Flow at Work: a Self-Determination Perspective

Abstract

Flow at work refers to a short-term peak experience that is characterized by absorption, work enjoyment, and intrinsic work motivation, and is positively related to various indicators of job performance. In an organizational context, research has predominantly focused on situational predictors of flow -including challenge job demands and resources. In this article, we propose that workers may also proactively create their own optimal experiences. We use self-determination theory to argue that all human beings have basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as well as an inherent tendency towards proactivity and growth. We propose that workers may use four self-determination strategies to satisfy their basic needs, facilitate flow experiences, and, in turn, increase their job performance: self-leadership, job crafting, designing work to be playful, and strengths use. Furthermore, we argue that factors within the organizational context -such as human resource practices and leadership, as well as personal resources -such as self-efficacy and optimism, moderate the effectiveness of these strategies. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

The Role of Job Crafting on the Promotion of Flow and Wellbeing

“…Our findings reinforced the proposition that individuals can create their own work-related flow experiences by means of job crafting (Bakker & Woerkom, 2017). However, considering the three dimensions of job crafting, only the dimension of cognitive crafting exerted a moderate positive influence on flow at work.…”

“…Concurrently, the variety and availability of job resources (e.g., autonomy, social support, opportunities for development) were positively related to work-related flow experiences (Mäkikangas, Bakker, Aunola, & Demerouti, 2010) and fostered the occurrence of future flow at work (Salanova, Bakker, & Llorens, 2006). Thus, the state of flow was most often experienced in work contexts that combined an abundance of job resources with challenging job demands (Bakker & Woerkom, 2017;Demerouti & Mäkikangas, 2017).…”

“…By shaping their own work experience, employees create opportunities to use abilities (e.g., skills, talents, competencies), to exert passions (e.g., intrinsic motivations) and to build meaning at work that is aligned with their personal values (Berg et al, 2013). In line with these perspectives, Bakker and Woerkom (2017) proposed that individuals can create their own workrelated flow experiences by using proactive individual strategies such as job crafting. Recent empirical findings have shown that task crafting predicted flow in millennial youth (i.e., dimension of work engagement) (Mihelič & Aleksić, 2017).…”

“…psychological well-being). By redesigning their own work, employees also facilitate the emergence of work-related flow experiences (Bakker & Woerkom, 2017). The flow at work, a motivating and self-rewarding state of mind, is fostered by the individual's perception of the importance of its outcome (Engeser & Baumann, 2016) and can be functional for his or her development at work (Bakker, 2005(Bakker, , 2008.…”

Inaugural Editorial: Help on the Way

“…In fact, Bakker and van Woerkom (2017) provide a productive integration of flow research with self-determination theory in order, in part, to help identify strategies to promote flow at work. I have always found flow research to be fascinating.…”