How challenging was your work today? The role of autonomous work motivation
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.
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Autonomous work motivation mediated the relationship between hindrance demands and teacher well-being.
“Autonomous work motivation mediated the relationship between hindrance demands and TWB (Tadić Vujčić et al., 2017).”
From Teacher well-being: A systematic review of the research literature from the year 2000–2019 (2021) · cites this paper as Tadić Vujčić et al., 2017
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Teacher well-being: A systematic review of the research literature from the year 2000–2019
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- Authors
- Tadić Vujčić, M., Oerlemans, W. G. M., & Bakker, A. B.
- Affiliations
- Eindhoven University of Technology (NL)
- Lingnan University (HK)
- Venue
- European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-07-28
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 81-93
- ISSN
- 1359-432X (ISSN-L)
- 1464-0643
- OpenAlex
- W2507036826
- Cited by
- 72
- References
- 87
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 11.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Digital Commons - Lingnan (Lingnan University) (submittedVersion)
- EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion)
- TU/e Research Portal (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Workaholism, burnout, and well-being
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Workplace Health and Well-being
- Keywords
- challenge demands, hindrance demands, work-related well-being, positive affect, work engagement, intrinsic motivation, internalized motivation, teachers, within-person variability
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