Attitudes toward achievement motivation among Kuwaiti social workers

Motivation and motivation to collaborate

The concept of motivation includes the juxtaposition of intrinsic motivation (i.e. doing an activity for enjoyment or because it is interesting) and extrinsic motivation (i.e. performing an action for external rewards or to avoid negative outcomes). Some researchers (Frey and Osterloh, 2001; Noles et al., 2002) have indicated the importance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation among organizations, finding that employees worked hard for two reasons – they were interested in the work itself and were thus intrinsically motivated, or they were being paid and were extrinsically motivated. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are interlinked, making it very difficult for organizations to focus on one type of motivation over the other in isolation. For example, performance-related pay (e.g. extrinsic motivator) may serve to increase performance and maintain discipline, but high employee morale, that is, intrinsic motivation, is necessary to the success of organizations in so much as intrinsic motivation is a prerequisite for creativity and innovation. While extrinsic motivation has been of considerable significance within organizations due to its ease of use and implementation, extrinsic motivation alone may serve to influence employees to do only enough to ‘just get by’ rather than doing the ‘best that they can’. Judging an employee’s ‘best’ is a very difficult task for organizations as it particularly arises from within an individual – intrinsic motivation – and cannot easily be generated by organizations. This is particularly important to organizations, as workers who are intrinsically motivated tend to perform better than when they are motivated extrinsically (Meijers, 2010). Thus, a key function of an organization is to generate and sustain the right combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, which may sometimes include reinforcing collaborative efforts of employees.

The importance of collaboration is in its ability to provide an ‘insurance policy’ against the real threat and possibility of quitting as we face the ups and downs of the creative process. When workers collaborate, the risk is spread among the group, which encourages the group as a whole to take more chances. Furthermore, collaboration may widen the scope of intrinsic motivation, as intrinsic motivation derives from personal enjoyment and satisfaction. It may be that by allowing workers to collaborate with others, organizations can increase intrinsic motivation among their employees. Collaboration also serves to bolster self-discipline because one becomes attached and responsible to the other collaborators and to the task at hand (Sharp, 2010). When the group succeeds, so does the individual.

Individual achievement motivation and collaboration

Murray (1938) broadly defined the need for achievement – achievement motivation – as the desire or tendency to do things as quickly and as well as possible in an effort to accomplish something difficult thereby attaining a high standard. On the other hand, Khalifa (2006), in developing an Arab measure of achievement motivation, defined it as the desire to do things well by putting forth effort in a timely manner. More specifically, Khalifa Abdul Khaled and Al Naial (1991) have illustrated definitions of achievement motivation among individuals. They defined motive as the need or the interest to perform different tasks well and in a timely manner, but motivation for achievement included different patterns of behaviors specifically involving a challenge element whereby employees were motivated to solve difficult problems that they considered challenging and as obstacles in their path (Khalifa, 2006).

Because little research has adequately addressed collaboration in intradisciplinary contexts, particularly among social workers and specifically in Kuwait, this study addressed the following aims, focusing on Kuwaiti social workers from various institutional organizations: a) to determine the relation between collaborative climate and achievement motivation; b) to determine the relation between demographic variables and achievement motivation; and c) to determine which variables are the best predictors of achievement motivation.

Method

Results

Preliminary analyses were conducted prior to conducting the main analyses. All study variables were assessed for missing data and for violations of statistical techniques. Owing to the small amount of missing data, simple mean imputation was utilized. Histograms revealed that the main study variables were moderately skewed. However, skewness and kurtosis for each variable were examined and there were no values greater than an absolute value of 1.5, suggesting reasonably normal distributions. Homoscedasticity was examined via several scatter plots, indicating reasonable consistency of spread through the distributions. Main analyses are presented by research question below. Results are presented in the following order: a) relation between collaboration and achievement motivation; b) relation between demographic variables and achievement motivation; c) prediction of achievement motivation from demographic variables and collaboration using step-wise multiple regression; and d) qualitative results.

Collaborative climate and achievement motivation

Pearson correlation coefficients were utilized to identify the relation between collaborative climate and achievement motivation (Table 1). Results indicated significant positive correlations between subscales of collaboration and motivation towards achievement. Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficients were significant at p < .001 for the relation between achievement motivation and the Collaborative Climate subscales of immediate supervisor (r = .20); and Collaborative Climate Total Score (r = .20). Collaborative Climate subscales of organizational culture (r = .16); and work group support (r = .14) were significant at p < .01. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were significant at the p < .05 level for the relation between achievement motivation and employee attitude (r = .13). Results suggested that as supervisor support, organizational culture, work group support, and positive employee attitudes concerning collaboration increase, achievement motivation among social workers also increases.

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Table 1.

Correlations between Collaborative Climate subscales and motivation achievement (n = 313).

	Organizational culture	Immediate supervisor	Employee attitude	Work group support	Collaborative climate total	Achievement motivation
Organizational culture	1	.681***	.591***	.330***	.809***	.157**
Immediate supervisor	–	1	.539***	.303***	.799***	.203***
Employee attitude	–	–	1	.482***	.838***	.126*
Work group support	–	–	–	1	.590***	.142*
Collaborative climate total	–	–	–	–	1	.203***
Achievement motivation	–	–	–	–	–	1
Mean	3.62	3.92	3.94	4.16	3.88	3.77
Standard Deviation	.77	.84	.80	.58	.63	.42
Range	1–5	1–5	1–5	1–5	1–5	1–5

***

p < .001; **p < .01; *p < .05.

Predicting achievement motivation with regression

As another way of identifying variables with a significant impact on achievement motivation, a stepwise multiple linear regression was employed to help determine which of the study variables were better at predicting achievement motivation. Correlations were examined for issues of multicollinearity. All correlations were small, ranging from .01 to .80, indicating that issues of multicollinearity were not likely a problem. Variables were entered using stepwise selection criteria, with the criteria of .05 for entry and the criteria of .10 for removal. Achievement motivation total score was entered as the dependent variable. Sex, governate (governates area regional areas within Kuwait and are akin to a state in Western countries), marital status, income, education level, father’s education, mother’s education, GPA, years of experience, nationality, age, number of children, organizational culture collaboration sub-scale, immediate supervisor collaboration sub-scale, employee attitude’s collaboration sub-scale, work group’s collaboration sub-scale, and collaboration total scale were entered as independent variables. Results for the models are provided in Table 2.

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Table 2.

Hierarchical multiple regression models: Study variables predicting achievement motivation (n = 313).

Variable	Model 1			Model 2			Model 3 (Final Model)
	B	SE B	β	B	SE B	β	B	SE B	β
Supervisor	0.145	0.039	0.307***	0.151	0.038	0.321***	0.148	0.037	0.314***
Number of children	-	-	-	0.062	0.019	0.263**	0.077	0.019	0.329***
Income	-	-	-	-	-	-	-0.098	0.040	-0.203*
Adj. R2	8.7%			15.1%			18.2%
F for change in R2	13.73			10.82			5.99

Notes: Independent variables entered into the model: sex, governate, marital status, income, education level, father’s education, mother’s education, GPA, years of experience, nationality, age, number of children, organizational culture collaboration sub–scale, immediate supervisor collaboration sub-scale, employee attitude’s collaboration sub-scale, work group’s collaboration sub-scale, and collaboration total scale were entered as independent variables.

The final overall regression model (Model #3 in Table 2) was significant, F(3, 130) = 10.84, p < 0.001, explaining approximately 18 percent of the variability. Results indicated that immediate supervisor (β = 0.314, p < .001), number of children (β = .329, p < .001), and income (β = -.023, p < .05) were the best predictors of achievement motivation. Specifically, the more supportive the immediate supervisor was of a collaborative environment, the higher the achievement motivation scores of social workers, while an immediate supervisor not supportive of a collaborative environment was associated with lower achievement motivation scores of social workers. Having more children was associated with higher achievement motivation scores, while having fewer children was associated with lower achievement motivation scores. In terms of income, the more income a social worker reported earning, the lower the achievement motivation and the lower the income that a social worker reported, the higher the achievement motivation. In short, immediate supervisor support, number of children, and income were the best predictors of social worker motivation towards achievement.

Discussion

Results of the study indicated that years of experience, age, and number of children correlated positively with the social worker motivation towards achievement. Additionally, supervisor’s attitude toward collaboration, number of children, and income were significant predictors of social worker achievement motivation. Results related to age, educational background, years of experience, job sector and achievement are supported by prior research. However, little research is available to explain the findings related to the presence of children, income, and achievement.

Findings related to age and achievement are supported by Maslach and Jackson (1981) who reported a correlation between age and achievement, with older professional staff in human service institutions endorsing higher achievement. Results from qualitative interviews shed some light on results. Specifically, those interviewed thought that older social workers were more mature and responsible than younger ones. Therefore, supervisors provided older social workers more tasks and responsibilities which contributed to increased motivation to achieve.

Research by Ravitz (1989) also supports the relation between age and achievement, as well as the relation between educational background, years of experience, job sector and achievement. Ravitz (1989) conducted a study with social workers, counselors, and nurses and found that age was a significant demographic variable for all disciplines, while the relation between educational background, years of experience, job sector and achievement were significant to specific disciplines. Results from qualitative interviews indicate that older social workers tend to be more experienced and the more years of experience one had, the more knowledgeable one became in the field of social work. Specifically, more experience allowed the social worker to recognize difficulties and obstacles related to their work. In addition, responsibilities and tasks were easier to address and overcome with more years of working in the field. Some of those interviewed also mentioned that the social work profession depends on practical experience more so than the theoretical aspect. In terms of job sector, those interviewed indicated that the public sector did not necessarily value workers who are motivated to achieve and failed to enforce consequences for social workers who were not motivated to achieve. On the contrary, the private sector usually provided financial incentive to the hardworking, motivated social workers and provided negative consequences to those social workers who did not meet expectations by firing them from their jobs. This is an important finding, as most social workers in Kuwait work in the public sector.

While there is a lack of research on the relation between the presence of children, income and achievement, results from the qualitative interviews provide an explanation as to how and why the presence of children, as well as income, influence the motivation to achieve. In interviews, social workers who reported more children were more motivated towards achievement because having children required one to be responsible and more committed towards both family and work. Additionally, the presence of children resulted in parents learning to become more understanding and more empathetic towards others. One female social worker stated that having more children motivated the social worker to work harder in order to receive financial rewards and bonuses to support one’s family, which leads to more motivation towards achievement.

Finally, results for the relation between income and motivation to achieve were mixed. The majority of the interviewed social workers stated that most social workers were motivated by financial incentive. Some social workers interviewed thought that social workers with higher incomes are less motivated towards achievement, while those who make less income are more motivated towards achievement. This was said to occur due to the possibility of making a higher income in the future. Still others thought that higher incomes allow social workers more job security and seniority, resulting in less motivation to achieve. This was thought to occur because those with more job security and seniority may feel as though they have reached their goals in life. One senior social worker stated that higher income typically means that the social workers were more likely to be on an administrative track, which means less motivation towards achievement because of a decreased chance for advancement and higher income. This was particularly true for the senior workers who had been in the job for more than 15 years. Social workers stated that senior social workers rarely received much of a financial raise. Thus, the more seniority in one’s job, the higher the income and the less motivated towards achievement. This is congruent with some of Meijers’s (2010) work, where income has been indicated as a strong extrinsic motivator for workers.

Conclusions

Although some social workers prefer working alone, the majority of social workers prefer collaborating with other social workers. This study showed that there was a relationship between collaboration of the social workers and their motivation towards achievement. It was thought that this process might lead to more achievement by the social workers, which could benefit both the clients and the social workers at the end of the process. Thus, this study indicates the importance for supervisors and managers to create an environment which encourages collaboration among the social workers to maximize client benefit.

Demographical and socio-economic factors were also important to social worker achievement motivation. Years of experience was important for achievement motivation among social workers, with more years of experience related to more achievement motivation towards work. In addition, older social workers had more achievement motivation than younger social workers. The presence of children had a positive impact on achievement motivation among social workers, with results indicating that older social workers with more children seemed more responsible and more motivated towards achievement. Surprisingly, the study indicated that social workers with higher income were less motivated towards achievement than those who reported a lower income. Qualitative interviews pointed to lower-earning social workers working harder so that they may earn more in the future. Although, the majority of the social workers in Kuwait worked in the public sector, study results indicate that social workers preferred working in the private sector. Working in the private sector might lead to more motivation towards achievement. Those interviewed thought that the private sector encouraged hard work and motivation towards achievement by providing financial incentives to those who did work hard and who did achieve. Future research should investigate the relationship between collaboration among the social workers and other factors such as client’s rehabilitation, treatment, and intervention.