Self-determination at work
In his TED talk on the puzzle of human motivation, Dan Pink said, “There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does.”
Nowhere is this more true than with Self-Determination Theory.
Self-Determination Theory
The theory is not new. Almost 40 years ago, in the early 1980s, researchers Deci and Ryan published their first book on Self-Determination Theory (SDT). In short, SDT is a theory of motivation that says humans across cultures “have three basic psychological needs—for competence, autonomy, and relatedness—the satisfaction of which promotes autonomous motivation, high-quality performance, and wellness.” We work best when we feel we are learning and improving, when we feel we are in control and have an active role in decisions, and when we bond with others.
The theory is widely known. In 2009, Dan Pink popularized SDT research in his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us which went on to become an international bestseller translated into 30 languages.
And the theory is well-tested. In 2017, Deci and Ryan published a meta-review titled, “Self-Determination Theory in Work Organization: The State of a Science” citing research in a wide array of countries and business contexts.
The evidence in support of SDT is overwhelming. If you want employees to take initiative and be creative problem-solvers, you need to enable them to experience self-determination. Even in jobs with simple, well-defined tasks, where extrinsic rewards and punishments produce good short-term results, you need to support self-determination if you want employees to stay.
What companies should do, but usually don’t
In the conclusion of their paper, Deci and Ryan advised:
“Anyone interested in improving the work context in an organization, and thus the performance and wellness of its employees, could evaluate any policy or practice in terms of whether it:
a) allows the employees to gain competencies and/or feel confident
b) experience the freedom to experiment and initiate their own behaviors
c) feel respect and belonging in relation to both supervisors and peers.”
Support each of these three ways and you increase performance and wellness. Thwart those employee experiences, and you get the engagement and burnout statistics most companies have now.
Here are two ways to provide “autonomy support” (as Deci and Ryan call it) for employees so they can experience self-determination at work.
Solution: Peer Support for SDT
The simplest and easiest way is for employees to offer autonomy support to each other. And social learning groups are one way to do this. In Working Out Loud methods, for example, employees do exactly what Deci and Ryan prescribe above:
a) Competence: they build skills together, using a structured curriculum
b) Autonomy: they choose their own goal and take small steps in a confidential, psychologically safe space
c) Relatedness: they build relationships in their peer group and in their network, bonds based on trust and mutually beneficially exchanges over time
With social learning, there’s no need to wait for a better boss or a new job or a cultural transformation program. Instead, a small group of colleagues can help each other experience self-determination and all its benefits for themselves.
Solution: Manager Support for SDT
A more challenging approach is to train managers to provide autonomy support for their employees. Companies are still mired in a shift from a command-and-control approach to work to one that is more decentralized and self-managed. Training managers (as well as all employees) to work in a new way has proven difficult.
A research summary titled, “Leader autonomy support in the workplace: A meta-analytic review” describes what managers need to do.
“An autonomy supportive style generally involves leaders acknowledging worker perspectives, encouraging self-initiation, offering opportunities for choice and input, communicating in an informational rather than a controlling manner, and avoiding the use of rewards or sanctions to motivate behavior.”
Their findings show that “autonomy support may serve as an important underpinning for the development of management and leadership training interventions to promote enhanced employee functioning in organizations.”
This may not sound hard, but it’s rare to see such interventions incorporated into traditional talent management programs. So we are beginning work on a new addition to the WOL family of social learning methods, one designed specifically for managers to cultivate autonomy support skills together with other managers. (If your company is interested in a pilot program or learning more, send a message to support@workingoutloud.com.)
Closing the gap, opening up possibilities
The mismatch between what science knows and what business does is not an esoteric or academic issue. The gap has profound effects on the everyday lives of employees around the world and limits the productivity and potential of the organizations they work in.
It is a moral and business imperative to close this gap. Applying the principles of Self-Determination Theory is one way to enable employees to thrive at work, to perform well and to be well.
Self-Determination Theory: “We have three basic psychological needs—for competence, autonomy, and relatedness—the satisfaction of which promotes autonomous motivation, high-quality performance, and wellness.”