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When job performance is all relative: how family motivation energizes effort and compensates for intrinsic motivation

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Menges, JI 
Tussing, DV 
Wihler, A 
Grant, A 

Abstract

Supporting one's family is a major reason why many people work, yet surprisingly little research has examined the implications of family motivation. Drawing on theories of prosocial motivation and action identification, we propose that family motivation increases job performance by enhancing energy and reducing stress, and it is especially important when intrinsic motivation is lacking. Survey and diary data collected across multiple time points in a Mexican maquiladora generally support our model. Specifically, we find that family motivation enhances job performance when intrinsic motivation is low—in part by providing energy, but not by reducing stress. We conclude that supporting a family provides a powerful source of motivation that can boost performance in the workplace, offering meaningful implications for research on motivation and the dynamics of work and family engagement.

Description

Keywords

Motivation, Attitudes, Cognitions, and Affect, Organizational Behavior, Job design, roles, and tasks, Work and family, Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations

Journal Title

Academy of Management Journal

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0001-4273
1948-0989

Volume Title

60

Publisher

Academy of Management