Does worrying about money motivate counterproductive work behavior? A time-lagged study
研究基于基本心理需求理论,通过180名美国工人的三波调查发现,财务担忧通过降低心理需求满足而非认知负荷,更显著地导致反生产工作行为,建议企业通过薪酬设计和财务辅导缓解此问题。
Purpose This research sought to examine the potential association between workers’ financial worry and counterproductive work behavior. Based on the basic psychological need theory, we propose that psychological need satisfaction explains this relationship and we position this volitional pathway as an alternative to a cognitive capacity pathway based on the cognitive load theory. Design/methodology/approach We conducted a two-week interval-lagged survey study with three measurement points among 180 US workers. The mediation models were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings The results support the conclusion that, while cognitive capacity could have an impact on counterproductive work behavior, its mediating effect is less strong than that of need satisfaction. Practical implications Based on the results, we recommend that organizations design their compensation and benefits system to shield employees from financial worries. At the same time, we advise offering the employees who do experience financial worries assistance in managing their budgets and offering other forms of financial coaching. Originality/value This study is innovative because we show that the negative effects of financial worry extend much further than initially thought and affect not only employees' cognition but also their motivation.