Introduction
Two University of Rochester professors collaborated on a paper called “Self Determination Theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development and wellbeing” that was published in the Journal of American Psychologist . This article focuses our thoughts on the wellbeing as contingent upon the successful proportion of three ingredients: Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness. These three nutrients feed and develop our sense of self. The more accomplished individuals are increasing the ingredients that cause their lives to be successful in the eyes of others that are not as accomplished.
Contrast these two writers to David McClellan in 1961 who wrote the Theory of Needs and the reader is faced with a different take on what makes for an accomplished individual. McClellan’s motivators are not innate but developed and are learned through culture and life experiences.
As the reader can see both authors have a different view on what makes a successful life and these differences have implications for the work place. The theories are especially important when a person in placed in a position to lead a team. The method of reward and punishment and especially motivation that the leader employs can relate to the success or failure of the project.
The Ryan & Deci theory is not one giant theory of many parts rolled into one. It is however, a set of different aspects coming together for a theory of motivation. They describe the self-determination theory as comprised of autonomy or being able to make your own decisions. This may seem contradictory to working on a team but it is not as some member of a team can function well without micro management. Efforts to micro manage this individual will result in a lessening of ability to achieve positive results. In addition to autonomy, competence which is the assurance that you have what it takes to complete a project has to e nurtured in many individuals. To encourage competences several small and successful projects usually help to boast confidences.
These components differ from McClelland’s theory of needs which exposes the idea that a person has an inherent need for power and team play is contraindicated in the successful project. The team is actually a heterogeneous grouping of self-made individuals who are more concerned with self-motives than with those of the group or team. For the manager, the implications of this theory is that each member has an intrinsic need to achieve and as such should be encouraged to work independently to achieve the end results. These people need to achieve according to McClelland.
Two very different personality and work theories are proposed for the prospective managers or group leaders. Assessing the point of self-determination that any group is at will help to successfully complete the project without a disruption. The following chart compares the three main personality theories. It is a wise manager who realizes that the concepts in the chart are useful in attaining the project goals of the organization. These motivational theories are useful to understand motivation from a theoretical perspective.
1 Ryan & Deci and McClelland
Adam began his swimming career with many achievements through collaboration. Part of his motivation was to please his mother and swim coach both of whom were very encouraging to Adam. Adam’s dominating driver is Affiliation as he strongly wants his mother and coach to like him and appreciate the fact that he is dedicated to going to the “States” even though they are not sure that he will qualify or if he does that he will win.
Adam begins with great enthusiasm; however, he began unmotivated despite his positive outlook. The lack of supervision of his own coach may have been a factor of his loss of enthusiasm in swimming while on vacation. In spite of this period of de-motivation, Adam was able to overcome and succeed in the long term. The motivator factors are the ones that actually were at first lacking such as wanting to perform in certain events over others. Since Adam was better at certain events than others he felt a sense of failure in the meets that he was not as strong in though he was apprehensive toward those meets that he had not performed in his home pool. Since he did perform well there was little input on Adam’s part as to which meets he would be swimming in as opposed to those that he was comfortable with.
Adam could have been feeling that he was not meeting the expectations of his home swim coach and felt that he had betrayed him by performing in other meets. By swimming under another’s direction in Alaska Adam may have experienced a sense of betrayal. In terms of theoretical framework, the elements of Adam’s disillusionment could be that his expectations were not met. He did not get a chance to advance in the techniques that he was most familiar with but was put into other opportunities which he was not prepared for. Adam’s gradual performance drop was due to a lack of intangible rewards for his needs. Adam’s personal efforts and rewards are logically put into the endeavors in the pool and the output for Adam was that he was not as great as he originally that he was.
The self-determination theory plays into the performance of Adam in the swimming episodes as he is very sure of himself and very goal directed. At his home pool and with his own coach he feels that he can be successful and sets a goal of winning the States. However, this changes when he is taken out of his comfort zone. Swimming under the direction of another coach who offers Adam the opportunity to participate in other situations creates a sense of confusion in the original goals and causes Adam to rethink his goals. Intrinsic goals of Adam are redefined to meet the possibilities that Adam might be better in other areas than those that he first believed to be the best for him. The extrinsic environment provided the framework to rethink his goals. The extrinsic motivation created a separate but equal opportunity. Adam could be successful outside of swimming in college and Adam can do other things beside the meets he believed that he was successful in. Both the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations were important for Adam in making his decisions.
In the self-determination model of McClelland, Adam exhibited the need achievement by exhibiting the motivation for success in many areas. Adam as an athlete had a natural intention of achieving set goals and achieving these goals. In his need for achievement, if Adam felt that he was failing in any way he would want to avoid the failure in whatever way possible. Adam withdrew for a bit and reassessed his goal, was it swimming achievement or was it college programs. Adam makes the decision of pursuing his original goal of pursuing the States.
Adam is a good example of goal orientation and this helps managers on teams understand that goal driven people are highly motivated. This motivation coupled with the abilities that are earned through hard work and dedication is important and respectable attributed for people in the work world. A manager, just as the coach, sometimes has to perform the role of counselor to the team members to awaken the motivation that the members feel inherently. By offering these guidance techniques, the goal oriented employee or student will assess their own needs and most often decide to complete and overcome the original project.
References
Deci, R. R. (2000). Self-Determination Theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, [online] http://groups.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/SDT.pdf.Accessed February 2016.
Tools, M. (2016). Discovering What Drives Members of Your Team. Mind Tools, [online] https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/human-motivation-theory.htm. Accessed February 2016.
Vroom, V. (2012). Personality Theory. Retrieved from Management Pocketbooks: [online] https://managementpocketbooks.wordpress.com/tag/basic-psychological-needs-theory/. Accessed February 2016
