Wei-Ling Hsu
Department of Psychology National Taiwan University
Work motivation has long been an important issue in the field of organizational behavior. Western researchers have developed numerous motivation theories, such as Maslow’s need hierarchy theory, McClelland’s need for achievement, Adams’ equity theory, Vroom’s expectancy theory, Locke’s goal setting theory, as well as the reinforcement theory. However, up to now, most Taiwanese researchers merely follow the steps of their Western counterparts, and the work on indigenous motivation theory is still rarely seen. The purpose of this article is to discuss the development of work motivation research and review the existing studies of motivation in Taiwan, so as to propose an indigenous framework of work motivation and indicate some directions for future research.
Keywords: motivation theory, imposed research, comparative research, indigenous research