The present master thesis investigates if and how the state of psychological flow can be used as a resource in organizational psychology. A theoretical foundation of flow is established before testing the model empirically. The respondents were workers recruited from nine companies located in the Municipality of Trondheim in middle Norway. The 170 participants represented occupations from a variety of fields, including technology, financial departments, medical business, social services, and salesmen.
Based on the theoretical evaluation and empirical analyses, results indicate that goal setting can be a predictor of flow experiences at work. At work, flow is experienced as fun and interesting, which differ slightly from other studies who have found flow to be characterized as challenging. The effects of being in flow can be attributed to increased work motivation, work performance, and job satisfaction. Implications regarding measurements of flow are discussed, and suggestions regarding the future research and applicability of the flow model are made.
