INFLUENCE OF EX-ANTE AND EX-POST BONUSES ON AUTONOMOUS WORK MOTIVATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF BASIC NEEDS SATISFACTION AND PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the influence of
individual bonuses on autonomous work motivation.
The objective is to examine the mediating role of
basic needs satisfaction and perceived organizational
justice. Results from multiple regression analysis,
based on a sample of 577 employees underline that
ex-ante and ex-post bonuses have positive effect on
motivation, but to different degrees. Compared to
ex-ante bonuses, the ex-post bonuses would have
a slightly higher explanatory power of autonomous
motivation at work. Results also show that when
the three basic needs are analyzed simultaneousely
in a same regression model, only autonomy need
and relatedness need are associated to autonomous
work motivation. The three basic needs mediate the
relationship between ex-post bonuses and motivation,
but for ex-ante bonuses, only autonomy need mediate
it relationship with autonomous motivation at work.
For perceived organizational justice, when the three
dimensions are analysed simultaneously in a same
regression model, only procedural and interactional
justice are associated to autonomous work motivation.
However, all the three dimensions of organizational
justice mediate the relationship between ex-ante
bonuses and motivation, but partially mediate the
relationship between ex-post bonuses and autonomous work motivation.