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Chaos in Human Behavior: The Case of Work Motivation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

José Navarro  and
Carlos Arrieta
José Navarro*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Barcelona (Spain)
Carlos Arrieta
Affiliation:
Universidad de Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to José Navarro. Facultad de Psicología. Departamento de Psicología Social. Paseo Valle de Hebrón, 171. 08820 Barcelona. (Spain). E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study considers the complex dynamics of work motivation. Forty-eight employees completed a work-motivation diary several times per day over a period of four weeks. The obtained time series were analysed using different methodologies derived from chaos theory (i.e. recurrence plots, Lyapunov exponents, correlation dimension and surrogate data). Results showed chaotic dynamics in 75% of cases. The findings confirm the universality of chaotic behavior within human behavior, challenge some of the underlying assumptions on which work motivation theories are based, and suggest that chaos theory may offer useful and relevant information on how this process is managed within organizations.

Se realizó un estudio con el objetivo de explorar la posible dinámica caótica de la motivación en el trabajo. Cuarenta y ocho trabajadores contestaron un diario sobre su motivación en el trabajo varias veces al día durante cuatro semanas. Las series obtenidas fueron sometidas a diferentes técnicas de análisis no lineal derivadas de la teoría del caos (gráficos de recurrencia, exponentes de Lyapunov, dimensión de correlación y surrogate data). Los resultados mostraron dinámicas caóticas en un 75% de los casos. Ello confirma la universalidad del comportamiento caótico también dentro del comportamiento humano. Tales resultados cuestionan algunos de los supuestos fundamentales en los que se basan las teorías más establecidas y sugieren que la teoría del caos puede ofrecer información útil y relevante acerca de cómo gestionar la motivación en contextos laborales.

Keywords

work motivationdeterministic chaoscomplexity sciencediary techniquemotivación en el trabajocaos deterministaciencia de la complejidadtécnica del diario
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , May 2010 , pp. 244 - 256
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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