Self-Determination Theory Can Help You Generate Performance and Well-Being in the Workplace: A Review of the Literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Manganelli ◽  
Anaïs Thibault-Landry ◽  
Jacques Forest ◽  
Joëlle Carpentier
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Autonomous Regulation ◽  
Different Types

The Problem According to self-determination theory (SDT), employees can experience different types of motivation with respect to their work. The presence of the different types of motivation is important given that, compared with controlled regulation (introjected and extrinsic motivation), autonomous regulation (intrinsic and identified motivation) leads to a host of positive individual and organizational outcomes. Despite this empirically validated phenomenon, managers remain unaware of the outcomes of motivation in the workplace and of the practices that can foster autonomous regulation through psychological need satisfaction. The focus of the article will be to review relevant literature to reveal the benefits that SDT principles can bring to the workplace. The Solution Managers are encouraged to promote autonomous regulation first by assessing their employees’ motivation for a particular outcome and by structuring three elements of the work environment (job design, interpersonal relationships/leadership, and compensation) in such a way as to facilitate need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness). Some questions we try to answer are as follows: What are the outcomes of different motivation types in the workplace? Why are an employee’s basic psychological needs important to consider? What kinds of tools are available to assess employees’ motivation with regard to their work? Which work practices are likely to encourage autonomous regulation? The Stakeholders Employees, managers (individuals in direct contact with employees), leaders (individuals who oftentimes are in a position to influence organizational strategies and processes) and human resource development (HRD) practitioners interested in stimulating optimal functioning at work.

Self-Determination Theory in Human Resource Development: New Directions and Practical Considerations

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Scott Rigby ◽  
Richard M. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Resource Development ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
High Quality

The Problem There has been a “Copernican turn” in approaches to motivation and management: The focus in human resource development (HRD) and management circles today is no longer on how companies can motivate or incentivize employees from the outside, but instead on how they can effectively foster and support the high-quality motivation that comes from within employees. Developing affective commitment and intrinsic motivation is highlighted as a key to organizational success and employee satisfaction. The Solution In this article, we review our applications of self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017) concerning how organizations can both assess and build a culture of high-quality motivation. We review a continuum of types of motivation in the workplace that range from passive or controlled compliance to personal valuing of and intrinsic interest in one’s work. We then discuss how support for employees’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness leads to these higher quality types of motivation. Evidence shows that enhanced need satisfaction can come from managerial climate, job design, and well-crafted compensation strategies, as well as being influenced by the perceived mission of the company. A focus on basic needs provides a practical basis for leveraging positive change and achieving goals from talent retention to workplace wellness. The Stakeholders This article was written to help both researchers and practitioners in HRD (i.e., organizational leaders, human resource professionals, managers) learn the basic principles and applications of SDT as a means of unlocking a more practical and actionable model for engagement and motivation. This review not only translates SDT into practice, opening opportunity for collaboration between researchers and practitioners, but also provides meaningful insight into sustained employee motivation and engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity.

scholarly journals Self-Determination Theory and First-Episode Psychosis: A Replication

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. K. Breitborde ◽  
Cindy Woolverton ◽  
R. Brock Frost ◽  
Nicole A. Kiewel
Keyword(s):  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Episode Psychosis

Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that human well-being depends on the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Although many scholars have suggested that SDT may be relevant to psychotic disorders, only one empirical study of SDT in individuals with psychosis has been completed to date by Breitborde and colleagues (2012). This study revealed that individuals with first-episode psychosis reported lower satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs as compared to individuals without psychosis. Moreover, greater satisfaction of basic psychological needs was modestly associated with lower general symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression), greater social functioning, and better quality of life. Thus, the goal of this project was to replicate Breitborde et al.’s (2012) investigation of basic psychological need satisfaction among individuals with first-episode psychosis. Our results supported the conclusion that individuals with first-episode psychosis report lower autonomy, competence, and relatedness than individuals without psychosis. Moreover, our results comport with the finding that greater need satisfaction was associated with less severe symptomatology and better social functioning and quality of life. In total, the findings lend further credence to the hypothesis that SDT may help to inform the development of improved clinical services for individuals with psychotic disorders.

scholarly journals The benefits of need satisfaction depend on their relative importance for people with a unidimensional identity: an idiographic analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freya Glendinning ◽  
Tim Woodman ◽  
Lew Hardy ◽  
Chin Wei Ong
Keyword(s):  
Specific Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Chinese Adults ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Relative Value

AbstractSelf-determination theory proposes that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs is equally beneficial for everyone – the Universal Hypothesis. Equally, there are intra-individual differences in how the satisfaction of differentially important needs might be differentially beneficial, which we term the Intra-individual Hypothesis. We aimed to reconcile these positions. Across four cross-sectional studies (ns = 300 rock climbers, 323 sportspeople, 394 UK and Chinese adults, 320 UK adults), we investigated the needs of individuals with varying dimensions to their identity, and their motivation and self-esteem. In Studies 1, 2, and 4, when individuals strongly related their sense of identity to investment in a specific activity, the association between need satisfaction and self-esteem (and motivation in Studies 1–2) depended on their intra-individual need importance, supporting the Intra-individual Hypothesis. In Studies 3 and 4, for individuals with a multidimensional identity, the association between need satisfaction and self-esteem did not depend on the importance of each need, supporting the Universal Hypothesis. The satisfaction of basic psychological needs is not always uniform in its link with motivation and well-being. The degree to which individuals have a unidimensional or multidimensional self-concept appears fruitful in predicting the relative value of the Universal Hypothesis and the Intra-individual Hypothesis.

scholarly journals Exploring Proximal LGBTQ+ Minority Stressors Within Physical Activity Contexts from a Self-determination Theory Perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon S C Herrick ◽  
Meredith A Rocchi ◽  
Shane N Sweet ◽  
Lindsay R Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Small Effect Size

Abstract Background LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.) individuals experience challenges such as discrimination and marginalization (referred to as minority stressors) that are detrimental to their mental and physical health. Specifically, proximal or internalized LGBTQ+ minority stressors may influence motivation for and willingness to participate in physical activity. Purpose To explore whether proximal LGBTQ+ minority stressors relate to the basic psychological needs—motivation—physical activity pathway, as per self-determination theory. Methods An online cross-sectional survey was completed by 778 self-identified LGBTQ+ adults. Structural equation modelling analyses were used to examine how proximal LGBTQ+ minority stressors relate to the motivational sequence. Results Findings support that proximal LGBTQ+ minority stressors are negatively associated with psychological need satisfaction within physical activity (β = −.36), which in turn is positively associated with autonomous motivation (β = .53) and reported physical activity participation (β = .32). Overall, the final model accounted for 13% of variance in need satisfaction (small effect size), 53% of variance in autonomous motivation (moderate-large effect size), and 10% of variance in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels (small effect size). Conclusions Future research focused on increasing LGBTQ+ participation in physical activity should investigate the effects of (a) reducing proximal LGBTQ+ minority stressors and (b) better supporting LGBTQ+ adults’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness within physical activity contexts.

Self-Determination Theory and Its Relation to Organizations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja H. Olafsen ◽  
Edward L. Deci
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Work Motivation ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Workplace Conditions ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Social Environmental Factors

Self-determination theory (SDT) is a macro theory of human motivation that utilizes concepts essential for organizational psychology. Among the concepts are types and quality of motivation and basic (i.e., innate and universal) psychological needs. Further, the theory has specified social-environmental factors that affect both the satisfaction versus frustration of the basic psychological needs and the types of motivation. The social-environmental factors concern ways in which colleagues, employees’ immediate supervisors, and their higher-level managers create workplace conditions that are important determinants of the employees’ motivation, performance, and wellness. In addition, SDT highlights individual differences that also influence the degrees of basic need satisfaction and the types of motivation that the employees display. This theoretical framework has gained increasingly attention within the context of work the last 15 years, showcasing the importance of basic psychological needs and type of work motivation in explaining the relation from workplace factors to work behaviors, work attitudes and occupational health.

An Empirical Investigation of the Employee Work Passion Appraisal Model Using Self-Determination Theory

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anaïs Thibault-Landry ◽  
Richard Egan ◽  
Laurence Crevier-Braud ◽  
Lara Manganelli ◽  
Jacques Forest
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Cognitive Appraisals ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Psychological Need ◽  
Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction ◽  
Work Passion ◽  
Psychological Need Satisfaction

The Problem Employee work passion theory offers an appraisal-based approach that explains how work passion is formulated in individuals. Self-determination theory postulates that the satisfaction of three basic psychological human needs (competence, relatedness, and autonomy) is essential for individuals to flourish and thrive at work. The role of basic psychological need satisfaction in the employee work passion appraisal process is yet to be examined. The Solution We investigated the relations between employees’ cognitive appraisals of their work environment characteristics (work cognitions), their basic psychological need satisfaction, and their work intentions. Our study provided empirical evidence showing that employees’ cognitive appraisals of work characteristics such as job autonomy, task variety, meaningful work, and performance expectations were positively related to basic psychological need satisfaction, which, in turn, positively impacted their work intentions, thus indicating the subjective experience of work passion. The Stakeholders Results suggest that organizational leaders, supervisors, and human resource development (HRD) practitioners could develop interventions that promote specific workplace characteristics and are aimed at contributing to the fulfillment of employees’ basic psychological needs. In so doing, employees and stakeholders could benefit from the individual and organizational outcomes that flow from employees experiencing greater work passion.

scholarly journals Generational differences in workplace motivation

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marita M. Heyns ◽  
Marilyn D. Kerr
Keyword(s):  
Generational Differences ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Generational Cohorts ◽  
Motivational Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Workplace Setting

Orientation: Despite increasing age diversity in the workforce, organisations still know relatively little about how potentially diverging motivational needs of the various generations might influence motivational strategies and organisational performance.Research purpose: To explore the relationship between multigenerational workforces and employee motivation within a South African workplace setting from a self-determination theory perspective.Motivation for the study: The pursuit of performance excellence requires an understanding of the enablers of optimal performance. In South Africa, the workplace landscape is changing fast as younger generations are joining the workforce in rapidly growing numbers. These younger employees are often believed to differ quite drastically from the older generations in terms of their values and priorities, which necessitates a deeper understanding of the motivational drivers of the different cohorts as these manifest within a workplace environment.Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional survey approach and a quantitative research design were used (N = 164). Two questionnaires founded on self-determination theory were administered, namely the Work-Related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale and the Work Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Scale.Main findings: Findings contradict the popular notion that generational cohorts differ significantly from each other in terms of diverging intrinsic and extrinsic motivational preferences that may influence their behaviour at work. With regard to the degrees of satisfaction of the basic psychological needs that drive autonomous, intrinsically motivated behaviour specifically, no practically significant differences were found either. There was, however, one notable difference, namely in the indicated degree of satisfaction of the psychological need for autonomy between Generation Y and Generation X cohorts.Practical/managerial implications: Management is advised to cultivate a motivational climate that promotes autonomously motivated behaviour in general and to focus on specific known individual motivational preferences that may exist within groups rather than approaching generational cohorts as homogenous groups.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the limited research regarding similarities and differences in the intrinsic versus extrinsic motivational stance of three different generations as these manifest within a workplace setting in an emerging economy country. Findings afford management insight into motivational processes that are most influential among generational cohorts and assist them in adapting suitable motivational strategies that can ultimately improve retention of valued employees.

Large-scale school reform as viewed from the self-determination theory perspective

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward L. Deci
Keyword(s):  
School Reform ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Successful School

Successful school reform requires that administrators, teachers, and students internalize the value of improved teaching and learning and of the policies, structures, procedures, and behaviors implicit in the reform. This is most likely to happen when school personnel and students experience satisfaction of their basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness while planning and implementing the reform. When the components of a reform are relatively flexible rather than rigid and when the processes through which the reform is introduced and implemented are autonomy supportive, people will experience greater need satisfaction and will be more likely to internalize and endorse the reform. This article focuses on one approach to comprehensive school reform, namely, First Things First, and examines it in terms of self-determination theory principles.

scholarly journals How Can Students Feel More Vital Amidst Severe Restrictions? Psychological Needs Satisfaction, Motivational Regulation and Vitality of Students during the Coronavirus Pandemic Restrictions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 405-422
Author(s):  
Daniela Martinek ◽  
Matteo Carmignola ◽  
Florian H. Müller ◽  
Sonja Bieg ◽  
Almut Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Subjective Vitality ◽  
Mediation Effects ◽  
Autonomous Regulation ◽  
Needs Satisfaction ◽  
Motivational Regulation ◽  
Insight Into

During the pandemic restrictions imposed in spring 2020, many aspects of students’ living and learning environments changed drastically. From the perspective of Self-Determination Theory, changes in social context interact with the satisfaction or frustration of basic psychological needs and, as a result, with study-related motivational regulation and vitality. In this study, we investigate the relationships between the contextual factors of online-based distance learning, basic psychological needs, forms of motivational regulation and subjective vitality in a sample of N = 1849 university students across eight universities in Austria and Germany. Based on structural equational modelling, the results stress the relevance of satisfaction with technological resources in regard to higher levels of satisfaction in all three basic psychological needs, while perceived overload is linked to lower levels of needs satisfaction and increased basic psychological needs frustration. Further, the estimated workload difference before and during the pandemic is not related to the motivational outcomes of the model. All relationships have been tested for mediation effects between basic psychological needs and the different forms of motivational regulation on subjective vitality: for the need for relatedness, no mediation is found, while the effect of the need for autonomy is fully mediated by autonomous regulation styles. The need for competence was associated with several mediating interactions with regulation styles. The results offer insight into students’ perceptions of their study-related experiences during the pandemic and can help to develop effective methods in online-based and blended learning settings in the future.

scholarly journals Exploring Proximal LGBTQ+ Minority Stressors within Physical Activity Contexts From a Self-Determination Theory Perspective

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Herrick ◽  
Meredith A. Rocchi ◽  
Shane N. Sweet ◽  
Lindsay R. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey

Abstract Background: LGBTQ+ individuals experience challenges such as discrimination and marginalization (referred to as minority stressors) that are detrimental to their mental and physical health. Specifically, proximal or internalized LGBTQ+ minority stressors may influence motivation for and willingness to participate in physical activity. Methods: The purpose of this study was to explore whether proximal LGBTQ+ minority stressors, as indicators of the social-environmental context, would relate to the basic psychological needs—motivation—physical activity pathway, as per self-determination theory. An online cross-sectional survey was completed by 778 LGBTQ+ adults. Results: Results from structural equation modelling analyses support that proximal LGBTQ+ minority stressors are associated with decreased reported need satisfaction (β = -.36) which, in turn, is associated with autonomous motivation (β = .53) and reported physical activity participation (β = .32). Conclusions: Future research focused on increasing LGBTQ+ participation in physical activity should investigate the effects of (a) reducing proximal LGBTQ+ minority stressors, and (b) better supporting LGBTQ+ adults’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness within physical activity contexts.

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