Flow States and Work Performance in Indian Research Professionals

Abstract

This study aims to investigate flow states and work performance in Indian researchers. We also examined the relation between the age and work experience of researchers with their state of flow. The population of the study were Indian researchers with at least 1 year of experience in their field. The participants took part in an online survey (n=80) wherein, they consented to take part to the study and gave their respective responses for The Flow States Scale and Individual Work Performance Questionnaire. In the second phase of the study, participants (n=5) took part in a semi-structured interview. The participants from this interview had at least 6 years of experience in the field.  It was seen that there is a moderate positive and significant relation between Work Performance and Flow Experience, and flow experience has a significant impact on work performance. Additionally, Flow Experience slight positive and significantly correlated to age and work experience was influenced significantly by age and work experience. The interviews revealed the positive impact of flow, flow triggers, emotional experience of flow, barriers to flow, risk of flow and outcomes for flow.