Motivational Antecedents Research Articles

How ability, motivation and opportunity influence travel agents performance: the moderating role of absorptive capacity

PurposeThis study aims to examine the influence of the three dimensions of travel agents’ manager competencies – ability, motivation and opportunity seeking – on knowledge transfer and travel agents’ performance. In addition, the study investigates how employee’s absorptive capacity moderates the effects of managers’ competencies on knowledge received by the employees and moderates the effects of knowledge received by the employees on travel agents’ performance.Design/methodology/approachA positivist research philosophy was adopted with a quantitative approach, in which quantitative data were gathered based on questionnaires to tackle different stages of the study. To test the hypotheses, a self-administrated face-to-face survey of about 42 questions, launched on November 7, 2016, was used to compile response from top and medium management Category A travel agents operating in Egypt.FindingsBased on a sample of 577 travel agents’ frontline employees, the results showed that the three dimensions of travel agents’ competencies have a positive effect on knowledge received by the employee. Findings further indicated that knowledge received by employee mediates the link between these three competencies and travel agents’ performance. The link between the competencies and knowledge received by the employee was found to be positively moderated by employee absorptive capacity. Moreover, these findings suggested that the relationship between knowledge received and travel agents’ performance is stronger when employees’ absorptive capacity is greater.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is bound by certain limitations that also provide fertile grounds for further research. First, the study examined how an employee’s absorptive capacity moderates the effects of managers’ competencies on knowledge received by the employees and moderates the effects of knowledge received by the employees on travel agents’ performance. However, innovation as a dependent variable can be investigated. Second, one limitation is that the study is restricted to Category A travel agents only in Greater Cairo. Third, examining the antecedents of ability, motivation and opportunity seeking to transfer knowledge is also important.Practical implicationsIt is important for travel agents, owners, managers and employees to acknowledge absorptive capacity as a critical component for organizations to sustain, grow and compete. Travel agents can also take steps to develop their employees’ absorptive capacity. Doing so would further enhance the success of knowledge, employees and travel agents’ performance. Also, travel agents’ top management has to ensure their employees’ absorbing knowledge, identifying and recognizing external knowledge, processing and understanding it, combining it with existing knowledge and applying the new knowledge to commercial ends. Hence, the development of absorptive capacity contributes to a travel agent’s achievement of competitive advantage.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by expanding the extant literature on knowledge transfer and absorptive capacity by investigating the influence of travel agents’ manager competencies – ability, motivation and opportunity seeking – for knowledge transfer in the Egyptian context. In addition, it investigates the direct effects of the three dimensions of travel agents’ manager competencies – ability, motivation and opportunity seeking – for knowledge transfer. Finally, the paper investigates how employee’s absorptive capacity moderates the effects of managers’ competencies on knowledge received by the employees and moderates the effects of knowledge received by the employees on travel agents’ performance

Impact of self-efficacy and retention on transfer of training

PurposeTraining plays a vital role in the success of an organization as it provides the employees an opportunity to improve their competencies. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effects of motivation to transfer between self-efficacy, training retention and transfer of training.Design/methodology/approachResearch hypotheses were tested using quantitative research technique. The data were collected through self-administered questionnaire from 300 employees working in the banking sector of twin cities (Rawalpindi and Islamabad), of Pakistan. In total, 215 questionnaires were finally used for analysis.FindingsThe findings of this study reveal that motivation to transfer mediates the relationship between self-efficacy, training retention and transfer of training.Practical implicationsAlthough previous studies have tested the impact of self-efficacy and training retention on the transfer of training, but the mechanism through which self-efficacy and retention influence transfer of training remained underexplored. Knowing the role of self-efficacy and training retention as the antecedents of motivation to transfer can help the training managers to design an effective and efficient training plan.Originality/valueThis study will contribute to the existing body of knowledge especially in the Pakistani context by testing the role of trainee’s characteristics in transfer of training. Also, this study has empirically tested the mediating role of motivation to transfer between trainee’s characteristics (self-efficacy and retention) and transfer of training which has not been tested before.

Supplemental Material for Underpinnings of Expectancies of Success in Mathematics: An Analysis of General, School-Related, and Domain-Specific Motivation Antecedents

Supplemental Material for Underpinnings of Expectancies of Success in Mathematics: An Analysis of General, School-Related, and Domain-Specific Motivation Antecedents

Motivational Antecedents of Well-Being and Health Related Behaviors in Adolescents.

Grounded in the Achievement Goal Theory framework of motivation and optimal functioning, there were two objectives of this study: (a) to test a model hypothesizing links between personal theories of school achievement, indices of the quality of academic engagement, wellbeing, and health-related behaviors, and (b) to explore whether the hypothesized model was invariant across gender groups. A multisection questionnaire pack tapping the targeted variables was administered to 967 teenagers (475 boys and 492 girls) aged between 11 to 16 years old. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that Task theory of achievement predicted positively satisfaction in school and negatively boredom in school. An Ego theory of achievement was linked to higher levels of boredom in school. Satisfaction in school corresponded to higher life satisfaction, while boredom was negatively related. Higher life satisfaction was associated with lower tobacco, alcohol and marijuana consumption, more healthy food intake and greater levels of physical activity. The results revealed partial invariance of the model by gender. The quality of adolescents’ involvement in the classroom holds important implications for adolescent’s well-being and their health related behaviors. Interventions on the creation of a task-involving motivational climate in the school are proposed to promote healthy lifestyles among young people.

The moderator effect of commitment on the relations between satisfaction and motivation in Special Employment Centres.

Little is known about the relation between satisfaction, commitment and motivation among employees with mild intellectual disabilities. The present research analyses the moderated effect of commitment on the relation between satisfaction of employees with intellectual disabilities and their motivation. Employees with legally recognized intellectual disabilities, following the Spanish law, answered a questionnaire. The present authors examined bivariate relations across all variables in the model. Subsequently, a moderator model was tested, using the Johnson-Neyman and the pick-a-point approximation. There was a direct effect between employees' satisfaction and motivation (b=2.4621; p<.0001). Commitment had a moderator effect on this relation (b=[-3.36 to -0.30]; p<.001), especially for those employees with lower levels of commitment. Our research focuses on the antecedents of work motivation of employees with mild intellectual disabilities as full employees. So, our results help HR managers to increase employees' motivational levels, as one of the main objectives of healthy organizations.

Work motivation of the ego, the alters, and centrality in organizational social networks

Although there is a growing interest to study the emergence of social network positions, its motivational antecedents have been largely overlooked by the extant literature. We propose that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of an ego diversely affect ego’s indegree centrality in organizational networks of informal advice relationships. Furthermore, we suggest that such an outcome can be expected also when we consider the motivational orientation of the ego’s advice providers. To test our theory, we conducted our fieldwork in an Italian consulting company that employs a total of 134 employees, and the response rate was 90%. We discuss the theoretical implications for the organizational social networks and work motivation literature. The findings imply important practical implications for managers, which we discuss at the end of the paper.

Motivational antecedents of pay and pay expectations: Gender differences in a masculine context

Research on gender differences in the effects of non-cognitive traits on pay is rather scant, and focuses largely on the big five personality traits. To address this gap, we consider gender differe...

Factors Contributing to Cognitive Absorption and Grounded Learning Effectiveness in a Competitive Business Marketing Simulation

This study aimed to establish a pedagogical positioning of a business marketing simulation as a grounded learning teaching tool and empirically assess the dimensions of cognitive absorption related to grounded learning effectiveness in an iterative business simulation environment. The method/design and sample consisted of a field study survey instrument following the completion of an iterative marketing simulation with six decision periods. The matched, cross-sectional sample consisted of 391 undergraduate business students enrolled in marketing principles classes. The study used structural equation modeling to investigate the relations between the dimensions of cognitive absorption and grounded learning effectiveness. The model predicted 57% of the variance in grounded learning effectiveness. Ten hypotheses were tested in this study; and the results indicated that heightened curiosity, simulation behavioral control, and heightened enjoyment were significant predictors of grounded learning effectiveness. The results also showcased that instructional effectiveness was a predictor of heightened curiosity and behavioral control. Heightened curiosity was a significant predictor of heightened enjoyment. Also, focused immersion and temporal dissociation were predictors of heightened enjoyment. This research empirically assesses grounded learning effectiveness in relation to five factors contributing to participant cognitive absorption and instruction effectiveness in a large sample from a typical population. It gives educators insight into the motivational antecedents to grounded learning effectiveness. Consequently, it provides a basis for marketing educators to manage classroom activities to stimulate the motivational antecedents to grounded learning effectiveness.

Two Major Antecedents of Salesforce Motivation: Salesforce Control Systems and Compensation Plans

Salesforce motivation is important for the success of the organization. Unless and until the salesforce is motivated, the organization will not be able to prosper. There are various factors that are responsible for salesforce motivation. It has been found that out of these many factors, the impact of salesforce control system and salesforce compensation plans is inevitable. Therefore, this study makes an attempt to analyze the impact of these two factors on salesforce motivation by following a review of selected studies from the year 1977 to 2014. Till now, none of the previous studies have analyzed the impact of these two factors on motivation. The review of studies reveals that salesforce control systems and compensation plans should be taken into consideration when motivation of salespeople is talked about as they have an impact on intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation of salespeople. Based on the findings of the review, a framework is designed and implications and directions for future research are stated.

Motivational Antecedents of Whistle-Blowing in Iranian Public Service Organizations

This paper empirically explores how whistle-blowers, as members of a collective or as individual actors, are motivated to report a wrongdoing in public service organizations of Iran. Whistle-blowing in the service organizations of public sector utilizes the mass media to call the attention of public to corruption activities that are associated to the misuse of public funding in a direct way. The current research provides the empirical evidence that whistle-blowing can be motivated with personal and cultural orientation regarding organizational corruption. Drawing on existing literature, this paper examines a structural model of whistle-blowing determinants. A paper-based survey was employed and the statistical population are the employees who work in three anonymous public service organizations in Tehran, Iran. The sample size was estimated at 287. A convenience sampling approach was utilized to collect the required sample. The results of structural analysis indicated that cultural orientation, personal traits and ethical position are significant antecedents of whistle-blowing behaviour. This research suggests that the whistle-blowers have contributed to the disclosure of illegitimate, immoral, and/or illegal practices under their employers’ control that may affect action through their participation in the politicization of whistle-blowing and through their communal and personal transformations.

What travel motivational factors influence Muslim tourists towards MMITD?

PurposeThe World Islamic Tourism Mart in Malaysia has been attracting Muslim tourists from all over the world to choose Malaysia as their Islamic tourism destination. This paper aims to implement the concept of the travel career ladder (TCL) with the main purpose of the antecedents of travel motivation toward Malaysia for Islamic tourism destination (MMITD).Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical model was tested using the structural equation modeling technique with partial least squares. A self-administered questionnaire was designed, distributed and collected from 180 effective participants who had visited Malaysia.FindingsThe findings revealed that the Islamic compliance with self-esteem needs, the Islamic compliance with relationship needs and the Islamic compliance with physiological needs have significant effects on Malaysia My Islamic tourism destination.Research limitations/implicationsThe scope of this research paper is limited to TCL including the Islamic compliance issues with self-fulfillment, self-esteem, relationship, safety and physiological needs. A small sample size was obtained with participants from the Muslim countries. A future study should be comprehensively conducted on larger and diverse sampling methods with participants from the Muslim and the non-Muslim major countries, as this paper particularly discusses the theoretical and managerial implications for the anticipated future studies.Originality/valueThe study yet attempts on the part of academicians in Malaysia, what travel motivational factors influence Islamic tourists to travel MMITD. Based on the previous literature and researcher’s experience, it is a new phenomenon and investigation on MMITD.

Stuck in Limbo: Motivational Antecedents and Consequences of Experiencing Action Crises in Personal Goal Pursuit.

Action crises describe the intrapsychic conflicts individuals experience when they feel torn between further goal pursuit and goal disengagement. The present investigation introduces autonomous and controlled motivation as independent predictors of action crisis severity, beyond known personality-level predictors (action orientation) and novel personality-level predictors (Neuroticism and Conscientiousness). Using a multi-wave prospective longitudinal design and multilevel modeling (MLM), we followed students pursuing three personal goals across an academic semester (N = 425 undergraduates; 76% female; 57% Caucasian; Mage = 20.2, SD = 2.3). In two follow-up surveys, participants reported on the severity of their action crises, goal progress, and symptoms of depression. Results suggest that autonomous motivation shields individuals from experiencing action crises, whereas controlled motivation represents a risk factor for developing action crises beyond personality-level predictors. Furthermore, MLM revealed that autonomous motivation is a significant predictor of action crisis severity at both the within- and between-person levels of analysis. Action crises mediate both the relationship between autonomous motivation and goal progress, and the relationship between controlled motivation and symptoms of depression. The implications of these findings for the prevention of action crises and motivation research are discussed.

Antecedents of Salesforce Motivation: A Review of Studies

As the selling environment is changing and companies are trying to distinguish themselves, salesforce motivation plays an important role in building reputation of the company. This study explores the antecedents of salesforce motivation by reviewing previous studies. The review of studies revealed that career stages, age, job tenure, income level, specific self-esteem, compensation plan base, organizational communication, job significance and autonomy, job variety and completeness, job complexity, and selling constraints, supervisory style, firm's customer orientation, performance feedback, participation, role clarity, job satisfaction, satisfaction with territory design, task conflict and organizational climate characteristics such as job challenge and variety play an important role in affecting salesforce motivation. Based on the findings of the review, implications are stated.

Hope and anxiety in physics class: Exploring their motivational antecedents and influence on metacognition and performance

AbstractRecent research on achievement in science asserts that motivation, emotion, and metacognition are important driving forces for learning. This study sought to examine the relationships between two physics class emotions (hope and anxiety), their motivational predictors (instrumentality and self‐efficacy), and their effects on metacognitive problem solving strategies (planning, monitoring, and evaluation) and performance. Data were collected from 520 grade 11 Spanish students (54.7% girls). Structural equation models (SEM), followed by a bootstrap procedure, were used to examine direct and mediated relationships. The results supported the model, suggesting that instrumentality and self‐efficacy negatively predicted anxiety, and enhanced hope, planning, monitoring, evaluation, and performance; metacognitive strategies and performance were negatively predicted by anxiety, and were positively predicted by hope; metacognitive strategies positively predicted performance. Furthermore, the hypothesized mediated relations were also statistically significant. The interpretation of these findings, their implications for physics teaching and learning, and future lines of research are discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:558–585, 2017

A self-determination perspective on Chinese fifth-graders’ task disengagement

Engagement in academic tasks is important. However, compared to the large body of research on task engagement, the number of studies on task disengagement is quite limited. The aim of this study is to examine the associations between the motivational (self-determination) and attitudinal antecedents (learning orientations) of task disengagement. The sample consisted of 347 fifth-graders in China. We tested two mediation models that incorporated self-determination (autonomous versus controlled), learning orientation (collaborative versus competitive), and task disengagement among Chinese primary school students in learning English. Results showed collaborative learning orientation mediated the link between autonomous motivation and task disengagement. Collaborative learning orientation was also found to be negatively related to task disengagement.

Cross-Country Entrepreneurial Intentions Study: The Danube Region Perspective

In this article, we investigate how entrepreneurial intentions of individuals in the eight countries of the Danube region are shaped by different components of individuals’ personal attitudes, the subjective norm and personal behavioral control. We analyze the internal structure of these components as well as some demographic and human capital factors. Cultural and developmental differences influencing variation in causal effects among variables in the model are analyzed. Structural equation modeling is used for data obtained by adult population surveys within the GEM research. Results of our study show that the entrepreneurial intention model is applicable across countries and that the internal effects among components of motivational antecedents exist, although not all hypothesized relationships are confirmed. Our study suggests that the process from perception to intention is similarly shaped across the eight countries of the Danube region, although there are several differences in the magnitude of causal effects as well as differences regarding influential factors.

Investigating the Association Between Home-School Dissonance and Disruptive Classroom Behaviors for Urban Middle School Students

Disruptive classroom behaviors are a major schooling dilemma in urban schools. While several contextual and motivational factors have been statistically associated with disruptive classroom behaviors, one overlooked factor has been home-school dissonance. The current study examined the relationship between 260 middle school students’ reports of perceived home-school dissonance, several motivational antecedents of academic performance, and disruptive classroom behaviors. Six hundred sixty middle school students completed six subscales of the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS), including the Home-School Dissonance subscale, Mastery Goal, Performance Approach, and Performance Avoidance Goal Orientations, and the Disruptive Classroom Behavior subscales. Home-school dissonance scores were significantly associated with lower mastery goal orientation and lower academic efficacy scores. Home-school dissonance scores were also significantly associated with higher disruptive classroom behavior scores and higher performance approach and performance avoidance goal orientation scores. In addition, structural equation modeling with multiple mediators showed that mastery goal orientation and performance approach goal orientation mediated the relationship between home-school dissonance and disruptive classroom behavior.

학업지연 행동의 기질적, 환경적, 동기적 선행요인 검증

학업지연 행동의 기질적, 환경적, 동기적 선행요인 검증

The motivational antecedents and performance consequences of corporate volunteering: When do employees volunteer and when does volunteering help versus harm work performance?

Theoretical analyses and empirical studies are lacking on the antecedents, consequences, and contingencies of employee participation in company-sponsored volunteer programs. In response, we build on the motivation-based theory of volunteerism to explore the questions of why and when employees engage in company-sponsored volunteer programs and when corporate volunteering experience positively influences job performance at work. Using a three-wave time-lagged study with a sample from a large real estate company, we found that coworker corporate volunteering (but not leader role modeling of corporate volunteering) weakened and social support for corporate volunteering from family and friends strengthened the relationship between prosocial motivation and participation in volunteer programs. Furthermore, we discovered that when employees had positive learning experiences from corporate volunteering, their participation in volunteer programs did not distract from job performance, whereas when employees did not learn much from corporate volunteering, their corporate volunteering harmed job performance at work. The findings contribute to the literature on corporate volunteering and explain the joint influences of personal, social, and learning motives underlying corporate volunteering.

The Impact of Restaurant Service Experience Valence and Purchase Involvement on Consumer Motivation and Intention to Engage in eWOM

ABSTRACTThis study examines how different service experiences lead to different motives and intention to spread eWOM (electronic word-of-mouth), focusing on the antecedent roles of restaurant service experience valence and purchase involvement. The findings reveal that consumers are motivated to spread eWOM for self-, other-, and company-focused reasons, and that experience valence and purchase involvement significantly impact such motives. Our findings suggest that highly involved customers have more intentions to provide eWOM following negative experiences and that customers receiving negative experience hope to influence companies through eWOM. This article adds to the body of scholarly research related to eWOM by identifying purchase involvement and service experience as significant antecedents of motivation to provide online reviews.