René Dawis and Lloyd Lofquist laid out their concept of Work Adjustment in their work, "A Theory of Work Adjustment", published in 1964. Their research over almost 20 years at the Industrial Relations Center of the University of Minnesota began as a study of problems with job placement for the disabled and opportunities offered via rehabilitation services.

Their definition of work adjustment was the basic process that a worker goes though in adapting and interacting with their work environment over the worker’s entire vocational lifespan. Sometimes called The Minnesota Theory, the Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA) revolves around three main elements: the individual, work environment, and correspondence. It defines work adjustment in two specific terms:

1. Satisfactoriness: Employer’s point of view
a. Productivity
b. Efficiency
c. Turnover
d. Tenure
e. Absenteeism
f. Disciplinary issues

2. Satisfaction: Employee’s point of view
a. Overall satisfaction of the job
b. What they like about their work environment
- Supervisor
- Coworkers
- Work conditions
- Work hours
- Earnings
- Nature of work

Their studies led to the development of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire to measure an individual’s job satisfaction based on 20 scales.