Dampak Evaluasi Kinerja Informal terhadap Motivasi Intrinsik Pekerja Generasi Muda

Abstract

Organizations increasingly complement or replace annual appraisals with everyday, unscheduled conversations about work, commonly described as informal performance evaluation. It remains unclear, however, how this practice shapes the intrinsic motivation of young employees, who now make up a growing share of the workforce. This article aims to explain the mechanisms through which informal performance evaluation influences the intrinsic motivation and performance of younger workers. Using a narrative literature review guided by self-determination theory, we synthesized peer-reviewed studies published mainly between 2016 and 2022 on performance management, feedback, work motivation, and generational differences. The synthesis suggests that informal evaluation can strengthen intrinsic motivation when it satisfies three basic psychological needs: competence, through specific and timely information; autonomy, through a non-controlling delivery style; and relatedness, through trusting supervisor–employee relationships. The same practice may weaken motivation when it is inconsistent, judgmental without guidance, or experienced as surveillance. Evidence that young workers form a distinct motivational group is mixed, so we argue that career stage and the need for development explain their responsiveness better than birth cohort alone. We propose four propositions and a conceptual model linking the quality of informal evaluation, need satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, and employee performance. The findings offer an integrative framework for managers and a testable agenda for future empirical research in Indonesian organizations.