Having a whale of a time: Linking self-determination theory (SDT), job characteristics model (JCM) and motivation to the joy of gig work

Abstract

The increasing uberization of work has emerged as an intrinsic part of our digitalized society, allowing opportunities for unbridled success for global firms using gig work. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the integrative effect of self-determination and job characteristics on the joy of gig work with the mediating influence of gig worker’s motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic). Survey data was collected from 250 gig workers representing two multinational ride-sharing services. The study used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to empirically test the conceptualized model and hypothesized relationships. The study findings provide empirical evidence to present that joy of gig work is largely affected by gig worker’s self-determination and job characteristics. Moreover, gig worker’s motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) significantly mediates the relationship between self-determination and joy of gig work, as well as job characteristics and joy of gig work. This research creates the basis for future investigations that examine the direct and indirect associations between self-determination, job characteristics, motivation, and joy of gig work. The practical implications for global firms include a better understanding of the business value of the joy of work, especially in gig-work environments.

Keywords:

• Joy of gig work
• self-determination theory
• job characteristic model
• intrinsic motivation
• extrinsic motivation

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

The future of global employment is swiftly moving towards the gig economy, that attracts

short-term employment with non-geographical boundaries. The gig economy provides ease of access to the global talent pool that enables innovative, competitive, flexible and cost-effective ways of managing gig work. The human synchronization has made the joy of gig work increasingly challenging. Hence, it is vital for gig firms to identify potential factors which help employees to boost their joy of gig work.

The study provides initial empirical evidence for the direct and indirect effects of self-determination and job characteristics on the joy of gig work, using intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as significant mediators. Corporate leaders can maximize the potentials of gig work, by advancing joy felt experiences of workers though their self-determination, job characteristics and motivational (i.e. intrinsic and extrinsic) channels.

1. Introduction

The sharing economy (aka shared economy) has made growth revolution in the last decade or so by disrupting a variety of mature industries (e.g., hospitality and tourism, automotive and real estate) and even transforming their structures (Dadwal et al., 2020; Frenken & Schor, 2019; Schor, 2016; Schor & Cansoy, 2019). The sharing orientation allows service providers to offer conveniently accessible and cost-efficient resources to its customers without creating any social, emotional or financial burden of ownership (Frenken & Schor, 2019; Hamari et al., 2016). With the thriving global movement of being a “minimalist” as well as the rapid digitalization of economies, the sharing economy has become much easier. The sharing economy platform services (e.g., freelancing, coworking, ride-sharing, peer-to-peer lending, resource sharing, and fashion apparel rentals, etc.) have allowed service providers and consumers to breakdown the traditional business barriers and connect in an easy, lucrative and collaborative economy (Frenken & Schor, 2019; Schor, 2016). As the sharing economy rapidly progresses to reach its global potential of a 335 USD billion economy by 2025 (Yaraghi & Ravi, 2017), the success of business models in the sharing economy requires accurate depiction of how gig workers operate to achieve those potentials (Hamari et al., 2016; Kuhn & Galloway, 2019). The flexible sharing orientation has led to the rise of gig workers (e.g., 57 Million in the United States) possessing entrepreneurial energy to do lots of amazing things around the world. The sharing economy has spawned the global online marketplace in a variety of industries including high-tech where knowledge based-work is creating higher pays for the gig workers (Frenken & Schor, 2019; Hamari et al., 2016). Deloitte’s recent report on the Global Human Capital Trends shows that the gig workers have become the mainstream talent, as organizations search more strategically in the tightening talent markets to embrace high-level work through alternative workforce (Volini et al., 2019).

The joy of work intrinsically creates the most powerful connectivity among people than any other human experience (Bakke, 2010). It fuels success beyond limits, as human strengths begin to click together in a jubilant experience that cherishes contributions towards an overarching purpose (Warr & Clapperton, 2010). As shared economies become highly developed due to technological advancements, people find new ways to deal with their work (Dadwal et al., 2020). Based on the high-recognition of successful ventures in the developed western world, the developing nations have also embraced shared-economy platforms recently (Kuhn & Galloway, 2019; Schechtner & Hanson, 2017; Stanford, 2017). On the basis of self-determination theory (SDT) (R. M. Ryan & Deci, 2000) and job characteristics model (JCM) (Hackman & Oldham, 1975), the present study explores how these theories have an integrated application on the joy of gig work. Especially, this study analyzes joy of gig work in a shared economy context in a developing nation (Kuhn & Galloway, 2019; Stanford, 2017), and examines how gig workers motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) can play a mediating role to link SDT, JCM and joy of gig work (Warr & Clapperton, 2010).

2. Theoretical background and research hypotheses

2.1. Joy of gig work

Joy sets the highest standards for the way people feel about their work, in contrast to satisfaction and engagement at work (Sheridan, 2018). As human life works like a vector that requires both force and direction, to make sense. Hence, it is the happiness in life that sets the direction, while joy provides a constant reassurance that one is doing exactly what s/he is supposed to be doing, making the pursuit more meaningful and energized (Bijl & Gray, 2011; Warr & Clapperton, 2010). Joy is anything but a plainly perceptible feeling; rather there exists a scope of conceivable outcomes for depicting euphoria (Bakke, 2010; Warr & Clapperton, 2010). However, joy is progressively unconstrained and crawls up or happens suddenly. At this point when joy happens, the impacts or feeling itself might armada or not keep going long, yet the glad memory is enduring and can be revisited freely (Bijl & Gray, 2011). Happiness then again could require a progression of occasions or conditions to happen (De Neve & Ward, 2017). As and when those occasions or conditions are evacuated, joy vanishes, now and again being displaced by hopelessness (Lazarus, 1991). Contrasted with happiness, the word joy appears to allude to an all the more intensely extreme responses to a progressively explicit occasion (Lazarus, 1991; Lazarus, Kanner, and Folkman, 1980). Joy could be related to accomplishment, some kind of triumphant inclination (Warr & Clapperton, 2010).

The joy of work has not been researched extensively, especially in the gig work environment (Kuhn & Galloway, 2019; Sheridan, 2018). The worker’s happiness is a broad concept which may have overlapped with the joy of work in prior research (Cranny et al., 1992; Salas-Vallina et al., 2017, 2018). Organizational performance is boosted by happier employees because they did their work pleasantly and taking their tasks in an interesting mood. Businesses need to give their people enriching and rewarding lives, otherwise it is not worth doing (Sheridan, 2018). Career success can be achieved by workplace happiness which encourages them to manage difficult tasks and feels more satisfied through workplace happiness, consequently showing a low turnover rate of happier workers, in contrast to those who are unhappy (Oswald et al., 2009).

2.2. Motivation

Motivation refers to a decision-making process enabling individuals to choose their desired outcomes, consequently setting in motion the desired behaviors to acquire those valued outcomes (Chen et al., 2019; Ryan & Deci, 2017). Motivation includes the behavioral process that converts sparks into actions to accomplish goals and better life (Chen et al., 2019). Several theories have defined and analyzed the motivation concept quite extensively e.g., Maslow and Herzberg’s theory considered the human perspective of motivation. The intrinsic motivation (aka internal motivation) of individuals comes within-person by his/her derived force of inner satisfaction. It impacts directly to achieve the allocated obligations. The inner satisfaction enhances individual(s) attributes of personality (Liu et al., 2018). Rewarding connotations and challenging boost up by intrinsic motivation depend on the nature of work. (Ryan & Deci, 2000). External factors of extrinsic motivation such as praise, bonuses, rewards, and others play a key role in achieving extrinsic motivation. For example, in order to derive the potential results at the workplace, the managers and/or supervisors provide a decent evaluation of subordinates’ work which is often less relegated through extrinsic motivation (Rajput & Talan, 2017). Extrinsic motivation can build the basis for intrinsic motivation and without achieving intrinsic motivation the work environment remains subdued and/or loses track of work. Characteristics of inspiration are underpinned by the stimulus of extraneous feelings towards work itself (Locke & Schattke, 2018).

2.3. SDT and joy of gig work

The magic ingredient for work satisfaction and career success is self-determination (R. M. Ryan & Deci, 2019). Prior studies have highlighted that joy of work is influenced by many factors and self-determination being one of them (Ryan & Deci, 2017; Roche & Haar, 2015; Warr & Clapperton, 2010). The level of joy of work among organizational members is highly motivated by work autonomy which is a dimension of self-determination (Castillo & Cano, 2004; Russell, 2017; Ryan & Deci, 2000). Additional studies have found a strong link between work happiness and self-determination (Parker & Wall, 1998; Neuman, Edwards, and Raju, 1989; Kuranchie-Mensah and Amponsah-Tawiah, 2016). Moreover, other researchers highlighted that self-determination could be considered as an important element of work happiness (Hart & Rotem, 1995; Manley, 1995). The importance of self-determination has also been studied by Kim (1999) in his research which revealed that the most important predictor of the joy of work in an organization is autonomy. Moreover, the happiness of work is also highly correlated with the relatedness of work (Malik, 2009). Robbins & Judge (2003) stressed that when a job offers individuals with stimulating tasks, growth opportunities for personal growth, and learning, including opportunities for results, these provide the basis for increased job satisfaction. Further, Robbins (2005) indicates that jobs that provide opportunities for using skills and abilities, diversity of tasks, independence and performance feedback, tend to be most preferred. Based on supportive literature and relevant arguments, the first hypothesis for the study is stated as:

H₁: There is a significant impact of SDT on the joy of gig work.

2.4. JCM and joy of gig work

A lot of research has been done to investigate the impact of job characteristics on the satisfaction of work. Smits et al. (1993) stated that satisfaction at work is highly related to job characteristics and the study conducted by Aan (2018) concluded that a positive and significant relationship exists between job characteristics and employee satisfaction. Oerlemans and Bakker (2015) in their study highlighted that when an individual is motivated by job characteristics, he feels happier while performing his/her work activity or tasks (Oerlemans & Bakker, 2018). Matubber and Miah (2001) stated that workers in the banking sector enjoy their work more when they get proper feedback on their work. The job characteristic model plays an important role in the improvement of work happiness (Naseer et al., 2019; Stoermer et al., 2020; Yen-Ju Lin et al., 2007). Hunter (2006) concluded that happiness at work can be determined by four job characteristics (task significance, task variety, task identity, and feedback). A positive relationship between job characteristics and job satisfaction was pointed out by Hamid Al Khalil (2017). In another study, Janjhua et al. (2016) analyzed the impact of job characteristics on job satisfaction in the banking industry. The results of the study highlighted that job characteristic and work satisfaction has a significant and positive relationship. Similarly, the joy of work can have job autonomy, job variety, and job feedback as significant predictors (Katsikea et al., 2010). Moreover, a strongly positive relationship between job characteristics and happiness at work has been supported by Anjum et al., 2014). Based on supportive literature and relevant arguments, the second hypothesis for the study is stated as:

H₂: There is a significant impact of job characteristics on the joy of gig work.

2.5. SDT and motivation

SDT highlights that in order to motivate an individual’s behavior, three psychological needs can be used. R. M. Ryan and Deci (2000) stated that these three needs are universal i.e. need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. When an individual is doing a task, he wants freedom in decision making as well as the fulfilment of psychological needs. When a person feels that he can control his decision and is master of his destiny, he feels motivated. This phenomenon is recognized as the need for autonomy (R. M. Ryan & Deci, 2019). When an individual wants to improve his skills and abilities and is motivated to do something new in a certain environment, then there is a need for fulfilling competence. In order to achieve personal desires, individuals focus on additional learning resources (Ryan & Deci, 2017). For this reason, feelings of competence become vital (Deci & Ryan, 1985). In the sharing economy, gig workers have to face a similar situation. A gig worker joins sharing economy either for the sake of money (extrinsic motivation) or by the distinct features of the work which motivates him to join gig economy (Kanat-Maymon et al., 2020; Kuhn, 2016; Kuhn & Galloway, 2019). For emotional and social development, the need for relatedness is very important (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). SDT present that a person becomes intrinsically motivated when he achieves his/her psychological needs (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Self-determination creates a positive impact on employees’ motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2017) and motivation can increase over time if employees are fully aware of their capabilities (Abou-Moghli, 2018). Based on supportive literature and relevant arguments, the third hypothesis for the study is stated as:

H₃: There is a significant impact of self-determination on gig worker’s motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic).

2.6. JCM and motivation

Over three decades earlier, the job characteristic model (JCM) theory established by Hackman and Oldham (1975) suggested that five main job characteristics improve the motivational capability of jobs and decisively impact work outcomes, for example, job satisfaction and job performance. The five job characteristics include (1) task identity, refers to the job requirements i.e. identifying the whole procedure from beginning till the end (2) Autonomy, refers to the degree of freedom, level of independence and pleasure of doing job (3) Skill variety, refers to the is job requirements as imposed in different activities for workers to improve the development of various skills and talents (4) Task significance, refers to the degree of job involvement that affects the other people living (5) Job-based feedback, refers to the degree of involvement that work activities help the job holders with the direct and clear instructions about the performance expectations and efficiency (Hackman & Oldham, 1980).

A meta-analysis of job characteristics highlights that these characteristics have a positive relationship with several significant outcomes such as employee well-being, motivation for work, and job performance (Fried & Ferris, 1987; Humphrey et al., 2007). A large part of the job needs to be dynamic that might work around certain principles. The overall characteristics of a job ought to be distinguished from the “enacted” characteristics of the job. The dynamic job characteristics might change over time to adjust in particular circumstances (Daniels, 2006). As highlighted by Hackman and Oldham (1975), motivation through job characteristics aid employees’ prosperity, inclined with the change, from one activity to another and might foresee predicted progressions. Based on supportive literature and relevant arguments, the fourth hypothesis for the study is stated as:

H₄: There is a significant impact of job characteristics on gig worker’s motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic).

2.7. Motivation and joy of gig work

Daft (2003) refers to the powers inside or outside a person that stimulates excitement and determination to follow the desired path of action. The author also states that individuals have fundamental needs, such as health, protection, and success, which contributes to internal stress that causes the individual to exhibit specific behaviors. Gupta and Joshi (2008) clarified those relationships and the impact of motivational factors on job satisfaction, which demonstrates employee performance is driven by an employee’s interest in his work and the worth of his/her efforts. Employees that accomplish those goals, are persuaded and remain satisfied with their job (Herzberg, 1959). The association between work motivation and job satisfaction can be based on two motivational factors. Firstly, the basic variable factors of motivation that builds that initial level of job satisfaction. That variable typically involves internal identification of the employee with his job e.g., career advancement opportunities, acknowledge, challenge, responsibility, and so forth. Secondly, the outward motivational factors include, for example, pay package, environment, organizational strategies, and so forth. These variable factors diminish the level of unhappiness at work.

Kavach (1987) contended that those organization which fulfills the essential employee needs to have more workers who are pleased with their employment. Wagor (1990) believed that the organization’s quality in terms of offering work incentive brings great pleasure, creativity, and potential work outcomes. Saleem et al. (2010) stated that work encouragement was positively related to worker’s performance. Motivation factors in the organizations have been gaining more recognition and importance in multiple-environments. Ahmad et al. (2010) claimed that intrinsic motivation has relevance for workplace satisfaction and that the external motivation may have little meaning. A strong link between the trait and satisfaction for work has been highlighted by Anbari et al. (2014). The results found that each of the five aspects of the job characteristics significantly affects the pleasure of work-life, but the effect of the complexity of work on joy in comparison to other dimensions is far greater. Based on supportive literature and relevant arguments, the fifth hypothesis for the study is stated as:

H₅: There is a significant impact of gig worker motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) on the joy of gig work.

2.8. Motivation as a mediator

Motivation has been widely recognized and accepted as a potential factor that creates a stimulating environment for someone to perform desired actions, hence reflecting that such an individual is motivated (Chen et al., 2019; Ryan & Deci, 2017). From the existing literature, we found that motivation also plays a role of mediation among different variables. Rajput and Talan (2017) conducted a study in which motivation plays a mediation role among knowledge sharing behavior and big five personality traits. Motivation has been argued as a good mediator of management styles and worker’s engagement. Saqib Khan et al. (2016) claimed the relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement is completely mediated by motivation, while the transactional and employee leadership relationship is partially mediated by motivation. Moreover, intrinsic motivation has been found to significantly mediate the relationship between an organization’s assistance and labor-related exhaustion (Liu et al., 2018). The mobility of mobile users to mobile ads was mediated both by inherent motivation and by extrinsic motivation (Kusumawati, 2017; Feng, Fu, and Qin, 2016). Based on supportive literature and relevant arguments, the sixth and seventh hypotheses for the study are stated as:

H₆: Gig worker’s motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) mediates the relationship between self-determination and joy of gig work.

H₇: Gig worker’s motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) mediates the relationship between job characteristics and joy of gig work.

Based on a review of mainstream literature, the theoretical framework of the joy of gig work involving gig worker’s self-determination, job characteristics, and motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) is presented as Figure 1.

Figure 1. Theoretical framework.

3. Methodology

3.1. Procedure and sampling

The survey-based research collected primary data from gig workers representing two multinational ride-hailing companies (i.e. Uber and Careem) in Pakistan. Non-probabilistic convenient sampling technique was used to recruit the respondent’s data. The reason for choosing Uber and Careem gig workers was primarily due to the convenient access to the gig workers and gaining on-site information from the respondents.

During the initial face-to-face interaction, the gig workers were explained about the significance of their participation in the survey as well as the declaration of confidentiality for their identities, participation, and responses. The survey form was distributed in-person to each respondent. In total, 300 questionnaires were circulated and in response 250 completed survey-questionnaires were received, showing a cumulative response rate of 83.3 percent. In Table 1, the demographics of the valid respondents are presented.

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of gig workers

	Frequency	%
Age
25–30	90	36
31–35	75	30
36–40	45	18
41–45	32	12.8
45 and above	8	3.2
Experience
1–2 years	68	27.2
3–5 years	139	55.6
5 years and above	43	17.2

3.2. Measures

Self-determination of gig workers was measured using 14 adapted items from the scale developed by Gagné and Deci (2005). The adapted scale items measured all three dimensions of self-determination i.e. autonomy, relatedness, and competence respectively. Job characteristics of gig workers were measured using 10 adapted items from a scale developed by Hackman and Oldham (1975). The adapted scale items measured job characteristics of gig workers based on all five-factors of JCM i.e. skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. The motivation was measured using 23 adapted items of the Work Preference Inventory developed by Amabile et al. (1994), whereas joy of gig work was measured using 7 adapted items from a scale developed by Jena and Pradhan (2017). Responses on all measures were provided on 5-point Likert: 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. All scales demonstrated good reliability with a Cronbach’s α > 0.70 as presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Convergent validity

	Cronbach’s Alpha	CR	AVE
EM	0.930	0.940	0.566
IM	0.857	0.893	0.581
JCS	0.865	0.894	0.516
JOGW	0.784	0.850	0.535
SDT	0.911	0.925	0.508

4. Data analysis and results

Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), a variance-based technique provided the empirical assessment of the conceptualized model for the joy of gig work (U. Zaman et al., 2020). The main reason for using PLS-SEM was due to its superior predictive capabilities and visible advantages over covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) (Hair et al., 2016, 2011; Zaman, 2020). Importantly, the latest advancement in the PLS-SEM technique produces more accurate path coefficients, cross-disciplinary synergistic applications, as well as the assurance of a fully-fledged SEM approach (Zaman et al., 2019). A two-stage PLS-SEM method (Hair et al., 2011; Zaman et al., 2019) was used for the assessment of the conceptualized model. In the first phase, the reliability and validity of the measures were assessed in the measurement model, while the second phase evaluated the structural model for testing the hypothesized relationships (Khan et al., 2020).

4.1. Measurement model

The measurement model provided the estimation and analysis of scale reliability (i.e. Cronbach alpha and composite reliability) and validity (i.e. convergent and discriminant) for the latent constructs of the joy of gig work and its predictors i.e. self-determination, job characteristics and motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic), respectively (Hair et al., 2014). The factor loading values provided an estimation of the relationships in the reflective measurement model and revealed the absolute contribution of all items to their assigned constructs. The factor loading value for each item must be greater than 0.7 (Hair, Hult, Ringle, and Sarstedt, 2016). However, as long as the AVE value is greater than 0.5, the outer loading value below 0.7 is still acceptable (Hair et al, 2016, Zaman et al., 2019). PLS-SEM assessments confirmed the all measures met the criteria for reliability and validity, as well as the discriminant validity (HTMT) was established (Hair et al., 2016, 2011; Zaman et al., 2019). The measurement model assessments have been graphically presented as Figure 2 and PLS calculations are presented in Tables 2 and 3 respectively.

Figure 2. Measurement model for joy of gig work.

Table 3. Discriminant validity—heterotrait—monotrait ratio (HTMT)

Variables	EM	IM	JCF	JOW	SD
EM
IM	0.203
JCS	0.534	0.169
JOGW	0.520	0.422	0.490
SDT	0.551	0.285	0.440	0.544

4.2. Structural equation model

The structural model assessment provided the path coefficient relationships (Zaman, Nadeem & Nawaz, 2020) between self-determination, job characteristics, motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic), and joy of gig work. The coefficient of determination (R²) explained the accuracy of the theoretical model generated by path estimation values (Zaman et al., 2019) for the variance in endogenous variables i.e. joy of gig work. According to Henseler (2017), academic scientists who implement PLS path modeling should first take into account the direct effects of a proposed trajectory pattern (Zaman, 2020). The coefficient of determination shows a reasonable explanation of variance in the dependent variable i.e. joy of gig work (R² = 0.436) due to its predictors (i.e. self-determination, job characteristics, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation) since the value is in an acceptable range (Henseler, 2017; Hair et al., 2011; Chin, 1998). The PLS-SEM assessment of the structural models revealed that self-determination (β = 0.228, t = 3.675, p < 0.01), job characteristics (β = 0.293, t = 5.623, p < 0.01), intrinsic motivation (β = 0.332, t = 6.076, p < 0.01) and extrinsic motivation (β = 0.132, t = 2.344, p < 0.01) have a positive impact on joy of gig work, hence giving significant assurance for the acceptance of hypotheses 1 to 5 as presented in Table 4. The significance level (p-values and t-values) was checked during the PLS-SEM bootstrapping procedure (Zaman et al., 2019). As presented in the measurement model (shown as Figure 2), the R² value of 0.436 indicates that 43.6% of the variance in the endogenous variable i.e. joy of gig work, is explained by its predictors i.e. self-determination, job characteristics, intrinsic motivation, and extrinsic motivation respectively. Accordingly, the PLS-SEM results show that the tested model has a moderate degree of predictive quality and precision (Hair et al., 2011; Henseler et al., 2015; Chin, 1998). The schematic design of the structural model is shown in Figure 3.

Table 4. Direct effects of predictors of the joy of gig work

		Beta	S.D	t- values	p-values	Decision
H1	SDT -> JOGW	0.243	0.067	3.675	0.001	Accepted
H2	JCS -> JOGW	0.293	0.051	5.623	0.000	Accepted
H3a	SDT -> EM	0.380	0.065	5.902	0.000	Accepted
H3b	SDT -> IM	0.373	0.058	5.979	0.000	Accepted
H4a	JCS -> EM	0.351	0.062	5.499	0.000	Accepted
H4b	JCS -> IM	−0.275	0.049	5.880	0.000	Accepted
H5a	EM -> JOGW	0.132	0.060	2.344	0.038	Accepted
H5b	IM -> JOGW	0.332	0.064	6.076	0.000	Accepted

4.3. Mediation analysis

PLS-SEM bootstrapping procedure accounted for the indirect effect of SDT and JCS on the joy of gig work under the mediating influence of gig worker’s motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic). Bootstrapping is one of the most robust and effective techniques for measuring the mediation effect and it has attracted increased attention from cross-disciplinary studies (Hayes, 2009; Zhao et al., 2010). Moreover, the bootstrapping procedure is best suited for mediation analysis through PLS-SEM, since it has an efficient use in smaller samples (Hair et al., 2014). Academic scientists usually follow Preacher and Hayes (2004, p. 2008) and bootstrap procedure for analyzing the indirect effects that operate in single and/or multiple forms for intercession experiments (Hair et al., 2014). In comparison, recent experiments have been conducted using a 500-samples bootstrapping for mediation analysis. The results on the mediating hypothesis revealed that intrinsic motivation (β = 0.124, t = 3.679, p < 0.01; β = −0.091, t = 4.580, p < 0.01) and extrinsic motivation (β = 0.050, t = 2.227, p < 0.05; β = 0.047, t = 2.101, p < 0.05) significantly mediate the indirect effects of self-determination and job characteristics on joy of gig work (Ringle, Wende, & Will, 2005). Hence, bootstrapping results provided significant assurance for the acceptance of hypotheses 6 (a, b) and 7 (a, b) as shown in Table 5.

Figure 3. Structural model for joy of gig work.

Table 5. Indirect effects of predictors of the joy of gig work

	Path Relation	Beta	S.D	t-values	p-values	Decision
H6a	SDT -> EM -> JOGW	0.050	0.023	2.227	0.026	Accepted
H6b	SDT -> IM -> JOGW	0.124	0.034	3.679	0.000	Accepted
H7a	JCS -> EM -> JOGW	0.047	0.022	2.101	0.036	Accepted
H7b	JCS -> IM -> JOGW	−0.091	0.020	4.580	0.000	Accepted

In addition, the PLS-SEM assessment for the mediating influence calculated the values for the variance accounted for (VAF) to ascertain the mediation type (i.e. partial or full mediation) (Hair et al., 2016). As shown in Table 6, the VAF values range from 20% to 51% showing that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of gig workers had a significant and partial mediating influence in the relational impact of self-determination and job characteristics on the joy of gig work.

Table 6. Mediation analysis—variance accounted for (VAF)

Path Relation	VAF	Mediation Type	Lower Limit	Upper Limit
SDT -> EM -> JOGW	20%	Partial Mediation	0.004	0.093
SDT -> IM -> JOGW	51%	Partial Mediation	0.065	0.195
JCS -> EM -> JOGW	23%	Partial Mediation	0.008	0.093
JCS -> IM -> JOGW	31%	Partial Mediation	−0.131	−0.054

5. Discussion

Based on the review of mainstream literature (Bakke, 2010; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Schor, 2016; Stanford, 2017; Stoermer et al., 2020) and empirical evidence of survey-based research, the present study fills the gap and adds to the collection of learning on the relationships between the joy of work, SDT, and JCM under mediating conditions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. This framework has never been validated and empirically tested before. By using a hypothetical model, the present study offers a deeper understanding of the joy of gig work from multiple perspectives (Kuhn & Galloway, 2019; Warr & Clapperton, 2010).

The present study significantly contributes to theory and managerial practice. First, the study explored the integrative effect of two motivation-related theories i.e. SDT and JCM on the joy of gig work with the mediating role of gig workers motivation (Bijl & Gray, 2011; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Naseer et al., 2019; Schor & Cansoy, 2019; Stanford, 2017). Second, the study findings concentrate on striking experiences from a practical viewpoint. A majority of companies using gig work can take inspiring initiatives to better understand how they can make their human capital feel joy at work. Jabagi et al. (2019) proposed a qualitative model of self-determination theory and its effect on the intrinsic motivation of gig workers. The authors suggested that self-determination can also be associated with extrinsic motivation (Kanat-Maymon et al., 2020; Kuhn & Galloway, 2019). This study findings empirically confirm that extrinsic motivation, SDT, and joy of gig work have significantly positive connections (Jena & Pradhan, 2017; Ryan & Deci, 2019). Hence, the present study provides conclusive evidence that gig worker’s motivation is affected by their task-based and organization-based factors (Jabagi et al., 2019; Kuhn & Galloway, 2019; Ryan & Deci, 2017).

Third, a fresh perspective in terms of the contemporary workforce (i.e. gig workers) and their felt joy at work has been studied that offers unique managerial implications (Warr & Clapperton, 2010). Corporate leaders should increase their awareness about the joy gap in their organizations, as lacking individual-team aspirations may overshadow the business success (Bakke, 2010; Sheridan, 2018). Moreover, the business culture should be crafted in a fashion that engenders heartfelt pride across the organization. Gig workers should feel authentic moments of joy, as an explicit purpose for achieving shared success (Stanford, 2017; Warr & Clapperton, 2010). Joy begets joy, as organizations can set the tone right by encouraging and celebrating individuals to express their joy through their own experiences (Warr & Clapperton, 2010). Managers need to joyfully “dial-up” the culture of inclusion by embracing workforce diversity, apprenticeship, and personalized day-to-day leadership (Jena & Pradhan, 2017; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Sheridan, 2018). Gig work-based organizations should proactively avoid “joy stealing” behaviors which can make the work environment dreary and less fun. Joy of gig work can substantially reduce organizational burden and costs, due to the high-involvement at work, improved quality and low-employee turnover (Kuhn & Galloway, 2019; Stanford, 2017). Business leaders should maintain joy at work as an ongoing priority, to ensure that positive culture interventions are sustainable (Sheridan, 2018). In an era of rapid technological change and increasing business competition, it is crucial for global firms engaged in a sharing economy, to keep a constant track of their gig workers and their experiences of feeling joy at work (Frenken & Schor, 2019; Sheridan, 2018).

5.1. Study limitations and future recommendations

Although the present study has made some practical and theoretical contributions, yet it also has some limitations. The survey data was collected from gig workers in two multinational ride-hailing companies. Hence, the study findings cannot be generalized to gig workers on other shared economy platforms (e.g., freelancing, coworking, peer-to-peer lending, resource sharing, etc.) (Healy et al., 2017; Kuhn & Galloway, 2019). Further, this study considered only two motivation-related theories (i.e. SDT and JCM), as other motivation theories (e.g., process, expectancy, and ERG, etc.) could also offer interesting insights on the joy of gig work (Ryan & Deci, 2017; Warr & Clapperton, 2010). A multi-dimensional (i.e. formative-higher order) assessments of self-determination, job characteristics, and motivation can also provide a deeper understanding of the antecedents of the joy of gig work (Zaman et al., 2019).

6. Conclusions

The study makes the initial attempt to explore relationships between self-determination, job characteristics and joy of gig work via mediating role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. The study findings conclude that self-determination and job characteristics are significant predictors of joy of gig work. The study results also showed that self-determination and job characteristics can influence the joy of gig work, both directly and indirectly. The results of path analysis confirmed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations significantly mediate the relationships between self-determination and joy of gig work, as well as job characteristics and joy of gig work. In general, the present study fills the gap and adds to the collection of learning on the relationships between SDT, JCM and joy of work under mediating conditions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations (Ryan & Deci, 2017; Schor & Cansoy, 2019). The C-suite executives in the gig-economy should prioritize opportunities to enhance self-determination and job characteristics of gig-workers, to maximize their feelings of joy of gig work, while utilizing motivational tools with intrinsic and extrinsic features.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no direct funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Umer Zaman

Dr. Umer Zaman holds a doctoral degree in Management Sciences (specialization in Leadership and HR). He is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the Endicott College of International Studies, Woosong University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea. His research interests include project management, leadership, human resources management and conflict resolution. Dr. Zaman has recently published in top-tier journals in project management, besides other SSCI publications in the area of leadership and high-performance work systems.

He has extensive experience working in action-based research projects (country peer reviews and mutual assessments) under various international/regional institutions and donor agencies including the UNODC (Vienna) and ADB-OECD.

He has chaired various academic research conferences at national and international level. Dr. Zaman also served as a reviewer for the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, as well as the South Asian Journal of Management Sciences.