Work motivation: The incorporation of self-concept-based processes

This paper proposes a metatheory of work motivation incorporating theories of self-concept that have been proposed in the sociological and psychologic al literatures. Traditional theories of work motivation are reviewed, and t he self-concept-based sources of motivation are presented. How the self-con cept influences behavior in organizations is explained and used to develop a metatheory of motivational sources. Both research and managerial implicat ions of the model are presented.