Motivation is Social: Interpersonal and Relational Perspectives on Work Motivation.

Organization studies are increasingly showing that the impact of motivation goes beyond the individual level in organizational contexts. This symposium expands this research stream by offering a social perspective on motivation. Specifically, this symposium asks two questions: How can individuals' motivation affect others' interpersonal behavior? How can individuals' motivation be relational to other people at work? Using multilevel, multinational data, four presenters seek to answer these questions. Two presenters tackle the first question by investigating (a) how individuals' intrinsic motivation becomes a source of undesirable task assignment in organizations; and (b) how intrinsically motivated employees are affected by their team members' extrinsic motivation. The other two presenters address the second question and show (a) the importance of relatedness motivation along with other types of motivation across different age groups; and (b) the strategies used by individuals lacking motivation to maintain positive relationships with their team members. The discussion at the end of the symposium highlights opportunities for future research and stimulates conversations among the presenters and the audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]