On the global and specific nature of psychological need satisfaction and work motivation in predicting employees' wellbeing: a self-determination theory perspective

Abstract

Using data from 708 French-Canadian nurses, the present study relies on self-determination theory (SDT) and its proposed motivation mediation model to examine the associations between need satisfaction, work motivation, and various manifestations of psychological wellbeing (work satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intentions). To increase the precision and accuracy of these analyses, we relied on analytic approaches that explicitly account for the dual global/specific nature of both work motivation and need satisfaction. Results revealed that nurses' global psychological need satisfaction, and their specific autonomy and competence satisfaction, were positively associated with their global self-determined work motivation and specific intrinsic motivation. In turn, global self-determined work motivation and specific intrinsic motivation were associated with more desirable outcome levels. Nurses' global need satisfaction and specific autonomy satisfaction were also directly associated with more desirable outcome levels. Our results provided support for a partially mediated version of SDT's motivation mediation model.

Evaluating Need Crafting: Scale Validation and Workplace Implications

“…Consequently, bifactor models have been favored in which items are simultaneously used to assess their own dimensions and a general factor [10]. Other SDT studies using bifactor modeling successfully demonstrated that psychological need satisfaction [11], motivation [12], and need supportive/thwarting behaviors [13] are best represented by this type of hierarchical model. The current study subsequently used a bifactor model as an alternative to explore the multi-dimensionality of the need crafting scale (NCS) and to source evidence for its construct validity.…”

“…Second, analyzing bifactor models advances the methodological debate within SDT studies [25]. We specifically investigated if need crafting follows a hierarchical structure, similar to basic psychological needs [11], motivation [12], and need supporting/thwarting behaviors [13], allowing for differentiation between the extent of need crafting (a 'quantitative' dimension) and the various methods for need crafting (i.e., 'qualitatively' different ways of crafting). Third, drawing from and extending the foundational work of Laporte and colleagues [2], our study sheds light on the complex, multi-dimensional nature of need crafting and its operational dynamics (i.e., within and across categories and cross-dimensional) in the workplace.…”