IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/but/manage/v37y2023i1p7-22.html

Empowerment and Engagement: The Role of Autonomy and Feedback in Fostering Employee Motivation

Author

Listed:
  • Rebeca Matei

    (The Bucharest University, Faculty of Administration and Business)

  • Cristina Veith

    (The Bucharest University, Faculty of Administration and Business)

Abstract

This article examines the interplay between non-financial factors and employee motivation within contemporary workplaces. Guided by a primary research question exploring how intrinsic motivational elements impact employee enthusiasm and productivity, the study leverages a qualitative research approach, analyzing responses from 53 participants through thematic analysis. The core hypothesis postulated that employees who are integrally involved in decision-making, receive constructive feedback, and enjoy autonomy in task management exhibit higher motivation levels. The empirical evidence confirms this hypothesis, echoing the theoretical perspectives of renowned scholars like Daniel Pink and aligning with Self-Determination Theory’s emphasis on autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The research demonstrates that the motivational power of autonomy and meaningful feedback far surpasses that of extrinsic rewards, reshaping managerial approaches and highlighting the necessity for cultivating a supportive and empowering workplace culture. By integrating these intrinsic motivators, organizations can elevate employee engagement and overall workplace satisfaction

Suggested Citation

  • Rebeca Matei & Cristina Veith, 2023. "Empowerment and Engagement: The Role of Autonomy and Feedback in Fostering Employee Motivation," Manager Journal, Faculty of Business and Administration, University of Bucharest, vol. 37(1), pages 7-22, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:but:manage:v:37:y:2023:i:1:p:7-22
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://manager.faa.ro/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/37m_7_22.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://manager.faa.ro/?p=8823
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mihaela MINCIU & Razvan Catalin DOBREA & Camelia STAICULESCU & Bogdan ?tefan STOICA, 2020. "The Impact of the Epidemic Generated by the SARS-COV-2 Virus in the Context of the VUCA World," Management and Economics Review, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 5(2), pages 246-254, December.
    2. Bruno S. Frey, 1997. "Not Just for the Money," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1183, June.
    3. Bruno S. Frey, 2018. "Economics of Happiness," SpringerBriefs in Economics, Springer, number 978-3-319-75807-7, April.
    4. Ariely, Dan & Loewenstein, George & Prelec, Drazen, 2006. "Tom Sawyer and the construction of value," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 1-10, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Torgler, Benno & Schneider, Friedrich & Schaltegger, Christoph A., 2007. "With or Against the People? The Impact of a Bottom-Up Approach on Tax Morale and the Shadow Economy," Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics, Working Paper Series qt6331x6vz, Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics.
    2. Bruno S. Frey & Anthony Gullo, 2021. "Does Sports Make People Happier, or Do Happy People More Sports?," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 22(4), pages 432-458, May.
    3. Funk, Matt, 2008. "On the Problem of Sustainable Economic Development: A Theoretical Solution to this Prisoner's Dilemma," MPRA Paper 19025, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 08 Jun 2008.
    4. Bruno S. Frey, 2019. "Awards in the digital world," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 66(1), pages 29-36, March.
    5. Sherman, Arie & Shavit, Tal, 2013. "The immaterial sustenance of work and leisure: A new look at the work–leisure model," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 10-16.
    6. Benno Torgler & Friedrich Schneider & Christoph Schaltegger, 2010. "Local autonomy, tax morale, and the shadow economy," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 144(1), pages 293-321, July.
    7. Benno Torgler & Friedrich Schneider & Christoph Schaltegger, 2010. "Local autonomy, tax morale, and the shadow economy," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 144(1), pages 293-321, July.
    8. Benno Torgler & Friedrich Schneider, 2005. "What Shapes the Attitudes Towards Paying Taxes? Evidence from Switzerland, Belgium and Spain," CREMA Working Paper Series 2005-06, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    9. Bruno S. Frey, 2017. "Reactivity in Economic Science," CREMA Working Paper Series 2017-10, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    10. Torgler, Benno & Schneider, Friedrich & Schaltegger, Christoph A., 2007. "With or Against the People? The Impact of a Bottom-Up Approach on Tax Morale and the Shadow Economy," Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics, Working Paper Series qt6331x6vz, Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics.
    11. Torgler, Benno, 2004. "Tax morale in Asian countries," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 237-266, April.
    12. Elisabeth Gsottbauer & Jeroen Bergh, 2011. "Environmental Policy Theory Given Bounded Rationality and Other-regarding Preferences," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 49(2), pages 263-304, June.
    13. Benno Torgler & Friedrich Schneider, 2004. "Does Culture Influence Tax Morale? Evidence from Different European Countries," CREMA Working Paper Series 2004-17, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    14. Benno Torgler, 2004. "Tax Morale, Trust and Corruption: Empirical Evidence from Transition Countries," CREMA Working Paper Series 2004-05, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    15. Benno Torgler & Jan Werner, 2005. "Tax Morale and Fiscal Autonomy: Evidence from Germany," Working Papers 03-2005, Institute of Local Public Finance.
    16. Benno Torgler, 2003. "Tax Morale and Institutions," CREMA Working Paper Series 2003-09, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    17. Luis Francisco Carvalho & Joao Rodrigues, 2006. "On markets and morality: Revisiting Fred Hirsch," Review of Social Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 64(3), pages 331-348.
    18. Benno Torgler, 2005. "Tax morale in Latin America," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 133-157, January.
    19. Dieudonné Mignamissi, Eric Xaverie Possi Tebeng, Aristophane Djeufack Dongmo, Laquintine Mama Nji Mboumbouo, 2025. "Sport and happiness: an evidence from football," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 22(1), pages 77-127, June.
    20. Carlo Borzaga & Ermanno Tortia, 2004. "Worker involvement in entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations. Toward a new assessment of workers' perceived satisfaction and fairness," Department of Economics Working Papers 0409, Department of Economics, University of Trento, Italia.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:but:manage:v:37:y:2023:i:1:p:7-22. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Cosmin Catalin Olteanu The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask Cosmin Catalin Olteanu to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/faaubro.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.