Continuous Monitoring of Employees' Motivational Attitudes during the Initial Employment Period.
Abstract
The study investigates the course of development of motivational attitudes for a sample of approximately 40 newly-hired engineers. The study utilized an expectancy theory approach to obtain questionnaire data on individuals' performance-reward expectations and reward values, beginning on the first day of employment and continuing at monthly or longer intervals through the first 12 months on the job. Data were also collected on supervisors' ratings of employees' job performance at several points in time. The results obtained from the study indicated that the values attached to rewards--their rated desirability--by individuals in this sample remained quite constant throughout the 12-month period. On the other hand, there was a significant drop across time in employees' beliefs that high levels of performance will lead to desired rewards. Furthermore, the data indicated such a decline set in relatively quickly--even by the end of the first month--and continued more or less steadily thereafter until leveling off toward the end of the first year. The relationship of the various attitude measures to performance represented a complex pattern, but it appeared that performance-reward expectations did account for some of the variance in rating of performance. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 1971
- Accession Number
- AD0731684
Entities
People
- Frederick C. Yeager
- John Van Maanen
- Lyman Porter
- William J. Crampon
Organizations
- University of California, Irvine