Dynamic and cyclic relationships between employees' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: Evidence from dynamic multilevel modeling analysis

Abstract

Intrinsic motivation (IM) and controlled extrinsic motivation (EM) have been widely studied by psychologists; however, most studies concern only static associations: Research on the dynamic relationship between employee motivation and the potential weekend effect is limited. Dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM), a novel time-series approach, was used to assess the daily dynamic and cyclic relationship between the two types of motivation. Derived from the Team Events and Motivation Study, data involved 238 employees (51 females) and a total of 11,470 daily questionnaires. Results supported the positive relationship between IM and controlled EM at the trait level and showed low or moderate carryover from one workday to the next. An increase in controlled EM was linked to higher IM on the next workday; furthermore, weekly cycles emerged in which employees showed lower motivation on Monday. The autoregressive effects of IM and controlled EM were greater from Friday to Monday than during other periods; in addition, bidirectional cross-lagged effects were negative after considering weekends. Findings highlight the complexity of the motivation process and the importance of understanding employee motivation from a dynamic perspective.