Motivational orientations in work

The rapid development in working life during recent decades has changed the structures of work organisations and expectations of employees’ work. Differing forms of professional employment and different types of organisational environments likely promote different types of motivational patterns in workers. The aim of this study was to apply a systemic motivational orientation model, originally developed for the educational context, to study work motivation. Altogether, 584 persons, from 11 organisations, representing work with different levels of knowledge intensity, responded to the questionnaire. The key finding is that rapidly changing, increasingly complex, and fundamentally networked organisations are challenging environments for worker motivation. For some employees, these environments open opportunities for intellectually inspiring activities and continuous learning in socially encouraging environments. However, for many high level employees, not only is working in these environments an intrinsically motivated flow-like experience, but also they are emotionally demanding and anxiety generating environments with conflicting duties and roles.