Integrating Affiliation Need and Performance Management: A Dual Approach to Employee Motivation and Strategic Goal Achievement.
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The study examines how the need for affiliation, understood within Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a core relational need, shapes employee engagement and, in consequence, perceptions of KPI-based performance management systems.
A qualitative case study design was applied, using semi-structured interviews with managers and employees operating within a KPI-driven environment.
The results show that affiliation needs differentiates how employees interpret KPIs, evaluations and strategic goals. Individuals with low affiliation need adopt a task-oriented stance, focusing on clarity, procedures and personal improvement. Those high in affiliation interpret the same system through relational meaning structures, valuing support, dialogue and collective functioning. These differences are expressed through three forms of engagement: affective (emotional investment), cognitive (goal understanding) and social (interaction and collaboration). Engagement acts as a perceptual filter shaping perceived fairness of evaluation, KPI-related stress, motivational effects and perceived quality of work.
Performance management systems should not be treated as neutral, universal tools. Employees with high affiliation need benefit from relationally sensitive systems emphasizing collaboration, recognition and supportive communication, while those with lower affiliation needs require procedural clarity and autonomy. Accounting for motivational profiles enhances fairness, reduces dysfunctional stress and strengthens strategic alignment.
The study introduces an SDT-based mechanism linking affiliation need to multidimensional engagement and to performance management perceptions, offering microfoundations for individualized performance management design.
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