A Motivational Perspective on Job Insecurity: Relationships Between Job Insecurity, Intrinsic Motivation, and Performance and Behavioral Outcomes

Yuhyung Shin, Won-Moo Hur, Tae Won Moon and Soomi Lee
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Yuhyung Shin: School of Business, Hanyang University, 17 Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-791, Korea
Won-Moo Hur: College of Business Administration, Inha University, 100 Inha-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon 22212, Korea
Tae Won Moon: College of Business Administration, Hongik University, Seoul 04066, Korea
Soomi Lee: School of Business, Hanyang University, 17 Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 133-791, Korea

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: As a result of the global economic recession over the past decade, employees have been exposed to constant threats of job insecurity. Despite having conducted extensive research on job insecurity, scholars have paid little attention to the motivational processes underlying employees’ reactions to job insecurity. The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between job insecurity, intrinsic motivation, and performance and behavioral outcomes. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT), we propose a mediated relationship in which job insecurity decreases intrinsic motivation, which, in turn, undermines job performance, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and change-oriented OCB. To test our propositions, we collected survey-based data from 152 R&D professionals employed in a South Korean manufacturing company. As predicted, job insecurity was negatively related to intrinsic motivation, which, in turn, had a positive relationship with all three outcomes. Furthermore, job insecurity exerted significant indirect effects on job performance, OCB, and change-oriented OCB through intrinsic motivation. These findings affirm SDT, which posits that motivation, as a key intermediary process, affects employees’ reactions to job stressors.

Keywords: job insecurity; intrinsic motivation; job performance; OCB; mediation analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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