The+Minnesota+Theory+of+Work+Adjustment++(MTWA)

= The Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment (MTWA) =
 * A theory of vocational adjustment, explaining why people stay employed in a particular job.
 * Considers both the internal needs of a worker and the external demands on the worker.

//Understanding this theory is critical to understanding vocational assessment, vocational evaluation, and vocational rehabilitation in general.//
 * // The basic assumption: People have two types of needs: biological (survival) needs, such as the need for food, and psychological needs, such as social acceptance (p. 34). //
 * // The second assumption is that work environments have "requirements" that are analogous to the needs of individuals . Both individuals and environments develop mechanisms for satisfying their needs (p. 34). //

__** MTWA: The Worker **__


 * The worker selects a job because of their perception that the job will satisfy their needs, and workers are selected because of the perceptions that their skills will meet the needs of the workplace (p. 34).
 * The worker expects or needs certain rewards from the work he or she does. These may be intrinsic (enjoyment of job, pleasant conditions, etc.) or extrinsic (money, prestige, power)
 * If a job meets the expectations of the worker, the worker is satisfied with the work. This is the first of the two critical elements of vocational adjustment.


 * __ MTWA: The Work Environment (page 39) __**
 * The work environment demands certain things of the worker (competence, quality, quota of production, certain attitudes and behaviors).
 * If the worker can meet the demands of the work environment in an appropriate way, their work is said to be satisfactory . This is the second element of vocational adjustment.

__** Work Adjustment Is: (Theory of Tenure) **__
 * __ Satisfaction __ of the worker’s expectations and needs
 * Satisfaction results when the worker is reinforced (p. 35).
 * __ Satisfactoriness __ of the worker to the demands of the work environment.
 * RESULT: Tenure, or time spent in a job by workers, is the result of their satisfaction with the job and satisfactoriness in performance (p. 35).
 * Satisfaction + Satisfactoriness = Tenure
 * Three variables can be used to predict the success of the worker if the reinforcement pattern of the work environment is unknown: (1)skills (2) aptitudes, (3) personality structure (p. 35).
 * Skills refer to the job-related skills the individual can offer to a work environment (p. 35).
 * Aptitude is the potential an individual has to develop the skills needed by the work environment (p. 35).
 * Personality Structure of the individual is determined by a combination of aptitudes and values (p.35).
 * Vocational Rehabilitation attempts to place persons in careers, occupations, and jobs in which they will be likely to be adjusted: that is, find a good fit,
 * If a good match can be found, the results will be independence, improved quality of life, and rehabilitation success.
 * To achieve adjustment, the rehabilitation counselor must understand the wishes and capacities of the consumer as well as the rewards and demands of various occupations.
 * To understand work adjustment, the structure of the work environment and the characteristics of the worker must be known. Predictions of success depend on the celerity, pace, endurance, and rhythm of both the worker and the work environment (p. 35).
 * Another factor that must be considered in the adjustment to work process is whether individuals take and active or reactive approach.
 * When workers take an active approach, they make a direct attempt to make the work environment more responsive to their needs (p 35).
 * When workers respond reactively, they change themselves to respond to the perceived demands of the workplace (p. 35).

Ultimately, it would be good if the issues between the worker and the environment could be discussed appropriately as to improve the worker’s ability //and// the environment for the good of all the workers.

__** MTWA Common Terms **__ __ Celerity __ - the quickness with which workers engage their environment to satisfy their needs __ Pace __ - the vigor with which individual and work environment try to satisfy their needs __ Endurance __ - the tolerance of the individual or the work environment for dealing with unsatisfactory work conditions or workers __ Rhythm __ - the pattern of attempts (e.g. steady, erratic, etc.) by individual and work environment to satisfy their needs __ Correspondence __ - when an individual selects an occupation that matches his or her personality type (Holland’s concept of congruence)

__** Applications of MTWA **__ __** Status and use of TWA **__
 * Education of youth to include bringing out values and needs as well as skills such as math, reading, and writing
 * Environments (schools, workplaces, etc.) need to be mindful of their needs and values
 * Concept of Google doing a 20% work environment, meaning, on Friday’s, you can work on a project that you want to do/are more interested in. The satisfactoriness of the environment is enhanced and the productivity grows.
 * Exposure to more environments as a mean of increasing opportunities
 * Basically, children and adults learn this process as a dynamic means and come to appreciate their own negotiable values (and to what degree they need to be reinforced) and their own non-negotiable values
 * Understanding the process leads to greater satisfaction.
 * Not a widely used practice most likely because of its complexity (p. 36).
 * Objective is to help client groups match their aptitudes and values to occupations with jobs that provide appropriate occupational ability patterns and occupational reinforcer patterns (p. 36).
 * The career counseling process would be as follows:
 * Access ability patterns using the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB)- to determine the success of the job (p. 36).
 * Access needs and values using the Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ). The results of this test provide the clients with a list of up to 180 occupations that match their needs (p.36).
 * Assist individuals in comparing their occupational ability patterns, needs, and values with those in the (MIQ) (p. 36).
 * Confirm that the outcome of this process benefits both the worker via increased job satisfaction and the employer by increased satisfactoriness in job performance (p. 36).

__** Early Work the Influenced TWA **__ Ginzberg, Ginsburg, Axelrad & Herma (1951) Developmental Theory]
 * Established the gross phases of vocational choice
 * Fantasy (birth - 11)
 * Tentative (11-17)
 * Realistic (17-early 20s)
 * Revised a number of items from 1951-1984
 * “Each step in the process of career development has a meaningful relation to those which precede and follow it” (1951, p. 185)


 * __ TWA and Attachment Theory __**

Renfro-Michel, Burlew, & Tyler (2009) [|Interaction of TWA and Attachment Theory]
 * Many personality factors influence workplace satisfaction
 * Attachment is one of the most important personality factors in this process
 * Employees who are securely attached individuals are more capable of coping with stressful events
 * When choosing careers, securely attached individuals may have higher levels of self-efficacy towards their future career
 * These people also tend to have a more positive outlook on their workplace and abilities at their job
 * Enhanced ability to form boundaries between work life and personal life
 * Insecurely attached individuals may have inconsistent work behaviors and increased emotions of inadequacy
 * Self-esteem dependent on the opinions of others
 * May take constructive criticism as an attack
 * Being securely attached is extremely important in an individual's workplace adjustment; the more attached, the more adjusted, and vice-versa
 * Success is based on feelings of self-efficacy, self-esteem, reinforcement, and several personality factors