Are knowledge workers more intrinsically motivated than manual workers? : an explanatory study on work motivation in Odfjell Drilling

Abstract

During the last couple of decades researchers have made progress in understanding what motivates knowledge workers and how they differ from traditional, manual workers. The purpose of this thesis is to further explore what motivates the different types of workers, with a special focus on knowledge workers and the intrinsic or extrinsic nature of their motivation. The paper brings knowledge worker theory into the oil and gas industry for the first time; collecting primary data at Odfjell Drilling through an in depth interview and a survey distributed to workers in Norway. We show that there is a relationship between intrinsic motivation and knowledge workers and that these workers are more intrinsically motivated than manual workers. Based on the findings, specific HR policies are suggested for knowledge workers in order to improve their motivation, job satisfaction and labor turnover.