Mindfulness and Motivation Trajectories Across the Workweek: An Entrainment Theory Perspective

Abstract

Employee performance is commonly investigated as a static, one-time aggregation of prior employee behaviors. For the studies that do acknowledge that performance fluctuates over time, the timeframe decision is disconnected from theoretical underpinnings. To make this connection clearer, we draw on entrainment theory and investigate trajectories in motivation and performance across the five-day workweek. We hypothesize that motivational control (i.e., staying on course and sustaining effort in pursuit of goals through the redirection of attention) and performance have a declining trajectory across the workweek. Drawing on self-determination theory, we also hypothesize that trait-based mindfulness (i.e., non-judgmental present moment attention and awareness) negatively relates to the downward trajectory in performance across the workweek via the downward trajectory in motivational control. Finally, we take a trait activation theory perspective, hypothesizing that mindfulness is relevant as an indirect influence on performance trajectories through motivational control trajectories only when job demands are high. The hypotheses are generally supported. There is a downward trajectory in motivational control and performance across the workweek. Further, job demands conditionally moderate the indirect effect of mindfulness on performance trajectories through motivational control trajectories. We test our model using 155 full-time employees in a medical device company. We collected data from participants twice daily across the five-day workweek and used a person-centric trajectory approach to investigate the proposed relationships. Theoretical and practical implications specific to dynamic motivation and performance, entrainment, and mindfulness literature are discussed.