How challenging was your work today? The role of autonomous work motivation

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology

Publication Date

1-1-2017

Volume

26

Issue

1

First Page

81

Last Page

93

Publisher

Routledge

Keywords

autonomous work motivation, challenge and hindrance job demands, diary methodology, employee engagement, work-related well-being

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to investigate whether autonomous motivation for work can explain the distinctive associations between hindrance and challenge demands and work-related well-being (i.e., positive affect and work engagement) on a within-person level. Autonomous work motivation represents the degree to which motivation for putting effort in work is intrinsic (i.e., with a sense of volition and personal choice) or has been internalized (i.e., without feelings of internal or external pressure). In order to test our hypotheses, we employed a diary methodology and followed 153 secondary school teachers throughout five consecutive working days. The results of multilevel modelling provided support for the hypothesized research model. On days when teachers experienced more challenges, they also experienced more positive affect and more engagement in their work on the same day, and this relationship could be explained by (higher) autonomous work motivation on that day. In contrast, on days when teachers experienced more hindrance demands, they experienced less positive affect and less work engagement, and this process was explained by (reduced) autonomous work motivation that day. Our findings add to the literature by showing that daily autonomous motivation as a motivational process can explain why daily challenge and hindrance demands are differentially related to positive well-being at work.

DOI

10.1080/1359432X.2016.1208653

Print ISSN

1359432X

E-ISSN

14640643

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Tadić Vujčić, M., Oerlemans, W. G. M., & Bakker, A. B. (2017). How challenging was your work today? The role of autonomous work motivation. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(1), 81-93. doi: 10.1080/1359432X.2016.1208653

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