Abstract

The purpose of this study was to extract the important predictors of work motivation in Korean workers. It was hypothesized that the common and the industry-specific factors will contribute to the prediction of worker motivation. Based upon the assumptions which were proposed by Hahn. Hahn, Kim & Sung(1988), 22 construct measures were used as the predictors of worker motivation. Data obtained from 462 workers in an electronics industry and from 214 workers in a hotel service industry were analyzed via the forward stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the extracted common predictors were loyalty to the organization, group work morale, and the prior performance. The extracted specific predictors were work competence, equity, welfare and role conflicts in the hotel service organization, but only job itself was significant predictor in the electronics company. The results were interpreted as a supportive evidence for the above hypothesis. Finally, implications for the theory, practice, and future research of work motivation in Korean organizational context were discussed.