Chapter 6: In Search of Challenge: Flow at Work and the Development of Occupational Expertise

In this chapter, we focus on the development and testing of a model that involves constructs seen under the umbrella of challenge, conceptualized by Mainiero and Sullivan (2006) as an individual’s need to learn, grow, and find stimulation in one’s work. In particular, we propose and test a mechanism of antecedents of occupational expertise, defined as proficiency in one’s work role by means of possessing up-to-date skills, knowledge, and dexterities (Van der Heijde & Van der Heijden, 2006). Establishing expertise is one way for individuals to fulfill their need for challenge (Mainiero & Sullivan, 2006). In today’s rapidly changing work environment, the development of expertise is important not only as a motivational force, but also as a means for individuals to remain employable (Baruch & Bozionelos, 2011; Bozionelos & Bozionelos, 2015). Likewise, employee expertise is important to organizations because it is associated with performance and competitive advantage (Harms & Brummel, 2013; McQuaid & Lindsay, 2005). Despite the relevance of expertise for individual and organizational effectiveness, there is limited knowledge regarding its antecedents (Bozionelos et al., 2016; van der Heijden, Gorgievski, & De Lange, 2016).