Committee Chair

Cunningham, Christopher J. L.

Committee Member

O'Leary, Brian J.; Guo, Feng

Department

Dept. of Psychology

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Pay transparency legislation and heightened employee expectations have made fair, transparent reward systems a strategic priority. Guided by Equity Theory and Expectancy Theory, this study examined how perceived pay fairness, reward transparency, and feedback quality explained self-determined work motivation among incentive-based employees, and whether relationships varied by career stage. Data were collected from two independent samples in incentive-based roles: an internet-based pool (N = 295) and employees from a large southeastern U.S. manufacturing organization (N = 91). Hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses revealed perceived pay fairness was a significant positive predictor of motivation in both samples. Reward transparency predicted motivation in Sample 1 but did not replicate in Sample 2. Feedback quality functioned as a direct predictor rather than a moderator. Professional experience did not moderate any compensation-motivation relationships. Findings underscore the importance of fair, transparent, feedback-rich reward systems and suggest motivational effects generalize across career stages.

Acknowledgments

This thesis would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of so many exceptional people in my life. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Christopher Cunningham, whose unwavering belief in me from the very beginning made all the difference. His guidance, mentorship, and dedication to my growth as a researcher has been the foundation upon which this work was built. I am truly grateful to have had him in my corner throughout this entire journey. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Feng Guo and Dr. Brian O’Leary, for their valuable insight and thoughtful contributions along the way. Their perspectives helped sharpen this work in meaningful ways. A heartfelt thank you goes to Jeff Riddlebarger, my mentor and friend, whose real-world wisdom and encouragement gave me a deeper appreciation for the very topics explored in this thesis. To my UTC cohort, thank you for the camaraderie, the late nights, and the shared determination that carried us all forward. And to my friends from Mississippi College, your continued support from afar meant more than you know. Finally, to the people who matter most: my dad, Gregory Gibbs, and my mom, Angela Bolton, thank you for your endless love, sacrifice, and belief in me. None of this would mean anything without you. And to my girlfriend, Helena Nichols, thank you for your patience, encouragement, and for being my constant source of strength throughout this process. This work is as much yours as it is mine.

Degree

M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Date

5-2026

Subject

Employee morale; Employee motivation; Incentive awards

Keyword

Fairness; Transparency; Equity; Feedback; Expectancy; Incentive-based

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

xi, 96 leaves

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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