Theory based literature
| Sl. no. | Source | Theory | Central hypotheses | Variables | Empirical finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bohlander and Snell (2004) | Expectancy theory | Employees expect rewards they value in exchange for effort they put in on the job. It is a cognitive process where employees make choices which reward motivates them. | Pay-for-performance and rewards, the attractiveness of the rewards sought and the probability of obtaining those rewards | Supported |
| 2 | De Gieter and Hofmans (2015) | Total rewards, Turnover intention and task performance | Supported | ||
| 3 | Martin and Ottemann (2016) | Workforce generational cohorts, organizational rewards packages, attraction and retention | Supported | ||
| 4 | Rybnicek et al. (2019) | McClelland’s need theory | Employees differ regarding the level of their need for achievement, affiliation and power. If an organization wants to direct employee behaviour it should offer rewards that promise need-fulfilment. | rewards, leadership and needs for power, achievement and affiliation | Supported |
| 5 | Cerasoli et al. (2014) | Intrinsic motivation, external reward, and performance | Supported | ||
| 6 | Chiboiwa et al. (2010) | Reward system, employee turnover | Supported | ||
| 7 | Morgan et al. (2013) | Herzberg theory | Money is hygiene factor. Money alone is not capable of motivating an employee. | Rewards, job satisfaction and intent to stay | Mixed |
| 8 | Huang and Tianshu (2013) | Total rewards and work engagement | Supported | ||
| 9 | Mabaso and Dlamini (2021) | Total rewards and organizational commitment | Supported | ||
| 10 | Twenge et al. (2010) | Self-determination theory of motivation | SDT distinguishes between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. External rewards undermine intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is said to arise when three basic psychological needs, namely, the need for relatedness, the need for competence and the need for autonomy are fulfilled. | Work values, extrinsic rewards, intrinsic rewards, social rewards | Mixed |
| 11 | Akhtar et al. (2015) | Total rewards and Retention | Supported | ||
| 12 | De Gieter and Hofmans (2015) | Turnover intention and task performance | Mixed | ||
| 13 | Thibault Landry and Whillans (2018) | Rewards, well-being, engagement, retention | Supported | ||
| 14 | Cao et al. (2013) | Equity theory | Employees who are under-rewarded will display negative behaviour at workplace as compared to those over-rewarded. | Total rewards and organizational justice, turnover intention | Supported |
| 15 | De Gieter and Hofmans (2015) | Turnover intention and task performance | Mixed | ||
| 16 | Rai et al. (2019) | Total rewards, Intention to say | Supported | ||
| 17 | Mulvey et al. (2000) | Maslow’s theory | Employees are motivated to satisfy needs in a hierarchy of importance. Employees constantly desire better circumstances; they always want what they do not yet have. | Monetary and non-monetary rewards; employee turnover | Not supported |
| 18 | Martin and Ottemann (2016) | Goal setting theory | Goal setting is an important lever of performance management which has linkages with engagement, motivation and work meaningfulness. Linking rewards to goal attainment is more likely to motivate effort when individuals have a reasonable expectancy of achieving the goal. | Workforce generational cohorts, organizational rewards packages, attraction and retention | Supported |
| 19 | Schlechter et al. (2014) | Generational theory | Based on generational theory, members of each generation can be grouped into cohort and each cohort can be identified as a unique employee group with different work values and reward preferences | Total rewards, retention | Supported |
| 20 | Bussin and van Rooy (2014) | Total rewards preferences, retention | Supported | ||
| 21 | Smit et al. (2015) | Total rewards and demographic variables, retention, perceived organisational support and perceived supervisor support | Supported | ||
| 22 | Peluso et al. (2017) | Social exchange theory | SET postulates a mutual relationship and mutual obligation between employees and organization based on perception what employees get in terms of rewards in return for being committed to the organization. This determines their positive and negative attitude towards their job and the organization | Total rewards, job satisfaction, affective commitment and innovative behaviour at work | Supported |
| 23 | Gulyani and Sharma (2018) | Total rewards, work engagement and work happiness | Supported | ||
| 24 | Rai et al. (2019) | Total rewards, Intention to say | Supported | ||
| 25 | Alhmoud and Rjoub (2020) | Employees’ generation, total rewards, retention | Supported |
| Sl. no. | Source | Theory | Central hypotheses | Variables | Empirical finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Expectancy theory | Employees expect rewards they value in exchange for effort they put in on the job. It is a cognitive process where employees make choices which reward motivates them. | Pay-for-performance and rewards, the attractiveness of the rewards sought and the probability of obtaining those rewards | Supported | |
| 2 | Total rewards, Turnover intention and task performance | Supported | |||
| 3 | Workforce generational cohorts, organizational rewards packages, attraction and retention | Supported | |||
| 4 | McClelland’s need theory | Employees differ regarding the level of their need for achievement, affiliation and power. If an organization wants to direct employee behaviour it should offer rewards that promise need-fulfilment. | rewards, leadership and needs for power, achievement and affiliation | Supported | |
| 5 | Intrinsic motivation, external reward, and performance | Supported | |||
| 6 | Reward system, employee turnover | Supported | |||
| 7 | Herzberg theory | Money is hygiene factor. Money alone is not capable of motivating an employee. | Rewards, job satisfaction and intent to stay | Mixed | |
| 8 | Total rewards and work engagement | Supported | |||
| 9 | Total rewards and organizational commitment | Supported | |||
| 10 | Self-determination theory of motivation | SDT distinguishes between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. External rewards undermine intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is said to arise when three basic psychological needs, namely, the need for relatedness, the need for competence and the need for autonomy are fulfilled. | Work values, extrinsic rewards, intrinsic rewards, social rewards | Mixed | |
| 11 | Total rewards and Retention | Supported | |||
| 12 | Turnover intention and task performance | Mixed | |||
| 13 | Rewards, well-being, engagement, retention | Supported | |||
| 14 | Equity theory | Employees who are under-rewarded will display negative behaviour at workplace as compared to those over-rewarded. | Total rewards and organizational justice, turnover intention | Supported | |
| 15 | Turnover intention and task performance | Mixed | |||
| 16 | Total rewards, Intention to say | Supported | |||
| 17 | Maslow’s theory | Employees are motivated to satisfy needs in a hierarchy of importance. Employees constantly desire better circumstances; they always want what they do not yet have. | Monetary and non-monetary rewards; employee turnover | Not supported | |
| 18 | Goal setting theory | Goal setting is an important lever of performance management which has linkages with engagement, motivation and work meaningfulness. Linking rewards to goal attainment is more likely to motivate effort when individuals have a reasonable expectancy of achieving the goal. | Workforce generational cohorts, organizational rewards packages, attraction and retention | Supported | |
| 19 | Generational theory | Based on generational theory, members of each generation can be grouped into cohort and each cohort can be identified as a unique employee group with different work values and reward preferences | Total rewards, retention | Supported | |
| 20 | Total rewards preferences, retention | Supported | |||
| 21 | Total rewards and demographic variables, retention, perceived organisational support and perceived supervisor support | Supported | |||
| 22 | Social exchange theory | SET postulates a mutual relationship and mutual obligation between employees and organization based on perception what employees get in terms of rewards in return for being committed to the organization. This determines their positive and negative attitude towards their job and the organization | Total rewards, job satisfaction, affective commitment and innovative behaviour at work | Supported | |
| 23 | Total rewards, work engagement and work happiness | Supported | |||
| 24 | Total rewards, Intention to say | Supported | |||
| 25 | Employees’ generation, total rewards, retention | Supported |
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