Picture this. The year is 1965 and the dominant framework in psychology is behaviorism, characterized by the use of carrots (rewards) and sticks (punishments) to control human behavior. Dr. B.F. Skinner publishes research showing that people can be made to behave in desired ways when they are conditioned to expect rewards or punishments.
Then, in 1971, Dr. Edward Deci proposes the radical idea that spontaneous behaviors often occur without any expected rewards or punishments. A prime example is when children play. He calls this intrinsic motivation - doing an activity only for the enjoyment and interest in the activity itself. Dr. Deci publishes a groundbreaking study showing that the expectation of rewards can actually undermine intrinsic motivation, making the desired behavior less likely to occur.
Many leading behaviorists disregard this work, and some even contend that intrinsic motivation is not real.
But Dr. Deci continues this important line of research. He partners with Dr. Richard M Ryan, and together expand their research to uncover three core psychological needs (autonomy, mastery, relatedness) that promote greater intrinsic motivation, sustained engagement, well-being, and performance. They call their framework, Self-Determination Theory.
Fast forward to 2024, and Self-Determination Theory is one of the most powerful scientific frameworks in the world, with nearly 600,000 citations, and growing by over 40,000 citations every year. It is applied to countless domains to improve intrinsic motivation, well-being, and performance, including:
> Work and organizations
> Healthcare and patient outcomes
> Exercise and health behaviors
> Education
> Parenting
> Sports
> Video games and virtual worlds
Dr. Deci and Dr. Ryan are principals at motivationWorks and Immersyve Health, where we apply the #SelfDeterminationTheory Framework in our work with organizations to improve engagement, well-being, and retention. We are excited to see a more rapid transition away from traditional top-down approaches of motivating employees using rewards and punishments, and instead focusing on supporting staff's psychological needs for autonomy, mastery, and relatedness in their daily work and interactions.
The result of this shift is that people want to go the extra mile for their organization, want to stay with their organization, and feel an energizing drive to excel in their work that comes from within.
If Self-Determination Theory is new to you, we highly recommend you learn more about this game-changing approach to human motivation, engagement, well-being, and performance. Here are some resources about how this powerful framework can help achieve greater engagement, well-being, and retention within your organization.
Healthcare: https://lnkd.in/djgrQ2yF
Work engagement: https://lnkd.in/d3YfEmHx
#intrinsicmotivation #wellbeing #employeeengagement #retention #performance #healthcareburnout