Evaluation of psychometric characteristics of employee motivation in the workplace

Abstract

Researchers constantly look for the ideal motivating factors in various countries, industries, and sectors, due to its multilateral dimension, which includes employees, managers, organizational policies and practices, and the way that the very dynamic external environmental factors influence them. Self-Determination Theory of motivation proposed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, embraces a holistic approach to human motivation which started by identifying several motivational styles and has been implemented in different fields of workplace motivation and management This paper aims to emphasize the importance of examining the psychometric characteristics of the employee motivation scale in the workplace, relying on some bifactor model ancillary indices. The degree of motivation was measured through the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS), based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT). The data were collected from a self-report questionnaire addressed to 658 employees from various businesses and institutions in the Korça region, in Albania. The ancillary indices, derived from the standardized loadings of a confirmatory bifactor model, provide a more comprehensive overview of the psychometric characteristics of the measurement instrument. The study showed that treating the MWMS as unidimensional within a multidimensional construct may cause only a small bias. However, its interpretation seems questionable. On the other hand, the added value of some subscale scores should be considered and can be statistically appropriate for interpretation, helping applied researchers. This study contributes to the field by highlighting the necessity of scrutinizing the psychometric properties of the employee motivation scale and demonstrates the utility of employing bifactor model ancillary indices for a more nuanced understanding. For the first time in Albania, we have a measurement instrument related to the motivation of employees in the workplace, which enjoys good psychometric characteristics.