Motivation is a precursor to organisational success. It is essential if you want to create an engaged and productive team who will remain loyal to you and your organisation.
But how is this achieved?
According to the Self-Determination Theory, there are three basic psychological needs that must be met to achieve high quality motivation. These are the need for autonomy (the experience of acting with a sense of choice, volition, and self-determination), competence (the belief that one has the ability to influence important outcomes) and relatedness (the experience of having satisfying and supportive social relationships).
Research suggests there are six key strategies that can be implemented within the workplace to nurture these psychological needs.
1. Ask open questions including inviting participation in solving important problems.
Within an organisational context, high quality motivation is facilitated through supportive dialogue. This begins by posing open-ended questions that prompt exploration and discussion of important matters. However, some leaders struggle with utilizing open questions effectively, opting for interactive styles that impede supportive interactions. For instance, when a leader immediately takes control of a conversation or dictates its direction prematurely, it can result in a one-sided dialogue where the leader’s priorities overshadow those of their employees. Consequently, the dialogue may lack supportiveness and productivity compared to a scenario where both parties contribute equally.
Initiating supportive dialogue through genuine open-ended questions can foster exploration. These questions often start with phrases like “how”, “what”, “tell me about”, or “describe”. For instance, during a performance review with an underperforming employee, supporting their need for autonomy can involve asking open questions that encourage reflection and contribution: “What factors do you think might be contributing to…?” or “Tell me what’s been happening with regards to…”. Such questions empower the employee to share their thoughts openly, promoting exploration and understanding of various perspectives.
In contrast, closed questions like “Have you tried implementing the suggestions provided in the training sessions?” or “Do you understand how important it is to…?” typically yield short, factual responses and discourage deeper exploration or discussion. They also imply that the leader has all the answers and expects compliance from employees.
2. Active listening including acknowledging the employees’ perspective
After asking open-ended questions, it’s crucial to engage in active listening, which entails attentively hearing and acknowledging employees’ thoughts, perspectives, and emotions while maintaining a non-judgmental and supportive demeanour.
There are three main active listening techniques: Affirming, Reflecting, and Summarising.
Affirming involves recognising and validating others’ thoughts, feelings, or contributions. As a leader, affirmations can be conveyed through words of encouragement, appreciation, or recognition. For instance, expressing gratitude for a prompt response during a demanding time (“I appreciate your prompt response to this issue. I understand this is a demanding time for you”) or acknowledging the value of someone’s insights on an issue (“Your insights on this issue are valuable”).
Reflecting entails paraphrasing or restating what the other person has expressed to demonstrate understanding and empathy. This technique helps clarify communication and ensures mutual understanding. For example, reflecting might involve saying, “It sounds like you’re feeling frustrated with the current process”, “So, what I’m hearing is that you’re worried about the deadline for this project” or “If I understand correctly, you’re suggesting we explore alternative solutions.”
Summarising reinforces the conversation by succinctly recapping key points or themes discussed. As a leader, summarising helps synthesise complex information, clarify misunderstandings, and ensure alignment on important issues. For example, summarising might involve saying, “What I hear you saying is…”, “Let me see if I understand so far…”, “Here is what I’ve heard. Tell me if I’ve missed anything…”.
3. Offer choices within structure, including the clarification of responsibilities
As a leader, it is crucial to empower employees by offering them options and alternatives in approaching their work. This not only fosters a sense of ownership and autonomy among employees but also ensures that their actions remain aligned with the organisation’s overarching goals and objectives.
Clarifying employees’ responsibilities and contributions is an integral part of this process. It involves ensuring that employees have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the broader goals of the organisation. Providing a meaningful rationale for tasks, especially those that may seem uninteresting or unengaging, is essential. For instance, if a particular task lacks excitement or appeal to team members, a leader can offer a compelling explanation of its importance and how it directly supports the organisation’s objectives. This helps employees grasp the significance of their work, thereby boosting their motivation and engagement.
Furthermore, it’s important for leaders to acknowledge employees’ feelings of dislike or disinterest in certain tasks. This demonstrates empathy and validates their perspective while also reinforcing clarity regarding their responsibilities and expectations within the organisation.
4. Provide sincere, positive feedback that acknowledges initiative and factual, non-judgmental feedback about problems
Feedback and praise play crucial roles in influencing employee motivation and performance, yet they can have contrasting effects depending on how they are delivered. It can either demotivate by exerting control or motivate by supporting the psychological needs.
Effective praise is characterised by sincerity and specificity. When praise acknowledges and celebrates proactive engagement, initiative, and unique contributions, it reinforces employees’ belief in their abilities and enhances their sense of ownership over their work. Conversely, praise that focuses solely on compliance or obedience can feel controlling to team members. For instance, phrases like “good job, you did just as you were told to do” emphasise adherence to instructions rather than recognizing individual initiative or effort. This type of praise may undermine intrinsic motivation by making individuals feel like they are merely following orders, rather than actively contributing to the team’s success.
In addition to praising, leaders also need to provide feedback, even if it may be unwelcome at times. When delivering feedback about workplace problems, it should be communicated in a factual manner, devoid of criticism or judgment. This approach maintains a neutral tone and centres on the facts, rather than assigning blame. Furthermore, leaders should be open to hearing the perspectives of their employees, fostering a collaborative environment for discussing issues and potential solutions.
When feedback is provided with a directive for immediate change, such as “your delivery times are down — you’ve got to fix this right now!”, it can provoke resentment and demotivation. Moreover, it decreases the likelihood that employees will internalise the need for change and actively participate in considering creative solutions. Instead, delivering feedback alongside open-ended questions and active listening encourages a constructive dialogue. This approach allows employees to explore different possibilities for addressing problems and promotes a sense of shared responsibility for finding solutions.
5. Minimise coercive controls such as rewards and comparisons with others
When considering motivation, there exists a traditional belief that money serves as the sole or primary motivator and method of rewarding employees. This mindset is prevalent in organisations that rely on competition-based compensation schemes. However, research indicates that monetary rewards do not foster high-quality motivation and can, in fact, detract from it. While fair pay, compensation, and benefits are essential, they should not be the primary drivers of motivation.
Instead of focussing on rewards, leaders facilitate high quality motivation among their employees place greater emphasis on factors such as organisational productivity, well-being, and personal satisfaction. This means that employees are motivated by intrinsic factors, such as feeling fulfilled in their work, having a sense of purpose, and experiencing autonomy in decision-making.
6. Develop talent and share knowledge
When presented with educational opportunities and promotions, employees can view these in different ways, which in turn affects their motivation levels. Some employees may see educational opportunities and promotions primarily as external rewards that they desire to obtain. This perspective is linked to controlled motivation, with the employee viewing the opportunities as means to attain tangible benefits such as higher pay, status, or recognition. In contrast, some employees may perceive educational opportunities and promotions as pathways for personal and professional growth, providing an opportunity to enhance their autonomy, develop new skills, and collaborate with others. This perspective aligns with autonomous motivation, when an individual is motivated by personal interest or personal value.
When people in position of leadership use educational opportunities as external rewards (i.e., carrots), employees may feel controlled, leading to controlled motivation rather than high quality motivation. Subsequently, this controlled motivation may not result in enhanced engagement and performance. Instead, offering educational opportunities as a means for personal and professional development can have positive motivational effects.
Conclusion
The SDT outlines the fundamental principles necessary for creating sustained high quality motivation within the workplace. However, adopting the SDT approach may require individuals to unlearn existing motivational strategies and embrace new practices that prioritise supporting employees’ autonomy, competence, and relationships in the workplace. This shift can be challenging as it often contradicts longstanding beliefs about motivation. Yet, when strategically implemented, SDT principles can yield significant long-term benefits for businesses and their employees.
Additional Resources
To learn more about this topic, take a look at these resources:
Deci, E.L. & Ryan, R.M. (2000) ‘The ‘what’ and ‘why’ of goal pursuits: human needs and the self-determination of behavior’, Psychological Inquiry, 11, 4, pp.227–268
Gagne, M. (2014) The Oxford Handbook of Work Engagement, Motivation, and Self-Determination Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
Stone, D., Deci, E.L. & Ryan, R.M. (2009) ‘Beyond talk: creating autonomous motivation through self- determination theory’, Journal of General Management, 34, 3, pp.75–91.
