From cognition to action : a psychological investigation of action regulation in complex and uncertain social systems
This thesis review recent and more traditional thinking of the system theory, creativity in the workplace, job design and motivation theories to propose a psychological perspective to the regulation of individual action in complex and uncertain work environments. Components from the Action Regulation Theory (Frese & Zapf, 1994) and the Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) are put in relation in order to test a model of key cognitive schemas related to the accomplishment of collective and individual tasks in the workplace. We propose that these hierarchically organized cognitive schemas are central to efficient action regulation in adaptive social systems. Our measures of these cognitive schemas are based on scales proposed in literature on role ambiguity (eg. Sawyer, 1992; Breaugh & Colihan, 1994) and are put in relation with measures of satisfaction of psychological needs (Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste, De Witte, Soenens & Lens, 2009) and psychological well-being (Goldberg, 1972). Data from 153 full-time employees from a video game company were collected across 2 time periods. Results indicate that different types of cognitive schemas associated with the individual and collective goals are related to different types of psychological need satisfaction and that psychological need satisfaction is related to psychological well-being. Our results also support the hypothesis of a hierarchical organization of these cognitive schemas based on their level of abstractness or proximity with concrete action. These results begin to explain the process through which different types of cognitive schemas developed in, and influenced by, the working environment relate to employee attitudes and well-being. Theoretical and practical implications for motivation, learning, empowerment, psychological well-being and job design in complex and uncertain work environment are discussed.
Motivation Action regulation Psychological needs Role ambiguity Self-determination theory Psychological well-being Workplace creativity Uncertainty Motivation Job design