A Corporate Purpose as an Antecedent to Employee Motivation and Work Engagement

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Lars van Tuin¹  Wilmar B. Schaufeli¹  Anja Van den Broeck³  Willem van Rhenen⁵ 

[1] Health and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University;Research Unit Work Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Professional Learning;Work and Organization Studies, KU Leuven;North West University;Nyenrode Business Universiteit

关键词: corporate purpose;    autonomy;    motivation;    work engagement;    self-determination theory;    contribution;    meaning;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2020.572343

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

It is generally assumed that a corporate purpose aiming to benefit all stakeholders has a positive effect on employee motivation and engagement, but no empirical studies into these specific effects were found. To examine this assumption, a corporate mission and vision matching the definition of a higher purpose were tested in two subsequent studies. The first study ( N = 270) was a cross-sectional self-report study. The second study included a longitudinal design ( N = 56) modeling purpose, motivation, and engagement in a cross-lagged panel model over three time-points. The results associated purpose with motivation and engagement. The subsequent longitudinal analysis confirmed the presumed directionality from purpose to engagement, but not to motivation. Hence, while a corporate purpose can be added to the list of antecedents to work engagement, the relationship with motivation, despite the significant association with purpose in the cross-sectional study, remains more complicated. The present study adds to the knowledge of the beneficial effects of a broader purpose and responds to the current surge of interest in purpose as an instrument for sustainable business.

【 授权许可】

CC BY