Motivational Differences between Contractual and Permanent Information Technology Professionals: An Empirical Study Based on Integrated Force-Choice Expectancy Theory

The primary objective of this study is to compare and understand differences in work motivation of contractual and permanent IT professionals, who work together on the same software development teams. This empirical study is based on integrated force-choice expectancy theory model. The choice model explain one important dimension of motivation – why an individual will choose one goal instead of another and the force model, however, explains a different dimensions of performance – why individuals with the same goal may be willing to exert differing amounts of efforts. Expectancy theory hypothesizes that individual behavior is the result of their expectations about the consequences of their actions. Work motivation is a function of employee beliefs on their efforts that will lead to performance and on performance that leads to outcome, and outcome that leads to satisfaction. Based on the nature of employment, contractual or permanent, IT professionals’ motivation to perform changes according to the following factors that have an effect on their beliefs. (i) Self-efficacy, goal difficulty, skill and perceived control on expectancy beliefs, (ii) Trust, control, policies on instrumentality believe, and (iii) Values, needs, goals, and preferences on employees beliefs on valence.