Self-determination theory (SDT) Job Autonomy and Workplace wellbeing

Theory and Hypotheses

Self-determination theory (SDT): Job Autonomy and Workplace wellbeing

The Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci and Ryan, 2000; Vansteenkiste, Niemiec, and

Soenens, 2010) specifies three fundamental psychological needs - relatedness, competence, and

autonomy - that sustain intrinsic motivation, facilitate internalization of extrinsic motivation, and

promote overall positive growth, development, and wellbeing (Deci and Ryan,2012). In the SDT

theory, needs for autonomy refers to experiences of volition and self-endorsement as opposed to

feelings of coercion and pressure (Deci and Ryan,2012). It means that autonomy represents an

inner endorsement of one’s actions – the sense that one’s actions emanate from oneself and are

domains, including parenting, education, work, healthcare, and psychotherapy (Vansteenkiste,

et al., 2010). In the field of entrepreneurship, SDT theory has also underpinned many studies

on the relationship between job autonomy, entrepreneurial intention and workplace wellbeing.

Research on entrepreneurial motivation shows that it is not financial gain, but autonomy that

is most often mentioned or rated as the most important motive for starting a business (Shane,

Locke and Collins, 2003; Van Gelderen and Jansen, 2006), According to Gibb (2002:136),

‘we live in a society where we increasingly need the capacity to cope with, and enjoy, an

enterprising way of life. This way of life is characterised by uncertainty, change, and

complexity on the one hand, and freedom, individual responsibility, and the opportunity to

reap the fruits of one’s labour’. On the other hand, Gibb claims that more and more people are

taking part in this enterprising way of life as a result of several powerful trends in how

difference among individuals of workplace wellbeing experience (Benz and Frey, 2008;

Lange, 2012; Schjoedt and Shaver, 2007).

Thus, H1: job autonomy has a positive or negative relationship with workplace wellbeing

H1a: job autonomy has a negative relationship with job anxiety

H1b: job autonomy has a negative relationship with job depression

H1c: job autonomy has a positive relationship with job satisfaction

As noted before, the universality of SDT is verified across different contexts, including the

different occupations. Many studies in entrepreneurship did comparison analysis between self-

employed individuals and employees, which showed that the self-employed are more satisfied

experience, the higher the workplace wellbeing they own. Research on entrepreneurial motivation

shows that it is not financial gain, but autonomy that is most often mentioned or rated as the most

important motive for starting a business (Shane, Locke and Collins, 2003; Van Gelderen and

Jansen, 2006), According to Gibb (2002:136), ‘we live in a society where we increasingly need

the capacity to cope with, and enjoy, an enterprising way of life. This way of life is characterised

by uncertainty, change, and complexity on the one hand, and freedom, individual responsibility,

and the opportunity to reap the fruits of one’s labour’. On the other hand, Gibb claims that more

and more people are taking part in this enterprising way of life as a result of several powerful

trends in how individuals relate to the state, organisations, and other individuals. Comparative

empirical evidence noted that, the self-employed have a larger extent of job autonomy than

moving back to it) makes more economic sense for the individuals than starting a new business.

Thus, utility-maximizing individuals who switch from employment to self-employment may be

gaining something in exchange for the income they forgo: the usual explanation is ‘wellbeing.’

Therefore, it is logical to infer that even living in poverty, as long as the self-employed

experience higher job autonomy, they experience higher workplace wellbeing. This aims to

respond the first question, do the self-employed always feel happier (experiencing high

workplace wellbeing) than employees, when their incomes are below the poverty line? Hence, it

is posited that

H2: when individuals’ incomes are below the poverty line, the self-employed have higher job

autonomy and higher workplace wellbeing than employees (inter-group difference)

H2d: when individuals’ incomes are below the poverty line, the self-employed have higher job

satisfaction than employees (inter-group difference)

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