TY - JOUR
T1 - Documentation Requirements, Intrinsic Motivation, and Worker Absence
AU - Andersen, Lotte Bøgh
AU - Kristensen, Nicolai
AU - Pedersen, Lene Holm
PY - 2015/1/1
Y1 - 2015/1/1
N2 - Command systems are widely used to monitor public service provision, but little is known about unintended effects on individual workers’ motivation and work effort. Using insights from motivation crowding theory, we estimate a SEM model that captures how Danish childcare assistants and social/healthcare assistants perceive documentation requirements. We analyze how this perception relates to intrinsic motivation measured in a survey and sickness absence as reported in administrative registers, and find that individuals who perceive documentation requirements as controlling have lower intrinsic motivation and higher sickness absence. The association is statistically significant, but very small in substantive terms. The result is nevertheless consistent with the expectation in motivation crowding theory and contributes to the literature by including a new, reliable behavioral variable—sickness absence—and by drawing attention to possible downsides of command-and-control. Even though command systems can also have positive disciplining effects, knowledge about potential drawbacks is important for public managers.
AB - Command systems are widely used to monitor public service provision, but little is known about unintended effects on individual workers’ motivation and work effort. Using insights from motivation crowding theory, we estimate a SEM model that captures how Danish childcare assistants and social/healthcare assistants perceive documentation requirements. We analyze how this perception relates to intrinsic motivation measured in a survey and sickness absence as reported in administrative registers, and find that individuals who perceive documentation requirements as controlling have lower intrinsic motivation and higher sickness absence. The association is statistically significant, but very small in substantive terms. The result is nevertheless consistent with the expectation in motivation crowding theory and contributes to the literature by including a new, reliable behavioral variable—sickness absence—and by drawing attention to possible downsides of command-and-control. Even though command systems can also have positive disciplining effects, knowledge about potential drawbacks is important for public managers.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84947420536&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10967494.2015.1028582
DO - 10.1080/10967494.2015.1028582
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:84947420536
SN - 1096-7494
VL - 18
SP - 483
EP - 513
JO - International Public Management Journal
JF - International Public Management Journal
IS - 4
ER -