Organizational Change Impact on Employees Work Motivation, Organizational Commitment, and Employee Engagement

Transkript

1 Organizational Change Impact on Employees Work Motivation, Organizational Commitment, and Employee Engagement A study using the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement Felicia Lindblom Master s of Business Administration Degree Programme in Digital Business and Management Vasa 2022

2 DEGREE THESIS Author: Felicia Lindblom Degree Programme and place of study: Master of Business Administration, Novia University of Applied Science, Vaasa. Specialisation: Digital Business and Management Supervisor(s): Rosmeriany Nahan-Suomela, Novia University of Applied Science, Vaasa. Outi Ihanainen-Rokio, Novia University of Applied Science, Vaasa. Title: Organizational change impact on employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. Date: Number of pages: 68 Appendices: 2 Abstract In this master thesis, I have examined the employees at a case company that is undergoing transformational changes. The main goal of this master thesis was to find out if the changes have affected the employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. Also, to provide management with valuable suggestions of how to maintain or improve work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. The theoretical framework in this master thesis is work motivation, self-determination theory (SDT), three-component model of commitment (TCM), employee engagement, and the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement. I have used a quantitative method in form of an online questionnaire to collect the primary data. The questionnaires are based on the work extrinsic and intrinsic motivation scale (WEIMS), Meyer and Allen TCM employee commitment survey academic users guide 2004, and basic psychological need satisfaction at work scale (BPNS-W). The result from the WEIMS and TCM employee commitment survey together with the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement will decide the workforce engagement. The research also consists of a qualitative part that I used to collect the secondary data. The end of the questionnaire consists of voluntary open questions to get a deeper understanding of the primary data. The result from the primary data showed that 35% of respondents experience introjected regulation and intrinsic motivation as motivational factors, 41% of the respondents felt affective commitment towards the organization, and 50% of the employees experienced full engagement towards the company. The basic psychological needs with low scores from some participants were relatedness and autonomy. The conclusion of the master thesis shows that the employees at the case company have not experienced that the organizational changes have affected their work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement negatively. The majority of the employees experience full engagement towards the case company. This research is useful for organizations that are in similar situations, to get an understanding of how their employees can be affected by organizational changes and how to prevent or improve the support of basic psychological needs. Language: English Key Words: Organizational change, Work Motivation, Organizational Commitment, Employee Engagement

3 EXAMENSARBETE Författare: Felicia Lindblom Utbildning och ort: Master of Business Administration, Yrkeshögskolan Novia, Vasa Inriktning: Digital Business and Management Handledare: Rosmeriany Nahan-Suomela, Yrkeshögskolan Novia, Outi Ihanainen-Rokio, Yrkeshögskolan Novia. Titel: Organisationsförändringarnas påverkan på de anställdas arbetsmotivation, organisatoriskt engagemang och medarbetar engagemang. Datum Sidantal 68 Bilagor 2 Abstrakt I det här examensarbetet har jag undersökt de anställda på ett företag som genomgår en omfattande organisationsförändring. Målet med detta examensarbete var att ta reda på om förändringarna har påverkat medarbetarnas arbetsmotivation, organisatoriska engagemang och medarbetarnas engagemang. Samt att ge värdefulla förslag på hur ledningen kan bibehålla eller förbättra arbetsmotivation, organisatoriska engagemang och medarbetarnas engagemang. Det teoretiska ramverket i detta examensarbete är arbetsmotivation, self-determination theory (SDT), three-component model of commitment (TCM), medarbetar engagemang och SDT och TCM model of employee engagement. Jag har använt kvantitativ metod i form online enkät för att samla in den primära datan. Frågeformulären är baserade på work extrinsic and intrinsic motivation scale (WEIMS), Meyer and Allen TCM employee commitment survey academic users guide 2004 och basic psychological need satisfaction at work scale (BPNS-W). Resultatet från WEIMS och TCM employee commitment survey tillsammans med SDT och TCM-modellen kan jag få en uppfattning om medarbetarnas engagemang. Enkäten består även av en kvalitativ del som jag använda för att samla in min sekundära data. I slutet av enkäten fanns det frivilliga öppna frågor för att få en djupare förståelse av den primära datan. Resultatet av undersökningen visade att 35 % av de tillfrågade upplever introjected regulation och intrinsic motivation som motivationsfaktorer, 41 % av de tillfrågade känner affective commitment till organisationen och 50 % av de anställda upplever starkt medarbetar engagemang. Behoven inom basic psychologial needs som en del deltagare inte ansåg var tillfredsställda är relatedness och autonomy. Slutsatsen av examensarbetet visar att de anställda på företaget inte upplever att organisationsförändringarna har påverkat deras arbetsmotivation, organisatoriska engagemang och medarbetarnas engagemang negativt. Majoriteten av medarbetarna upplever starkt medarbetar engagemang. Denna forskning är användbar för organisationer som befinner sig i liknande situationer, för att få en förståelse hur deras anställda kan påverkas av organisations förändringar, och hur man kan förebygga eller förbättra upplevelsen av behoven inom basic psycological needs. Språk: Engelska Nyckelord: Organisationsförändringar, Arbetsmotivation, Organisatoriskt engagemang, Medarbetar engagemang

4 OPINNÄYTETYÖ Tekijä: Felicia Lindblom Koulutus ja paikkakunta: Master of Business Administration, Novia University of Applied Science, Vaasa. Suuntautumisvaihtoehto: Digital Business and Management Ohjaaja(t): Rosmeriany Nahan-Suomela, Novia University of Applied Science, Vaasa. Outi Ihanainen-Rokio, Novia University of Applied Science, Vaasa. Nimike: Organisaatiomuutos vaikuttaa työntekijöiden työmotivaatioon, organisaatioon sitoutumiseen ja työntekijöiden sitoutumiseen. Päivämäärä Sivumäärä 68 Liitteet 2 Tiivistelmä Tässä opinnäytetyössä olen tarkastellut työntekijöitä tapausyrityksessä, joka on murroksessa. Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli selvittää, ovatko muutokset vaikuttaneet työntekijöiden työmotivaatioon, organisaation sitoutumiseen ja työntekijöiden sitoutumiseen sekä antaa arvokkaita ehdotuksia, miten johto voi ylläpitää tai parantaa työmotivaatiota, organisaation sitoutumista ja työntekijöiden sitoutumista. Tämän pro gradu -työn teoreettinen viitekehys on työmotivaatio, self-determination theory (SDT), three component model of commitment (TCM), työntekijöiden sitoutuminen sekä SDT ja TCM model of employee engagement. Olen käyttänyt kvantitatiivista menetelmää online-kyselyn muodossa perustietojen keräämiseen. Kyselylomakkeet perustuvat work extrinsic and intrinsic motivation scale (WEIMS), Meyer and Allen TCM employee commitment survey academic users guide 2004 ja basic psychological need satisfaction at work scale (BPNS-W). WEIMS ja TCM-työntekijöiden sitoutumistutkimuksen tulos yhdessä työntekijöiden sitoutumisen SDT- ja TCM-mallin kanssa ratkaisee työvoiman työntekijöiden sitoutumisen. Kyselylomake koostuu myös laadullisesta osasta, jota oli toissijaisena datanani. Kyselyn lopussa on vapaaehtoisia avoimia kysymyksiä kvantitatiivisten tietojen syvempää ymmärtämistä varten. Perustiedon tulos osoitti, että 35 % vastaajista koki introjected regulation ja intrinsic motivation motivaatioon vaikuttavina tekijöinä, 41 % vastaajista koki affective sitoutumista organisaatiota kohtaan ja 50 % työntekijöistä koki täyttä sitoutumista yritykseen. Basic psychological need, Relatedness ja autonomy antoivat alhaiset pisteet joidenkin osallistujien mielestä. Diplomityön johtopäätös osoittaa, että tapausyrityksen työntekijät eivät ole kokeneet, että organisaatiomuutokset olisivat vaikuttaneet heidän työmotivaatioihinsa, organisaation sitoutumiseensa ja henkilöstön sitoutumiseen negatiivisesti. Suurin osa työntekijöistä kokee täyden sitoutumisen tapausyhtiöön. Tämä tutkimus on hyödyllinen organisaatioille, jotka ovat samankaltaisissa tilanteissa, jotta he ymmärtäisivät, miten organisaatiomuutokset voivat vaikuttaa työntekijöihin ja miten basic psychological needs tukemista voidaan ehkäistä tai parantaa. Kieli: Englantia Avainsanat: Organisaatiomuutos, Työmotivaatio, Organisaation sitoutuminen, Työntekijöiden sitoutuminen.

5 Table of Contents 1 Introduction Background Research problem and significance Purpose of the thesis and delimitations Structure of the thesis the Case organization Supporting literature for the study Work motivation Autonomous Motivation Controlled motivation Amotivation Self-determination theory Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness Three-component model of commitment Affective, normative, and continuance commitment Commitment profiles Employee engagement The SDT and TCM model of employee engagement A critical review of the theoretical framework Summary of theory Methods The research design The research method The research process The quantitative research The qualitative research The data analysis Reliability and validity of the data Empirical findings and analysis The employee surveys General information Motivational factors Three-component model of commitment The SDT and TCM model of Employee Engagement Self-determination theory... 38

6 5.2 The voluntary questions Impact on the workday Impact on the employee Discussion Discussing the result Work motivation Organizational commitment The SDT and TCM model of employee engagement Autonomy, competence, and relatedness Conclusion Managerial implication Further research Appendices Appendix 1. Questionnaire in Swedish on page 56 Appendix 2. Questionnaire in English on page 62 Tables Table 1 The survey is divided into different parts Table 2 The scale that is used in the survey Table 3 Age of respondents and gender divide Table 4 Years in the company and gender divide Table 5 Changed work tasks in the company and gender divide Table 6 Majority of employees motivational factors are a combination of introjected regulation and intrinsic motivation Table 7 Age and gender divide of intrinsic motivation among the employees at the case company Table 8 External regulation and intrinsic motivation as motivational factors, including the gender and age divide Table 9 41 % of the respondents experience affective commitment towards the case organization Table 10 Affective and normative commitment was the second most common feeling of commitment among the respondents Table 11 Gender and age divide of the employees that experienced normative commitment Table 12 Gender and age divide between the fully engaged employees that participated in the survey Table 13 The gender and age divide among the participants that experience contingent engagement Table 14 7 % out of the participants in the survey experience that they are disengaged

7 Table 15 Twenty-eight employees feel that the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are fulfilled Table 16 The basic psychological needs that employees experience is low Figures Figure 1 The increase of employees between Figure 2 The satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs impacts the employee s perceived work motivation Figure 3 Meyer and Allen s (1997) three-component model of commitment Figure 4 Employees might have varying degrees of different organizational commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Meyer et al., 2011) Figure 5 The SDT and TCM model of employee engagement (modified from Meyer 2014) Figure 6 SDT and TCM model of employee engagement (modified from Meyer, 2014) Figure 7 The SDT and TCM model is used as a theoretical framework for my interpretations Figure 8 A part of the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement Figure 9 The employee divide between different types of engagement Figure 10 Relatedness and autonomy are the basic psychological needs that 10% of employees experience are low

8 1 1 Introduction Organizational change is when a company is becoming something new and different. Change is a process where a company develops and improves the business to be more efficient (Jones, 2004; Hodges, 2016). In our everyday changing world to stay alive, be competitive, and successful, organizational change is not a question of if it is how and when. Change involves planning, negotiating, learning, making choices, decisions, and changing people s behavior and how they do things at work (Hodges, 2016; Jacobsen, 2018). The most important part of a successful organizational change process is to get acceptance and support from the employees. The change process involves understanding and engaging the employees feelings and attitudes towards the change before, during, and after (Hodges, 2016). This could be demanding and complicated since all individuals react differently. A common feeling towards organizational change among employees has shown to be the uncertainty of how it will affect them (Cullen-Lester, Casper, Edwards & Gue, 2014). The uncertainty can hurt the employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. Management and leaders need to acknowledge employees feelings and emotions during the organizational change process to prevent a negative work environment and an increase in turnover (Gomes, 2009; Witting, 2012; Cullen-Lester et al., 2014). This master thesis will examine the employees at a case company that is undergoing organizational changes. The focus in this research will be the employees, and if they feel that the changes have affected them. 1.1 Background The case organization in this master thesis is going through a lot of different types of changes, the change process started in Since 2015 the case organization has grown in several employees, entered a new market and launched a handful of new products, started a complete renovation of the main office, etc. The organizational changes have changed the work processes, environment, and structure, I.e., the company is going through a transformational change.

9 2 The focus in this master thesis is if and how these changes have affected the employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. The result can be useful for the management to get an understanding of how the employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement are experienced at the moment and if there is anything they can do to improve or maintain the experience and work environment for the employees. 1.2 Research problem and significance The main purpose of this research is to understand the employees at the case company, if and how the organizational changes have affected them. Employees with high work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement are important in a changing and developing organization since satisfied employees accept and encourage change initiative (Witting, 2012; Yousef, 2000). During change, a common goal among employees, management, and leaders in the organization should be to achieve success. Uncertainty and low satisfaction will create a negative environment that does not perform at its best and will not be as efficient as it could be (Yousef, 2000; Gomes, 2009; Cullen- Lester et al., 2014). In this research, I focus on the employees and how they experience that the organizational changes have affected their feelings and excitement towards the organization and if the employees feel that the organization fulfills their basic psychological needs. The information and results that I get from this research can help the management of the case organization to understand the employees. The research question (RQ) in this master thesis is the following: RQ: How do employees experience the organizational changes have affected their work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement? Generally, not everybody accepts the change right away for various reasons. As mentioned, satisfied employees are more likely to accept change, while the uncertainty could hurt the acceptance of the change (Witting, 2012; Yousef, 2000). The emotions during organizational change should not be ignored since they can have an unnecessarily negative impact on the organization (Hodges, 2016). A fully engaged, motivated, and committed workforce is a competitive advantage.

10 3 1.3 Purpose of the thesis and delimitations We live in a world that constantly is changing, for a company to be able to grow, be successful, and be competitive organizational change is a must at some point (Hodges, 2016; Gomes, 2009). A change means new ways of working, which affect the employees and can have a great impact on how the employees feel towards their work. Since the employees have an important part to implement a successful change in the organization, management and leaders must understand them during this process (Hodges, 2016; Witting 2012). Studies have shown that employees that are satisfied with their job are more likely to accept and have a positive attitude towards organizational changes (Yousef, 2000). But a common feeling among employees during organizational changes is uncertainty. According to previous empirical evidence, uncertainty can have a negative impact on job satisfaction, attitude, organizational commitment, and trust (Cullen-Lester et al., 2014). The change should not lead to a lack of motivation, a decrease in organizational commitment, or low engagement - it should lead to an improvement for the company, management, and the employees. The case organization in this research is undergoing organizational changes because of internal decisions and external factors. Since 2015 the organization has grown noticeable by an increase in the number of employees, entered a new market due to competition, new laws and directives that affect the day-to-day tasks, and technological development that is required and requested. The case organization would like a deeper and more nuanced picture of the employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. The goal of the thesis is to provide the case organization an understanding of how organizational changes affect the employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. In this master thesis, I will include suggestions of how to maintain or improve work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. This master thesis will be relevant and important for the case organization, and other organizations in similar situations. Organizational change process and strategy is the process of implementing the change in the company. Since the case organization in this master thesis already are undergoing

11 4 change, the change process and strategy will be excluded from this research. This research is focusing on the employees at the case organization and how they have perceived that the changes have affected them individually. The survey will be available for the employees in the organization that have been hired before The employees that have been hired during 2021 are excluded because they have not been working in the organization long enough, also extra employees will be excluded. 1.4 Structure of the thesis This master thesis consists of seven chapters. Previously in this thesis, I have presented the introduction, background, research problem and significance, purpose, and delimitations of the study. In the second chapter, I will present the case company and its organizational changes. The third chapter will introduce the supporting literature for this master thesis to deepen the knowledge of the subject. The fourth chapter is the presentation of the method that are used to collect data for this research. In the fifth chapter, I present the empirical findings and analyze the data. The sixth chapter is the discussion of the analysis made in the fifth chapter correlated with the theoretical framework to get an answer to the research question. The seventh and last chapter includes the conclusion of the research, management implication, and suggestions for future research.

12 2 the Case organization 5 Change is a process where something old becomes something new. A competitive and globalization of the market means that a company must be aware of what is going on around them and make necessary changes to stay successful (Hodges, 2006; Aninkan & Oyewole, 2014; Nging & Yazdanifard, 2015). The case organization in my research is a well-established company with old roots. Since 2015 the company has been going through different kinds of changes, due to internal decisions and external factors the company entered a new market by launching a handful of new products. The company has since the beginning specialized in a specific area but decided to enter a new market to be more competitive. The development of new products led to the growth of employees, between the company has increased employees by 38,46%. Figure 1 shows the average amount of employees between Figure 1 The increase of employees between

13 6 Another change in the organization is a total renovation of their main office that started at the beginning of Since the renovation started the whole organization has been separated into different buildings and offices. The renovation is estimated to take two years to complete. Some changes that the company is undergoing are due to forced external factors. Digitalization is affecting many businesses. The change is to make work more efficient but also to meet customer demand. We live in a world where we expect companies to offer digital tools to make life easier. The Covid-19 made it even more clear on the importance of digitalization for a company remote work, digital meetings, interacting with customers that cannot leave their home, etc. Another external force of change is new laws and directives that affect insurance companies, for example, the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) and Anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism directive. Due to the IDD directive employees that interact and sell insurances must every year prove their knowledge of the insurances (Finanskompetens, 2018). They must have fifteen hours of education every year within the insurance industry. A part of the Anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism directive is to know the customers to prevent money laundry and financing of terrorism (European commission, 2018). These are forced changes and the company must fulfill these to be able to continue with their business. This put a lot of pressure on the company, and lead to an increase in workload and changes in work routines. The changes that the company is going through will affect the employees both directly and indirectly. I would classify them as transformational changes because these changes affect the organization s culture, structure, and work processes. The case company has expressed a wish to get a deeper understanding of the employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement what I hope to receive from the result in this research.

14 3 Supporting literature for the study 7 In this chapter I will present the theoretical framework for this research, the literature is important for a better understanding of the subject and for answering the research question. Organizational change is a must for a company to survive, the aim is to create financial, competitive, cost- or time-efficient benefits (Hodges, 2006). Transformational change in an organization is when the organization makes significant changes to the company culture, strategy, and work process due to different factors (Juneja, n.d.; Miller, 2013; Types of changes, 2016). Management must take the employees reactions towards the change into consideration. If employees have a negative attitude towards the change management should try to get the employees to understand and convince the employees that the change is necessary, rather than neglect them (Nging & Yazdanifard, 2015; Peng, Li, Wang & Lin, 2020). The employees acceptance and support can be crucial for a successful change. Although everybody reacts differently, a common feeling among employees during the organizational change process seems to be uncertainty. The feeling of uncertainty is often based on the that the employee is afraid of how it will affect the daily work, which can hurt the work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement (Cullen- Lester et al., 2014; Nging & Yazdanifard, 2015). 3.1 Work motivation Work motivation is an energetic force (Meyer, 2014; Broeck, Chang, Ferris & Rosen, 2016), employees with high work motivation are more driven, take initiative and make that extra effort for the organization. A motivated workforce is a competitive advantage (Parfyonova, 2009). The reason work motivation is high or low usually depends on how the employee perceives the day-to-day job work, is it autonomous motivation or controlled motivation Autonomous Motivation Autonomous motivation is a positive motivation for psychological freedom. It is characterized by employees that enjoy their day-to-day tasks, engage in the organization, understand the values and importance of one work (Deci, Olafsen & Ryan, 2017;

15 8 Vansteenkiste, Niemiec & Soenens, 2010). According to Deci et al. (2017), autonomous motivation leads to less burnout, work exhaustion, and turnover and increases job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and performance. Management should strive to achieve autonomous motivation among employees. Two characteristics of autonomous motivation are intrinsic motivation and integrated regulation. Intrinsic motivation, the activity is performed because the employee has chosen it for themself, it is a personal interest, something that the individual wants to do, it is satisfying and enjoyable (Parfyonova, 2009; Vansteenkiste et al., 2010; Meyer, 2014; Broeck et al., 2016). Intrinsically motivated employees show quality performance and well-being at work (Meyer, 2014; Deci et al, 2017), leaders and managers can improve employees intrinsic motivation by giving positive performance feedback (Parfyonova, 2009). Integrated regulation is when a person found a sense of self, self-awareness and it is selfexpressive. A person is consistent with their own beliefs and values and is also confident to express them (Vansteenkiste et al., 2010; Meyer, 2014) Controlled motivation Controlled motivation is affected by an external factor, for example, a reward or punishment. Controlled motivation can impact the employee to feel that he or she must act a certain way or be pressured to achieve certain goals or improve performance (Fall & Roussel, 2014; Meyer, 2014; Vansteenkiste, Niemiec & Soenens, 2010). Controlled motivation can lead to effective motivation, but autonomous motivation has shown a greater impact on work performance than controlled motivation (Meyer, 2014). External regulation and introjected regulation are controlled forms of motivation (Fall & Roussel, 2014). External regulation is the motivation that is controlled by others due to a promised reward or to avoid punishment. This type of motivation can have a positive impact on the employee performance in the beginning, but it is not a long-term solution for good performance since it is a controlled motivation (Meyer, 2014; Broeck et al., 2016; Deci et al., 2017). According to Parfyonova (2009), if an employee experience external motivation there is a great probability that he or she will not perform if there is no perceived reward.

16 9 Introjected regulation is a motivated behavior that is formed from a feeling of pride, shame, or guilt. Motivation is either because of a gain of pride and self-esteem or to avoid the feeling of guilt and shame (Vansteenkiste et al., 2010; Fall & Roussel, 2014; Meyer, 2014; Broeck et al., 2016). Introjected regulation can take a lot of energy if there is the pressure of always proving oneself to others or doing things just to avoid tension and guilt, nothing is because of enjoyment (Parfyonova, 2009; Vansteenkiste et al., 2010) Amotivation Amotivation is the contrast between autonomous motivation and controlled motivation. An individual that feels amotivated lacks any motivation towards an action. This could be because of a lack of interest regarding the action, the employee does not feel that the end result matters or is incapable to perform at a level that is expected (Vansteenkiste et al., 2010; Fall & Roussel, 2015).

17 3.2 Self-determination theory 10 Self-determination theory (SDT) was developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, SDT is a macro theory of human motivation, emotion, and personality (Vansteenkiste et al., 2010; Deci & Gagne, 2014; Deci et al., 2017). According to Self-determination theory if the employee perceives autonomous motivation or controlled motivation depending on if the three basic psychological needs are fulfilled: autonomy, relatedness and, competence. The Satisfaction of the three needs has a positive impact on the employee's psychological health, well-being, engagement, work motivation, and performance while employees with low satisfaction can have the feeling of amotivation, pressure, guilt, or less driven (Parfyonova, 2009; Deci & Ryan, 2014; Meyer, 2014; Broeck et al., 2016; Deci et al., 2017). Figure 2 The satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs impacts the employee s perceived work motivation Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness Satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs at work: autonomy, competence, and relatedness have a great impact on the employee s well-being and performance at work. The need for autonomy is fulfilled when the employee feels that what they are doing is because of their own choice, it is consistent with their own beliefs and values (Meyer, 2014; Parfyonova, 2009; Deci et al., 2017). It is a feeling of freedom! The need for competence is fulfilled when the employee feels that they are capable, competent and, have the right tools to be able to do a good job. The need for

18 11 competence is important for positive work motivation, otherwise, it is an increased risk that the employee feels amotivated (Deci & Gagne, 2014; Meyer, 2014). To improve employees feelings of competence, management can explain and make sure employees understand what is expected of them and give performance feedback in a non-controlling manner (Parfyonova, 2009). The need for relatedness is fulfilled when the employee feels connected to others, accepted by others, experiences a feeling of belonging and closeness to a group of people. The organization s values, beliefs, and norms are more likely to be accepted by the individual if the need for relatedness is fulfilled at work (Parfyonova, 2009; Vansteenkiste et al., 2010; Meyer, 2014). According to Deci, Olafsen, and Ryan (2017), management support of autonomy has shown to have a positive impact on both competence and relatedness. If an employee s need for autonomy is fulfilled due to management support, usually they are supportive of the other psychological needs. Employees usually find ways on their own to fulfill the other needs. Management can give autonomy support by giving the employees more freedom, choices, and considering their feelings (Parfyonova, 2009). 3.3 Three-component model of commitment Commitment is a mindset regarding the employee's relationship to the organization and the employee s emotions about staying in the organization. It is the likelihood that an employee stays within the organization (Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002; Meyer, 2014). A committed workforce is an advantage for the organization since committed employees do not have intentions of leaving the organization. These employees have a low number of sick days, show off a good performance at work, share, and understand company goals. (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Meyer & Maltin 2010). Commitment is an important factor when it comes to employees support of organizational changes. A committed workforce is positive towards change initiative and cooperates, even uncommitted employees have shown to not work against change unless the change has negative consequences for themselves or others (Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002).

19 12 Meyer and Allen developed the three-component model of commitment (TCM), components in the model are Affective commitment, Normative commitment, and Continuance commitment - want to stay, ought to stay, and have to stay (Meyer & Allen, 1997). Figure 3 Meyer and Allen s (1997) three-component model of commitment Affective, normative, and continuance commitment Affective commitment refers to employees that have a strong emotional relationship with the organization, they want to stay in the organization, they have a desire to do a good job, to contribute, and to do that little extra (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002). Research has shown that employees with affective commitment have a positive correlation with work performance and attendance (Meyer, 2014). To develop affective commitment, research suggests that the key is personal fulfillment for example by feeling important and appreciated by management (Meyer & Allen, 1997). Normative Commitment, the employee feels a sense of obligation, duty, or responsibility to remain in the organization. Employees with strong normative commitment behave professionally and want to do what is right and best for the organization, it has a positive impact on work performance and attendance (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002; Somers, 2010). Continuance Commitment is a commitment that is based on the feeling of have to stay in the organization. Employees with strong continuance commitment feel that they must stay in the organization because the cost of leaving is too high. This type of commitment develops because of personal reasons or because of a lack of alternatives. Employees with

20 13 continuance commitment do not have a strong desire to do more than what they must, and it has a negative correlation to attendance and performance (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Somers, 2010). Employees that do not feel that they want to stay, should stay or, have to stay are uncommitted to the organization. Employees that are uncommitted do not enjoy or feel any job satisfaction, they are not motivated or productive. These individuals are unlikely to stay in the organization for a long period (Meyer, Stanley & Parfyonova, 2011) Commitment profiles Employees might not only experience one commitment profile to their organization instead the individual might experience more than one commitment component to varying degrees (Meyer, 2014). That means that an employee can be Affective-dominant, Normativedominant, or Continuance-dominant. Figure 4 Employees might have varying degrees of different organizational commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Meyer et al., 2011). Meyer and Herscovitch s research of impact between different commitments has shown that both Normative commitment and Continuance commitment have a positive outcome combined with Affective commitment. Employees with dominant Affective/Normative commitment will be healthier and more productive while turnover is more likely with

21 uncommitted, Continuance-dominant, or dominant Continuance/Normative commitment employees (Meyer et al., 2011) Employee engagement Meyer s (2014) definition of employee engagement is Engagement is experienced as enthusiasm and self-involvement with a task or collective (e.g., organization), is fostered by a corresponding dispositional orientation and facilitating climate and manifests itself in proactive value-directed behavior (p. 43). An employee with high engagement towards one organization is dedicated and committed, productive, and wants to achieve company goals and work for the organization s best interests (Aninkan & Oyewole, 2014; Meyer, 2014). According to Harvard Business Review Analytic Service (2013), employee engagement is becoming a top priority in organizations, it should be encouraged since a highly engaged workforce has a huge impact on the performance, the success of the organization, and even customer loyalty. To achieve employee engagement and to get talented employees to stay in the organization, management should involve the employees as much as possible in the organization and let them be a part of decisions. Constant communication to explain and make sure everybody understands company goals, believes, and values. Provide employees with recourses, tools, and knowledge so they feel confident about their job and feel encouraged for hard work (Harvard Business Review Analytic Service, 2013; Aninkan & Oyewole, 2014). 3.5 The SDT and TCM model of employee engagement Self-determination theory (SDT) and the Three-component model of commitment (TCM) are compatible with each other. The motivational states in SDT and the three components in TCM have similarities regarding the mindset. Integration of these theories gives a better understanding of employee behavior, such as employee engagement (Meyer & Maltin, 2010; Meyer et al., 2011).

22 15 Figure 5 The SDT and TCM model of employee engagement (modified from Meyer 2014). The integration of SDT and TCM developed a model of employee engagement. The model is presented as a continuum, where the organizational commitment and activity motivation affect the level of employee engagement. The model consists of three categories of engagement: disengagement, contingent engagement, and full engagement (Meyer, 2014). Employees who feel disengaged are more likely to feel a lack of motivation (amotivation) and uncommitted to the organization I.e., could leave the organization at any time (Meyer et al., 2011; Meyer, 2014). Employees that feel contingent engagement can either have strong or dominant continuance commitment or normative commitment and the activity is external regulation or introjected regulation. Contingent engaged employees might not be overly excited about their job or feel that their tasks are meaningful, but they stay in the organization and do what they have to (Meyer & Maltin, 2010; Meyer, 2014). A fully engaged workforce is what management should strive to achieve. Fully engaged employees are feeling a strong affective commitment or strong normative commitment. Activity motivation is either integrated regulation or intrinsic motivation. Fully engaged employees want the organization to be successful and do their best to achieve company goals (Meyer & Maltin, 2010; Meyer, 2014).

23 16 According to Meyer (2014), the most common feeling of engagement among employees is contingent engagement. Since today s environment pressure organizations to constantly change, develop and adapt to be able to stay alive, a fully engaged workforce is what the organization should strive to achieve. According to the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement, to move the employees forward in the continuum the fulfillment of the basic psychological needs must be taken into consideration. Disengaged employees will not stay long in the organization, these employees do not feel that the basic psychological needs are fulfilled (Meyer et al., 2011). To move this group forward in the continuum takes a lot of effort because these employees do not feel that what they do is freely chosen (autonomy), they do not feel capable of what they are doing (competence), and do not feel connected to their colleagues (relatedness). Contingent engaged employees do not feel that their basic psychological needs are fully fulfilled, but they still feel that they should stay in the organization. The psychological needs can all have a low level of satisfaction or just one specific need is not fulfilled. Management has an opportunity to move employees forward in the continuum by understanding the employees needs (Meyer et al., 2011; Meyer 2014). Fully engaged employees feel that all the basic psychological needs are satisfied, these employees enjoy both the organization and their everyday tasks. A fully engaged workforce is a high-performing and productive workforce that has an impact on the organization s success, growth, and survival (Meyer et al., 2011; Harvard Business Review Analytic Service, 2013). 3.6 A critical review of the theoretical framework This is a critical review of the theoretical framework in this master thesis. There are many different theories and research about the subject in this master thesis, I will only mention some critical opinions and alternative theories. The self-determination theory (SDT) expresses the importance of fulfillment of all three basic psychological needs as equally important for well-being, while other theories have other perceptions. McClelland s motivational theory suggests that the needs, which are the need for achievement, power, and affiliation, have a different level of importance for everyone which must be taken into consideration. Maslow s hierarchy of needs argues that

24 17 when the needs at the bottom are satisfied the needs higher in the hierarchy get more activated. A need that is satisfied is not what motivates the individual, it is the desire to work our way up the hierarchy that motivates. McClelland also points out the strength of a desire instead of satisfaction as in SDT (Broeck et al., 2016; Buchanan & Huczynski, 2017). Therefore, SDT suggests that even if an individual has a weak desire for a need the satisfaction of it would, either way, be beneficial, while other theories also take the individual s desire into consideration. The three-component model (TCM) of commitment has gotten various critics and according to Solinger, Olffen & Roe (2008) cannot be qualified as a general model of organizational commitment. Researchers have expressed concerns regarding the validity and reliability of TCM. Continuance commitment shows two-dimension expressed as a high sacrifice of leaving or low alternatives, which has been argued that TCM should consist of four components, not three (Solinger et al., 2008; Kessler, 2013). The normative commitment scale has also been questioned as the scale is highly correlated with affective commitment. TCM is the multidimensional approach to organizational commitment, another approach is the attitudinal approach and calculative approach. The attitudinal approach of organizational commitment means that the employees commitment to the organization is based on whether their identity with the organization s goals and values. The calculative approach was developed in the late 1960s by Howard Becker, the calculative approach means that the commitment to the organization depends on how much the employee would feel he or she lost by leaving the organization (Kessler, 2013). The criticism of SDT and TCM also affect the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement, since that model is based on an integration of the two theories.

25 3.7 Summary of theory 18 In this chapter (3-3.5) I have presented supportive literature for my study considering the purpose of my research. In the summary of theory, I will summarize the previous chapters before I introduce the methods. The case organization has since 2015 been undergoing different types of significant changes because of internal decisions and external factors. The organizational changes will have an impact on the organization s culture, structure, and work processes therefore it is a transformational change (Juneja, n.d.; Miller, 2013; Types of changes, 2016). Change is a process where something old becomes something new and improved, the daily work routines changes, and now things are done in a new way. Organizational change is a must if a company wants to stay competitive and successful in our everyday changing environment (Jones, 2004; Hodges, 2016). The employees feeling during the organizational change process are important for management to take into consideration. A common feeling during the change process is the feeling of uncertainty and fear of how the change will affect the employee s day-to-day work, this can have a negative impact on the employee work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement (Yousef, 2000; Cullen-Lester et al., 2014; Nging & Yazdanifard, 2015). Work motivation can be divided into two categories: autonomous motivation and controlled motivation. Autonomous motivation is characterized by enjoyment and engagement in day-to-day tasks and organization. Intrinsic motivation and integrated regulation are two types of autonomous motivation (Vansteenkiste et al., 2014; Deci et al, 2017). Controlled motivation is affected by external factors such as reward or punishment. External regulation and Introjected regulation are two types of controlled motivation. The contrast between autonomous motivation and controlled motivation is amotivation, the employee feels a lack of motivation towards the day-to-day tasks (Vansteenkiste et al., 2010; Fall & Roussel, 2014; Meyer, 2014). Self-determination theory (SDT) is a theory of human motivation, emotion, and personality (Vansteenkiste et al., 2010; Deci & Gagne, 2014; Deci et al., 2017). The three basic psychological needs are autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Autonomy is fulfilled when the employee feels that what they are doing is because of their own choice. Competence is fulfilled when the employee feels that he or she is capable to do a good job.

26 Relatedness is fulfilled when the employee feels connected to others (Parfyonova, 2009; Deci & Ryan, 2014; Meyer, 2014; Broeck et al., 2016; Deci et al., 2017). 19 Organizational commitment is the likelihood that an employee stays in the organization (Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002; Meyer, 2014). The three-component model of commitment consists of affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuance commitment. Affective commitment: the employee wants to stay in the organization (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002). Normative commitment: the employee feels a responsibility to remain in the organization (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002; Somers, 2010). Continuance commitment: the employee feels that he or she has to stay in the organization because it is too big a cost to leave (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Somers, 2010). Employee engagement is about the engagement towards the organization and the day-today tasks. Highly engaged employees are committed and productive, they want to perform their best and achieve company goals (Aninkan & Oyewole, 2014; Meyer, 2014). An engaged workforce is a competitive advantage! The theoretical framework for my interpretations is the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement. The model proposes a correlation between work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement (Meyer, 2014): Disengagement, amotivation, and uncommitted. Contingent engagement, continuance commitment or normative commitment, and external regulation or introjected regulation. Full engagement, normative Commitment or affective commitment, and integrated regulation or intrinsic motivation. The level of fulfillment of the basic psychological needs has an impact on the employee s perceived work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement.

27 20 Figure 6 SDT and TCM model of employee engagement (modified from Meyer, 2014) Figure 6 shows an overview of the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement, the model is a continuum where the employee can move forward by fulfilling the basic psychological needs.

28 4 Methods 21 In this chapter, I will present the choice of methods that I will use in this research. I will introduce in detail the data collection method and data analysis. At the end of the chapter, I will discuss the quality of the research. In this research, I will conduct both a quantitative and qualitative method to collect data. The contact that I have had with the organization has mainly been with the HR department but also the vice president of the organization has been involved. They have helped and approved information and survey questions to employees, and with the practical parts by posting information on their intranet and sending the to the correct target group. 4.1 The research design The purpose of the research is to find out how the employees at the case company have experienced that their work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement have been affected by organizational changes. In this study I conduct quantitative research to collect my primary data, the quantitative research is a questionnaire. The research strategy is a survey strategy with a deductive approach, which means that the theory is tested (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2009). The survey strategy is to collect a large amount of data, which was desirable for me in this research. By analyzing the data together with the theoretical framework, I will get an assumption of the employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. 4.2 The research method The data was collected by online questionnaire, the questionnaire was divided into different parts that focused on work motivation, organizational commitment, and basic need satisfaction at work. To gain a deeper understanding, I ended the survey with openended questions. The primary data was collected from the quantitative survey while the open-ended questions were considered secondary data.

29 22 All employees at the case company were informed about my research through their intranet, but only employees that were considered the target group got an with a link to the survey that was sent out by the HR department. The employees were informed about why this research was conducted and its purpose of it. By informing the employees through two different channels there is an increased chance that the employees will see it and more employees participate in the research. The more responses the more realistic is the result. The online questionnaire to collect the quantitative data was used because it allowed me to reach all employees at the same time and collect a larger amount of data. I think this was suitable for my research because I wanted to reach as many employees as possible to get many responses to the questionnaires during a limited period. I used premade questionnaire and scales which made the data standardized, easy to compare and analyze. The questionnaire consisted of work extrinsic and intrinsic motivation scale (WEIMS), Meyer and Allen TCM employee commitment survey academic users guide 2004, and basic psychological need satisfaction at work scale (BPNS-W) (Meyer & Allen, 2004; Tremblay, Blanchard, Taylor, Pelletier & Villeneuve, 2009; Eriksson & Boman, 2018). The qualitative data was to get a better understanding of the quantitative data. The questions were formed to give a more descriptive answer to the quantitative data. 4.3 The research process The primary data was collected through quantitative research in the form of an online employee survey. The questionnaire was sent out to all employees that were considered the target group by . Secondary data was also received from the same questionnaire that was sent out, but it was open questions at the end of the survey that was voluntary to answer. To get a better understanding of the case company I had personal meetings with the HR department and vice president of the company to discuss what was going on and clarify the expectations of this research. I also used their annual reports to find information and history about the company.

30 23 The theoretical framework was developed from the research question which included the key variables in my research which are work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. 4.4 The quantitative research I have chosen to use a quantitative research method to collect my primary data. The quantitative research method is when data and statistics are collected to find connections (Alvehus, 2019). The quantitative research will be a closed-ended online questionnaire with predetermined answers. The questionnaire was made in google forms and only available for employees with a direct link to the survey. The questionnaire will be divided into different categories: Table 1 The survey is divided into different parts. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 General information Motivational factors Commitment to the organization Satisfaction of basic psychological needs To get an understanding of how the organizational changes have affected them the questions are focusing on the overall feeling that the employee has had during the last three years. I chose the last three years because during this time some changes were already implemented, some were ongoing, and some change projects have started. The first part is general information, according to Witting (2012), the employees attitude towards change depends on different factors such as gender, education, and tenure. This information will give an overview of who is answering and see the diversity of possible correlations between age, gender, period of employment, etc. The questions of the first part: Gender Age Period of employment Number of times that work tasks have changed

31 24 The second part of the questionnaire focuses on the employee s motivational factors. The questions are based on the work extrinsic and intrinsic motivation scale (Tremblay et al., 2009). WEIMS consists of eighteen questions, but I chose to narrow it down to ten questions so the survey would not be too long. I removed items regarding identified regulation since it is not a part of the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement. Intrinsic motivation: Because I derive much pleasure from learning new things. For the satisfaction I experience from taking on new interesting challenges. Integrated regulation: Because it has become a fundamental part of who I am. Because this job is a part of my life. Introjected regulation: Because I want to succeed at this job, if not I would be very ashamed of myself. Because I want to be very good at this work, otherwise I would be very disappointed. External regulation: For the income it provides me. Because this type of work provides me with security. Amotivation: I do not know why we are provided with unrealistic working conditions. I do not know, too much is expected of us. The third part of the survey was the employees commitment to the organization. In this part, I have used Meyer and Allen TCM employee commitment survey academic users guide 2004 as a template. According to Meyer and Allen (2004), the number of items can be reduced to three statements per category. Since I want as few questions as possible, but still a reliable answer, I chose to follow that recommendation.

32 Affective commitment scale: 25 I would be very happy to spend the rest of my career with this organization. I enjoy discussing my organization with people outside it. This organization has a great deal of personal meaning for me. Continuance commitment scale: It would be very hard for me to leave my organization right now, even if I wanted to. I feel that I have too few options to consider leaving this organization. One of the major reasons I continue to work for this organization is that leaving would require considerable personal sacrifice. Normative commitment scale: I do not believe that a person must always be loyal to his or her organization. If I got another offer for a better job elsewhere, I would not feel it was right to leave my organization. Things were better in the days when people stayed with one organization for most of their careers. The last part of the survey is the employees fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs. In this part, I used the basic psychological need satisfaction at work scale. The original scale includes twenty-one items but according to Eriksson and Boman (2018), the twenty-one items scale can be reduced to twelve items. Autonomy: I feel like I can make a lot of inputs to deciding how my job gets done. I am free to express my ideas and opinions at work. My feelings are taken into consideration at work. There is an opportunity for me to decide for myself how to go about my work. Competence: I have been able to learn interesting new skills at my job. Most days I feel a sense of accomplishment from working.

33 People at work tell me I am good at what I do. 26 On my job I do not get much of a chance to show how capable I am. Relatedness: I really like the people I work with. People at work are pretty friendly towards me. People at work care about me. There are not many people at work that I am close to. All three parts had the same scale, the pre-determined answer options were 1-7. The participant indicates their feelings towards the item by using the scale. The scale could have been modified into fewer options which might had made it easier for the participants. The different scales that I used all have the same pre-determined answer options, so I decided to follow those guidelines. Table 2 The scale that is used in the survey Strongly disagree Disagree Slightly disagree Undecided Slightly agree Agree Strongly agree 4.5 The qualitative research The qualitative method is a study where the interpretation of words and meanings is the way to find connections (Alvehus, 2019). To collect the secondary data, I chose to end the survey with open questions that are voluntarily to answer. This gives everybody that wants a possibility to share a more descriptive opinion. The answers to the open questions I hope will give me a better understanding of the result from the primary data. The questions by the end of the survey: How have the changes affected your day-to-day tasks? Feel free to motivate. Do you feel that your needs have been taken into consideration regarding the organizational changes so that you can do your work as well as possible? Feel free to motivate.

34 27 Digitalization is the lack of digital solutions something that affects your work towards customers? Feel free to motivate. Digitalization due to Covid-10 more digital meetings were held, how has it been for you? Feel free to motivate. Is there anything else you would like to add? 4.6 The data analysis The data was collected during the summer of 2021, HR department sent out information about the research and link to the survey. The survey was available from the middle of June to the end of August The first stage of the quantitative data analysis was to insert the answers in excel. The excel was divided into different worksheets for the different parts in the survey so it would be easier to analyze the different parts. As I previously mentioned the answer options for each question were between 1-7, the excel calculates the average answer to each category that the different part consist of. That made it easier to get an idea of the employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and level of satisfaction with the basic psychological needs. The second stage in the quantitative research was to analyze the answers by using the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement. The answers that I got from the survey about the employees work motivation and organizational commitment will be compared to the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement to get an implication of the workforce employee engagement. The result that I get from the basic psychological need satisfaction at work scale will be helpful if the employee s result shows low work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement because it can indicate on possible improvements.

35 28 Figure 7 The SDT and TCM model is used as a theoretical framework for my interpretations. The qualitative data analysis is to find connections between the answers and interpret the meaning of them, to get a deeper understanding of the result from the quantitative research.

36 4.7 Reliability and validity of the data 29 Reliability and validity are important while researching to reduce the possibility of a wrong answer. Reliability means that the data collection method and analysis would present the same result if it was done by someone else or at another time. Does the study produce stable and consistent results? Validity is if the chosen method or research instrument measures what it is supposed to measure. Even if the research is reliable if the instrument does not measure the right thing it will result in a wrong answer (Saunders et al., 2009). The purpose of the research in this master thesis was to find if the organizational changes at a case company had affected the employees work motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement. I have used WEIMS to measure employee motivation, Meyer and Allen TCM employee commitment survey academic users guide 2004 to measure employee commitment, and BPNS-W scale to measure employees fulfillment of the basic psychological needs. The result has been linked to the theoretical framework to analyze data to get a result, which all have been consistent and stable. The research can be considered reliable and valid.

37 5 Empirical findings and analysis 30 In this chapter, I will present the empirical finding of my research and analyze the results to get an understanding of the employees motivation, organizational commitment, and employee engagement in the case company. The result from the different parts will be presented separately, I have chosen to include the gender divide to get e better overview of the responses. 5.1 The employee surveys The primary data of the research is the answers to the questionnaire. The questionnaire was made in Google form and sent out to the employees during the summer of The number of employees that received the survey was seventy-six, and I received forty-six responses. The response rate was 61%. The gender divide between the participants was twenty-eight females (61%) and eighteen males (39%) General information The first part of the survey was general information about the respondents, to get an overview of who is participating in the research. The general information contained gender, age, tenure, and several times the employee has changed work tasks since she or he started working in the company. Table 3 shows the age of the respondents and the gender divide. There are not many respondents under 30 years of age and no males. The age group is the majority of female respondents while over 50 are both genders equally represented. Table 3 Age of respondents and gender divide. <30 years old years old. >50 years old. Females Males Females Males Females Males Table 4 below shows how long the employee has worked in the company and the gender divide. There are representatives from all different categories, which means that the

38 experiences of working in the case company among the participants differentiate. Males that have worked in the company for 0-2 years are underrepresented. 31 Table 4 Years in the company and gender divide. 0-2 years. 2-5 years years. >10 years. Females Males Females Males Females Males Females Males The last questions of the first part were if the respondents have changed work tasks since he or she started in the company. Table 5 shows if and the number of times that the respondents have changed work tasks, and gender divide. The result of this question shows that there are representatives of all categories, both females and males. Table 5 Changed work tasks in the company and gender divide. No. Yes, 1-2 times. Yes, more than 2 times. Females Males Females Males Females Males Overall, the general information shows that there is a good diversity among the respondents which makes the result more reliable Motivational factors The second part of the survey was to get an understanding of the employees motivational factors. The majority of the employees did not only have one motivational factor; it was mostly two or more. I will not present all the different combinations of motivational factors that the employees experienced, I will present the three most common. Table 6 presents the most common combination of motivational factors among the employees, introjected regulation and intrinsic motivation, and age and gender divide. Sixteen employees (35%) experience that work motivation is to avoid shame or guilt of not doing a good job combined with the feeling of what he or she is doing it because they enjoy it and have chosen it for themselves (Parfyonova, 2009; Vaansteenkiste et al., 2010; Meyer, 2014; Broeck et al., 2016).

39 Table 6 Majority of employees motivational factors are a combination of introjected regulation and intrinsic motivation. 32 Introjected regulation and intrinsic motivation Females Males < > Total: % The next most common feeling of motivation among the employees is intrinsic motivation. Table 7 below shows the divide of intrinsic motivation between gender and age. Nine employees, 20% of the respondents, experience intrinsic motivation at work which means that they enjoy what they are doing (Parfyonova, 2009; Vaansteenkiste et al., 2010; Meyer, 2014; Broeck et al, 2016). Table 7 Age and gender divide of intrinsic motivation among the employees at the case company. Intrinsic motivation Females Males < > Total: 9 20 % The last most common combination of motivational factors is external regulation and intrinsic motivation. Table 8 shows the divide between age and gender of the work motivation. The employees that experience both external regulation and intrinsic motivation feel that the motivation comes from a promised reward or to avoid punishment,

40 33 combined with a feeling of enjoyment (Parfyonova, 2009; Vaansteenkiste et al., 2010; Meyer, 2014; Broeck et al., 2016). Since the external regulation is combined with intrinsic motivation, I assume that the external regulation is because of a promised reward the salary. Table 8 External regulation and intrinsic motivation as motivational factors, including the gender and age divide. External regulation and intrinsic motivation Females Males < >50 1 Total: 7 15 % These were the three most common work motivations that the employees experienced and together they represented 70%. The last 30% of employees experienced different combinations of motivational factors, that was more of individual experiences. Intrinsic motivation is the most common work motivation, all three most common feelings of motivation include intrinsic motivation Three-component model of commitment The third part of the survey was the employees organizational commitment. The employees had different commitments and combinations of commitments to the organization. I will present the three most common organizational commitments among the employees. Nineteen participants (41%) experiences affective commitment to the company, these employees have a strong relationship to the company (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002). Table 9 shows the total of employees with affective commitment, and the gender and age divide. We can see that out of these nineteen there is the diversity of both females and males in different age groups.

41 34 Table 9 41 % of the respondents experience affective commitment towards the case organization. Affective Female Male < < 4 5 Total: % The second most common experience of commitment is a combination of affective and normative organizational commitment, which means that the employees feel a strong relationship towards the company but also a sense of responsibility to stay in the company (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002; Somers, 2010). Table 10 shows the age and gender divide of the employees that experience affective and normative commitment, which is a total of nine employees (20 %). Table 10 Affective and normative commitment was the second most common feeling of commitment among the respondents. Affective and normative Female Male < > Total: 9 20 % The third most common organizational commitment among the participants in the survey was normative commitment. Five employees, 11% of the respondents, experienced normative commitment towards the company. Table 11 shows the gender and age divide of normative commitment.

42 35 Table 11 Gender and age divide of the employees that experienced normative commitment. Normative Female Male < < 1 2 Total: 5 11 % Employees experienced different combinations of commitment components, but these three were the most common feelings of organizational commitment. Three employees (6,5%) experienced that they were uncommitted to the company. Fifteen employees (33%) experienced a combination of different commitment components. Majority of employees that participated in the survey experience affective commitment, either affective commitment alone or combined with normative commitment, which means that they have a strong relationship with the company The SDT and TCM model of Employee Engagement The result from part 2, the employees work motivation, and part 3, the employees organizational commitment, together with the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement gave me an implication of the employee engagement. Figure 8 A part of the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement.

43 36 According to the model, twenty-three employees experience full engagement towards the organization, 50 % of all employees that participated. Table 12 shows the gender and age divide of the fully engaged employees. Fully engaged employees want the organization to be successful and do their best to achieve goals (Meyer & Maltin, 2010; Meyer, 2014). Table 12 Gender and age divide between the fully engaged employees that participated in the survey. Full engagement Female Male < > Total: % 48 % of the fully engaged employees experienced introjected regulation and intrinsic motivation as motivational factors, affective commitment, and/or normative commitment. 17 % experiences intrinsic motivation, affective and/or normative commitment. These combinations of full engagement, commitment components, and motivational factors represent 33% of the participants. Twenty-one employees, 46 % of the participant, felt contingent engagement. The employees stay in the organization and do what they have to do (Meyer & Maltin, 2010; Meyer, 2014). The contingent engaged employees are the group that management has a possibility to work with and get them to move forward in the continuum of the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement. Table 13 shows the gender and age divide of the contingent engaged participants.

44 37 Table 13 The gender and age divide among the participants that experience contingent engagement. Contingent engagement Female Male < > Total: % The employees that are perceived as contingent engaged showed a lot of different variations regarding combinations of commitment components and motivational factors. 24% of the contingent employees experienced intrinsic motivation and continuance, normative and/or affective commitment. 19 % of contingent engaged employees experienced introjected regulation, affective and/or normative commitment. This represents 20 % of all participants in the survey. There were forty-six participants in the survey and two were shown to be disengaged (4%). Common among these two employees was that the two females had worked less than two years in the company. Table 14 below shows the gender and age divide among the disengaged employees. Table 14 4 % out of the participants in the survey experience that they are disengaged. Disengaged Female Male < >50 Total: 2 4 % The disengaged employees showed a combination of introjected regulation and uncommitted.

45 38 Figure 9 The employee divide between different types of engagement. According to the SDT and TCM model of employee engagement, we can assume that majority of employees that participated in the survey experience full engagement towards the company, 50%. The group of employees that experience contingent engagement, 46%, should management focus their attention on and try to move forward in the continuum. The disengaged employees can be a challenge to move forward in the continuum Self-determination theory The last part of the survey was to get an understanding of the employee s satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs. The SDT and TCM model of employee engagement suggests that to move employees forward in the continuum the basic need satisfaction must be fulfilled. The result showed that twenty-eight employees (61%) felt that all three basic psychological needs were satisfied. Table 15 shows the gender and age divide between the participants that experience autonomy, competence, and relatedness are fulfilled. These employees feel that they have chosen to do what they do, they feel competent at their job, and they feel a belonging among colleagues.