ABSTRACT
This chapter expands the butterfly catastrophemodel ofmotivation in organizations that was developed in previous works (Guastello, 1981, 1987, 1995a). In the last installment, a running start to the NDS concepts was provided by summarizing the conventional theories of motivation that showed historical importance. Each of the main principles from general motivation theory was represented in the comprehensive nonlinear model. Because that part of the story has not changed appreciably, I will not repeat it here. Rather, the first two sections of this chapter summarize the main elements of the butterfly model and provide the necessary groundwork for the expansion of the nonlinear motivation theory. One new element is the theme of utilities, which are inherent in the expectancy
theory of work motivation, game theory, and personnel selection. The third section thus explains game theory, its nonlinear properties, and its role in organizational behavior. The fourth section contains an empirical study of turnover in the U.S. Air Force. The application involves a subset of the general motivation model, and provides an example of the role of utilities in personnel selection when nonlinear models are used. It becomes apparent, furthermore, that the variables that have the greatest impact on the retention of recruits shift during the first term of enlistment. Another new element that appears in the last section of the chapter is the concept
of motivational flow. Flow is the experience of intrinsic motivation and total task
involvement. Similarly, the nonlinear dynamics of motivation have an experiential component as well.
