Detached but not deviant: the impact of career expectations and job crafting on the dysfunctional effects of amotivation

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the link between amotivation and workplace deviance. The authors further outlined how the relationship between amotivation and deviant behavior can be mitigated via proactive work strategies such as job crafting and career outcome expectations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a convergent design, mixed-method study to investigate workplace deviance as an outcome of amotivation or the lack of motivation towards an activity. The quantitative data from cross-sectional surveys entailed 127 respondents. The qualitative data comprised of 25 in-depth interviews. The authors sought insights from individuals' lived experiences to understand how amotivated individuals behave at work.FindingsThe quantitative findings contended a significant relationship between amotivation and organizational deviance. The authors also found evidence for the buffering role of career outcome expectations on amotivation and deviance. Finally, avoidance job crafting has been shown to significantly attenuate the aforementioned relationship. The qualitative study identified three broader themes about amotivated individuals' work outcomes.Practical implicationsAmotivation can arise among individuals who feel trapped in a job they want to exit and can result in a range of dysfunctional outcomes including workplace deviance. While amotivated employees may be hard to flag, employers can keep such individuals from demonstrating workplace deviance through placing interventions such as job crafting and career development programs.Originality/valueThe existing literature on work motivation has predominantly overlooked the role of amotivation in determining employee outcomes. The current research generates a new line of inquiry by identifying workplace deviance as an outcome of amotivation. The authors further highlighted that such dysfunctional outcomes of amotivation can be mitigated by job crafting and career outcomes expectancies.