Kenneth W. Thomas, Ph.D.

The New Expanded Edition of : Intrinsic Motivation at Work

“Solidly grounded in research and theory, Intrinsic Motivation at Work allows readers to view the problem of motivation
in a different light and provides many practical, easy-to-implement techniques to engage and retain employees — techniques that do not depend upon additional expenditures of money.”

— Steven Kerr, Senior Advisor, Goldman Sachs; former Chief Learning Officer, GE; and author of Reward Systems

Research Publications

I have published a large number of research papers. This is a partial list of key papers, organized by topic area.

Conflict Management

K. W. Thomas, “Conflict and Conflict Management,” in M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (pp. 889-935), Chicago: Rand-McNally, 1976.

R. H. Kilmann & K. W. Thomas, “Interpersonal Conflict-Handling Behavior as Reflections of Jungian Personality Dimensions,” Psychological Reports, 37, 1975, pp. 315-318.

T. R. Ruble & K. W. Thomas, “Support for a Two-Dimensional Model of Conflict Behavior,” Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16, 1976, 315-318.

R. H. Kilmann & K. W. Thomas, “Developing a Forced-Choice Measure of Conflict Behavior: The ‘MODE’ Instrument,” Educational and Psychological Measurement, 37, 1977, 309-325.

K. W. Thomas, Editor, special sub-issue on “Conflict and the Collaborative Ethic,” California Management Review, 21, 1978.

K. W. Thomas, “Conflict and Negotiation Processes in Organizations,” in M. D. Dunnette & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Second Edition, Volume 3 (pp. 652-717), Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1992.

K. W. Thomas, G. F. Thomas, & N. Schaubhut, “Conflict Styles of Men and Women at Six Organization Levels,” International Journal of Conflict Management, 19, 2008, pp. 148-166.

Intrinsic Motivation and Employee Engagement

K. W. Thomas & B. A. Velthouse, “Cognitive Elements of Empowerment: An ‘Interpretive’ Model of Intrinsic Task Motivation,” Academy of Management Review, 15, 1990, pp. 666-681.

K. W. Thomas & W. G. Tymon, Jr., “Does Empowerment Always Work: Understanding the Role of Intrinsic Motivation and Personal Interpretation,” Journal of Management Systems, 6, 1994, pp. 1-13.

K. W. Thomas, E. Jansen, & W. G. Tymon, Jr., “Navigating in the Realm of Theory: An Empowering View of Construct Development,” Research in Organizational Change and Development, 10, 1997, pp. 1-30.

K. W. Thomas & W. G. Tymon, Jr., “Bridging the Motivation Gap in Total Quality,” Quality Management Journal, 4, 1997, pp. 80-96.

K. W. Thomas, “Intrinsic Motivation at Work: Building Energy & Commitment,” San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2000.

K. W. Thomas, “Unlocking the Mysteries of Intrinsic Motivation,” OD Practitioner, 32, 2000, pp. 27-30.

K. W. Thomas,“ Intrinsic Motivation at Work: What Really Drives Employee Engagement,” Second Edition, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2009 (co-published by ASTD, the American Society for Training and Development).

Producing Useful Research

K. W. Thomas & W. G. Tymon, Jr., “Necessary Properties of Relevant Research: Lessons from Recent Criticisms of the Organizational Sciences,” Academy of Management Review, 7, 1982, pp. 345-352.

K. W. Thomas & R. H. Kilmann, “Where Have the Organizational Sciences Gone? A Survey of the Academy of Management Membership,” in R. H. Kilmann, K. W. Thomas, D. P. Slevin, R. Nath, & S. L. Jerrell (Eds.), Producing Useful Knowledge for Organizations, New York: Praeger, 1983, pp. 69-81. (This book was also reprinted by Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, in 1994.)

Stress Management

K. W. Thomas & W. G. Tymon, Jr., “Interpretive Styles that Contribute to Job-Related Stress: Two Studies of Managerial and Professional Employees,” Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 8, 1995, pp. 235-250.

K. W. Thomas & W. G. Tymon, Jr., “Stress Resiliency Profile: A Measure of Interpretive Styles that Contribute to Stress,” in C. P. Zalaquett & R. J. Wood (Eds.), Evaluating Stress: A Book of Resources, Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1997.

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