept informed

Goal-Setting Theory

Motivation is enhanced when employees accept/commit to specific, difficult goals and when feedback about progress towards goals is provided

Social Cognitive Theories

Motivation results from joint influence of self-efficacy expectations and self-reactions to discrepancies between current performance and standards/goals

Learning Goal Orientation

Focuses on developing competence, mastering new skills, and valuing effort over innate ability

Performance Goal Orientation

Focuses on demonstrating competence relative to others, rather than mastering skills

Control Theory

Point to importance of gathering, receiving, and interpreting feedback. The more self-focused individuals are, the more often they engage the feedback loop

Job Characteristics Theory

Proposes that five core job dimensions—skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback—influence three critical psychological states, leading to higher motivation, satisfaction, and performance

Autonomy

The feeling one has choice and willingly endorsing one’s behavior

Competence

The experience of mastery and being effective in one’s activity

Relatedness

The need to feel connected and belongingness with others

Self-Determination Theory

Focuses on the drive behind choices people make without external influence for motivation

Intrinsic Motivation

Motivation comes from within, driven by personal enjoyment, curiosity, or satisfaction in an activity

Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation driven by external factors like rewards, recognition, or punishment avoidance

Organizational behavior Management

Application of behavioral psych principles to the study and control of behavior in organizational settings

Antecedent

Occurs before a behavior happens

Consequence

Follows the behavior and may result in an increase or decrease in the behavior

Management by Objectives (MBO)

Define organization goals → define employee objectives → continue monitoring performance and progress → providing feedback → performance appraisal → performance evaluation

Job Enrichment

Process of increasing the motivating potential of jobs by strengthening the key motivating job characteristics

Job Crafting

Process through which employees are allowed to customize, modify, craft own job with regard to tasks, responsibilities, processes