Organizational Psychology

We present three studies aimed to develop a new version of Work Motivation Questionnaire (WMQ) with 20 items operationalizing the relative autonomy continuum described in Self-Determination Theory by E. Deci and R. Ryan. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in two large samples (N =3,614 and N = 10,913) of Russian production enterprises we confirmed the validity of a structure with six scales measuring intrinsic motivation, integrated, identified, introjected, and external forms of extrinsic motivation, as well as amotivation. The internal consistency of the scales ranged from .62 to.91. The second-order factor structure supports the indices of autonomous and controlled motivation (alpha .91 and .80, respectively), as well as relative autonomy index (alpha .84) based on bifactor rotation. Using multigroup CFA we found scalar invariance of the instrument with respect to employee position and test administration format (paper-based vs. computerized). Predictable associations of autonomous and controlled motivation with work engagement, boredom, emotional exhaustion, and self-reported performance indicate the validity of the new measure. Relative autonomy was associated with work intensity and difficulty, job autonomy, support from colleagues and supervisor, availability of feedback, as well as positive socio-moral climate (justice, respect, open discussion, collective decision-making). Employee position and education were the strongest demographic predictors of autonomous motivation. In a separate sample (N = 69) we found positive associations of autonomous motivation and negative associations of controlled motivation with expert ratings of competencies based on competence interviews. The findings indicate that the WMQ is a reliable and valid instrument for organizational research based on Self-Determination Theory.