"You want to do your own stuff because there is a team that needs you" - an extensive multiple case study on motivational self-management in a self-directed work team
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Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
School of Business |
Master's thesis
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Author
Date
2017
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Management and International Business (MIB)
Language
en
Pages
77
Series
Abstract
This thesis explored the topic of self-management of motivation i.e. how employees in the contemporary work environment manage their motivation to work. The research design was an extensive multiple case study based on semi-structured interviews of eight individuals in one self-directed work team. The study asked how these motivational self-management methods are linked to autonomous or controlled motivation, based on the Self-Determination Theory by Deci & Ryan (2000), and with what potential outcomes. The motivational self-management methods and processes of knowledge-workers in team-based organizations had not been studied previously, and overall little empirical research has been done on self-management of motivation in any discipline. Studying these methods and processes is important for society, as being better able to self-manage one’s motivation has the potential to increase one’s wellbeing and productivity, especially if it happens through autonomous motivation (Gagné, Forest et al., 2015). As the job-design in the knowledge-intensive sector has been changing to favor flexibility and autonomy of employees (Hornung, Rousseau et al., 2010), these employees also have the increased responsibility of managing one’s motivation without constant top-down orders. The thematic analysis showed that the participants of this study self-manage their motivation in the following ways: work and environmental control, scheduling by disposition, increasing task enjoyability, creation of meaning, procrastination, enforcing self-discipline, thinking about material rewards, self-rewarding, seeking positive affirmation, visualizing progress, avoiding negative feelings, and acting out of dependency and responsibility. The motivational self-management methods of increasing task enjoyability and creation of meaning are linked to autonomous motivation, while procrastination, enforcing self-discipline, thinking about material rewards, and avoiding negative feelings can be tied to controlled motivation. The study argues that previous studies of self-management of motivation have given an overly static picture of motivational self-management. Thus, the main contributions of this study include the dynamic and flexible nature of motivational self-management in the context of a self-managed team and the role of self-reflection in this process. The practical implications of this study highlight the importance of HR practices emphasizing personnel development and person/organization-fit when recruiting.Description
Thesis advisor
Katila, SaijaKeywords
motivation, motivational self-management, self-directed work team, self-determination theory
