The importance of self determination

I have recently come across the self-determination theory (SDT) on several unconnected occasions. This theory is the basis of the book “Drive” which I read a couple of months ago, it featured prominently in a presentation on “motivation of employees in a change project” I attended recently and it was mentioned in an article I read this morning on how to motivate your children to perform at school…

It is clear that this theory currently is “the flavour of the month”…. In my view rightly so, because I find the theory very valid and in line with real-life experience.

The SDT states that there are 3 main determining factors for (intrinsically) motivating people:

• autonomy (determining themselves what they focus on)
• mastery (achieving expertise in their chosen area)
• relatedness (feeling to belong to a community).

However, when we look at the reality of the majority of the organisations in our society (companies / schools / societies as a whole) there is a clear discrepancy between their organisational culture and the principles of SDT.

In schools, students are confined by a fixed curriculum, effectively constraining their autonomy in pursuing their innate interests. Likewise, relatedness is also not high on the agenda due to a focus on individual performance and a lack of school “identity”.

This is continued in most work environments where the autonomy of the majority of the employees is restricted by job descriptions. Mastery is hampered by the requirement to “move up” in the organisation to managerial levels on a regular basis to have a successful career. Most companies try to create a certain level of relatedness through the company culture / company values /… but with varying success…

Even when we look at the way our society as a whole is organised, these principles are not typically promoted: ever increasing rules and regulations restrict our autonomy, increasing individualism limits the feeling of relatedness and mastery in a specific area is not always perceived as a positive thing.

It is clear that there often is a disconnect between the motivational needs of people on the one hand and the actual situation they find themselves in on the other hand.

I am convinced that, for our society and our organisations to be successful in the long term, they will need to address these basic needs.  They will need to create an environment where people feel connected and where they autonomously can achieve mastery in their area of choice.

Luckily, more and more organisations and companies are becoming aware of this and are effectively promoting this culture and behaviour. These will be the organisations that will thrive in the future.