Flow Experience of Knowledge Workers: A Case Study of a Taiwanese Consultancy

This study examines whether job characteristics and the personality traits influence knowledge worker generation of the flow experiences, and how these flow experiences go on to influence overall organizational performance. This work focuses on a case study of a Taiwanese consulting company, and adopts in-depth interviews to gather information from the knowledge workers and the supervisors, with the aim of understanding the personal feelings of knowledge workers and further analyzing whether job characteristics and personality traits influence knowledge workers generation of flow experience. Based on supervisor observation of subordinates, this study analyzes the flow experience how to influence a team or an organization, resulting from the flow experience of knowledge workers, and also seeks to understand opinions and attitudes of supervisors toward his/her subordinates regarding subordinates frequently flow experiences. An analysis of worker interviews suggests that an environment in which employees can produce flow experience boosts overall work quality; nevertheless, supervisors should intervene when employees enjoy excessive flow experiences, resulting in poor work efficiency. Several theoretical propositions for advanced research on the flow experience are also included in this study.