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Article Critique

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Article Critique

Executive Summary

Dysvik and Kuvaas's 2013 article “Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as predictors of

work effort: The moderating role of achievement goals" intends to investigate the link between

intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation and work effort, with the moderating role of achievement

objectives.

The research holds great importance due to various reasons. Primarily, it elucidates the

intricate association between motivation and work effort, revealing that intrinsic and extrinsic

motivations have divergent impacts on work effort. The results indicate that intrinsic motivation,

which includes autonomy, competence, and relatedness, has a favorable influence on work effort,

while extrinsic motivation, such as rewards and recognition, negatively affects work effort. This

emphasizes the significance of recognizing various motivation types while devising work

settings that encourage increased levels of work effort.

Secondly, the study also highlights the moderating role of achievement goals in the

correlation between intrinsic motivation and work effort. The findings suggest that when

employees have a strong achievement goal orientation, their intrinsic motivation is more strongly

connected to work effort. This finding has important practical implications for organizations, as

it suggests that creating achievement goals can help to amplify the positive effects of intrinsic

motivation on work effort.

Furthermore, the study's methodology and data analysis are the article's strengths. The

researchers used regression analysis to analyze the correlations between the variables and

uncover the moderating influence of accomplishment objectives. Furthermore, the study included

a large sample of Norwegian employees, which boosts the findings' generalizability.

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The study does have certain shortcomings, though. First of all, because the study is cross-

sectional, it is impossible to determine if one condition causes another. It is also unknown how

these correlations may alter over time because the study only looks at the relationships between

the variables at one particular point in time.

Literature Review

The literature review presented in the article is a thorough and current synthesis of

existing research on motivation in the workplace. The authors begin by providing an overview of

the different types of motivation and their influence on work behavior. They discuss intrinsic

motivation, which refers to the inherent satisfaction or enjoyment that people experience when

engaging in an activity, and extrinsic motivation, which refers to the external rewards or

consequences associated with an activity. The authors note that while extrinsic motivation can

lead to temporary increases in work effort, intrinsic motivation can lead to sustained and

meaningful engagement with work.

The literature review also explores the role of achievement goals in motivation.

Achievement goals refer to the specific outcomes that people strive to achieve in their work, such

as mastering a new skill or outperforming others. The authors highlight the significance of

achievement goals in understanding the relationship between motivation and work effort, as

goals can provide a clear sense of direction and purpose, which can increase motivation and

effort toward achieving those goals.

The authors do point out certain gaps in the research that need to be addressed. For

instance, they argue that additional study is necessary to comprehend the complicated link

between motivation and job effort, especially in various cultural and organizational situations.

They emphasize the need for more long-term studies that can document changes in motivation
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and effort over time, as well as studies that look at how other elements, like job design,

leadership, and organizational culture, affect motivation and effort at work.

Data Analysis

The quantitative technique utilized in the study is suitable for answering the research

issue since it involves collecting and analyzing numerical data. The sample size of 481

Norwegian employees is high enough to enable statistical power to find meaningful impacts.

Furthermore, the authors employ a rigorous statistical analytic approach, regression analysis, to

investigate the correlations between the variables of interest. Regression analysis is a strong

technique for detecting correlations between variables and evaluating hypotheses.

The data analysis results back up the study objectives, revealing a strong positive

association between intrinsic motivation and work effort and a significant negative relationship

between extrinsic inspiration and work effort. Previous research on motivation and job effort has

repeatedly proven that intrinsic motivation is connected with higher levels of effort and

performance than extrinsic motivation. The findings show that firms should focus on developing

intrinsic motivation in their workers to boost their work effort.

Moreover, the results support the moderating role of accomplishment goals, which means

that the connection between intrinsic motivation and work effort is stronger when achievement

goals are present. This finding suggests that organizations should focus on setting clear and

challenging goals that align with their employees' intrinsic motivations. When employees have

clear and challenging goals, they are more likely to be motivated to put forth greater effort to

achieve them.

Results/Conclusion
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This article makes an important contribution to the field of workplace motivation by

highlighting the importance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and the role of performance

goals in predicting work effort. The research findings have real implications for organizations, as

promoting intrinsic motivation and setting performance goals can increase employee

engagement. However, this article has several limitations, such as the sample being limited to

Norwegian workers and the study focusing on one type of work environment. Future studies are

needed to investigate the connection between motivation and performance in different cultural

and organizational contexts.

Overall, the strengths of the article include its thorough literature review and the use of a

quantitative methodology to explore the relationship between motivation and work effort.

Additionally, the study's findings provide practical implications for organizations to increase

work effort by fostering intrinsic motivation and creating achievement goals. However, the

article's limitations include the sample being limited to Norwegian employees, and the study

focusing on one type of work environment. Additionally, the study's use of self-report measures

may be subject to bias. Future research is needed to explore the relationship between motivation

and work effort in different cultural and organizational contexts, using different measures.

Key points and takeaways

The study suggests that intrinsic motivation is positively related to work effort, while

extrinsic motivation is negatively related. Additionally, the results support the moderating role of

achievement goals, indicating that the relationship between intrinsic motivation and work effort

is stronger when achievement goals are present. The article's strengths include its thorough

literature review and the use of a quantitative methodology, while its limitations include the

sample being limited to Norwegian employees and the study focusing on one type of work
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environment. Overall, the article highlights the importance of considering both intrinsic and

extrinsic motivation and the role of achievement goals in predicting work effort, with practical

implications for organizations looking to increase work effort among employees. The study's

findings suggest that fostering intrinsic motivation and creating achievement goals can lead to

increased work effort. Therefore, organizations may want to consider designing jobs that allow

employees to experience a sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as these factors have

been linked to intrinsic motivation.

Additionally, organizations may want to consider providing employees with opportunities

for growth and development, as this can also foster intrinsic motivation. Creating achievement

goals can also be beneficial, as these goals provide employees with a clear sense of direction and

purpose, which can increase their motivation and effort toward achieving those goals. Overall,

the study's practical implications can help organizations create work environments that support

employee motivation and increase work effort.

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References

Dysvik, A & Kuvaas, B. (2013). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as predictors of work

effort: The moderating role of achievement goals. British Journal of Social

Psychology, 52(3), 412–430.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8309.2011.02090.x.