33rd International Congress of Psychology, Praha, Çek Cumhuriyeti, 21 - 25 Temmuz 2024, ss.396, (Özet Bildiri)
Self-Determination Theory (SDT) makes a
distinction between autonomous and controlled types of motivations. Evidence
suggests that need-supportive environments have a crucial role in predicting
autonomous work motivation; however, the role of individual differences in this
relationship has received little consideration, although the theory implies its
importance. This study aimed to investigate the moderation effect of the core
self-evaluations (CSE) personality trait on the relationship between contextual
work factors (leader-member exchange (LMX), perceived organizational support
(POS)) and autonomous work motivation. We also examined the mediating role of
autonomous work motivation in the relationship between contextual factors (LMX,
POS) and work outcomes (job satisfaction and affective commitment), as well as
the moderating role of the CSE on the mediation effect of autonomous work motivation.
Survey data was collected from 292 white-collar employees working at various
industries and organizations in Türkiye. The hypothesized model was tested by running
structural equation modeling using AMOS 23.0. The results showed that CSE
significantly moderated the relationships between LMX and autonomous work
motivation. As hypothesized, the relationship between LMX and autonomous work
motivation was stronger among employees with low rather than high levels of CSE.
Besides, autonomous work motivation partially mediated the relationship between
contextual factors and positive work outcomes. Moreover, CSE significantly
moderated the mediation effect of autonomous work motivation on the
relationship between LMX and work outcomes. These results suggest that the
promotion of a need-supportive work environment is especially effective for
enhancing the autonomous work motivation of employees with lower levels of CSE.
The study contributes to the SDT literature by examining how the relationship
between contextual work factors and autonomous work motivation differs based on
personality characteristics.