The effects of work motivation on employee exhaustion and commitment: An extension of the JD-R model

2012/07/01 by Claude Fernet, Stéphanie Austin, Robert J. Vallerand
Business, Management and Accounting · Psychology · #Burnout #Clinical psychology #Emotional exhaustion #Employee motivation #Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior #Job performance #Job satisfaction #Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports #Need for achievement #Psychology #Social psychology #Volition (linguistics) #Work (physics) #Work motivation #Workaholism, burnout, and well-being

paper · doi:10.1080/02678373.2012.713202

openalex publication_date 2012/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

A model that integrates and builds on the job demands-resources model and self-determination theory is proposed to better understand the role of work motivation in relation to job resources, occupational commitment and emotional exhaustion. Two forms of motivation were studied: autonomous motivation, in which employees act with volition,; and controlled motivation, in which they act under internal or external pressure. Data were collected at two time points nine months apart from a sample of 586 school principals in Quebec, Canada. SEM analysis results support the hypothesized model. Specifically, job resources had a positive effect on autonomous motivation but a negative effect on controlled motivation. In addition, taking into account the cross-lagged effects of job resources on commitment and exhaustion, autonomous motivation had a negative effect on exhaustion but a positive effect on commitment whereas controlled motivation had a positive effect on exhaustion. These results advance the understanding of why work motivation acts on employee functioning and how it can play an active role in both the motivational and energetic processes of the job demands-resources model. Practical implications and further theoretical implications are discussed.

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