Flow experience and job characteristics: Analyzing the role of flow in job satisfaction

The construct called "flow", proposed by Csikszentmihalyi (1975; 1990), represents a milestone in the field of positive psychology. The present study aimed to analyse the role of flow as a critical psychological state in work redesign interventions in order to enhance job satisfaction. Specifically, two hypotheses were tested: (1) to investigate the relationships between the core job characteristics identified by Hackman and Oldham (1975) as motivational potential and the notion of flow in the workplace; (2) to examine the impact of flow towards job satisfaction. A survey-based study was conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings revealed a relationship between flow and some of the core job characteristics; moreover, consistent with predictions, results suggested that flow is a strong predictor of job satisfaction. Overall, these findings have potential implications for broad strategies of work redesign and increase our understanding of job satisfaction’s determinants.