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

VL - 18

SP - 483

EP - 513

JO - International Public Management Journal

JF - International Public Management Journal

SN - 1096-7494

IS - 4

ER -