When Being Old Pays Off: Age Mitigates Adverse Effects of Low Implicit–Explicit Motive Congruency on Work Motivation

Abstract

This study examines the effects of implicit and explicit motives at work. Specifically, we hypothesize that congruency of implicit and explicit motives (i-e congruency) affects work motivation. Integrating research on age-related gains in self-regulation strength, we expect that negative effects of low i-e congruency on work motivation are more detrimental for younger than older workers, because they possess fewer self-regulation skills. The age moderation effect should be further qualified by motive-specific incentives, such that low i-e congruency has most detrimental effects for younger workers when many, as compared to few incentives, are present at work. We tested our hypotheses in a study with N = 756 workers at three measurement points. Results supported the main effect of i-e congruency on work motivation in the achievement and affiliation motive domains, and the moderation effects of age and incentives in the achievement motive domain. Implications for theories of motivation and age-sensitive counseling and coaching interventions are discussed.