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Relations between locus of control and sources of work motivation amongst government workers
John E Barbuto1, Joana S Story
1Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 303C Agricultural Hall, P.O. Box 830709, Lincoln, NE 68583-0709, USA.
Abstract:
This field study tested the relationship between locus of control and sources of work motivation for a sample of 382 government employees, selected as part of a leadership development initiative. Their mean age was 46 yr., 53% were women, and 42% had earned bachelor's degrees. Analysis showed a significant positive relationship between follower's locus of control and self-concept external motivation (r = .11), self-concept internal work motivation (r = .14), and goal internalization (r = .14); however, these relationships accounted for 2% or less of the common variance in the data. Other relationships tested were not significant. The psychometric structure of the abbreviated locus of control measure was reliable. More complex models and definitive experimental designs are recommended to generalize further.
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