New Advances in Self-Determination Theory Applied to Work

Self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) has contributed to the advancement of knowledge on the topics of leadership and knowledge sharing. SDT proposes a multidimensional conceptualization of work motivation that comprises intrinsic motivation (i.e., doing something out of enjoyment), identified extrinsic motivation (i.e., doing something out of values), introjected extrinsic motivation (i.e., doing something to maintain self-esteem), and external extrinsic motivation (i.e., doing something to obtain a reward). A recent meta-analysis has shown that autonomous types of motivation (i.e., intrinsic and identified) account for more positive variance in work outcomes than controlled forms of motivation (i.e., introjected and external; Van den Broeck et al., 2021). SDT also proposes that the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness promote autonomous over controlled types of motivation, and are also associated with a host of positive work outcomes (see Van den Broeck et al., 2016 for a meta-analysis).
The four presentations that are part of this symposium aim to deepen knowledge of work motivation. Two of the presentations present research dealing with the effects of monetary rewards on performance and knowledge sharing, while the third links research on work motivation with research on coping when shocks happen. The fourth presentation re-examines the factorial structure of a work motivation measure based on self-determination theory. Together, these four presentations push researchers to “think again” about some well-accepted findings.
The first presentation revisits the effects of rewards on motivation and performance. Luxton and colleagues tested competing hypotheses based on SDT and expectancy theory to see if instrumentality or autonomy is more important to performance, and how rewards affect them. They found that pay-for-performance does increase instrumentality perceptions and decrease feelings of autonomy. However, pay system had no direct or indirect effect on performance.
Based on past research showing that monetary rewards discourage knowledge sharing (Bock et al., 2005; Cockrell & Stone, 2010; Zhao et al., 2016), the second presentation focuses on the relative importance of verbal versus monetary rewards on promoting knowledge sharing. Moser present the results of three experiments showing that while praise increases knowledge sharing, monetary rewards decreases it. These results concur with previous research showing that verbal rewards increase feelings of competence and do not decrease feelings of autonomy, while monetary rewards decrease feelings of autonomy (Kuvaas et al., 2020).
The third presentation examines how motivational resources help employees cope with shocks (such as a pandemic). Hewett and Emery show, in a sample of scuba divers, that initial work motivation influenced the coping mechanisms they used to cope with job loss during the pandemic. They found that having more autonomous forms of motivation was related to better coping styles than having more controlled forms of motivation, resulting in better well-being outcomes.
The fourth presentation revisits the factor structure of the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (Gagné et al., 2015). Trépanier and colleagues tested and refined the factor structure of this popular work motivation measure, eliminating three items. They give future researchers avenues to further ameliorate the measure in a way that is consistent with the theory.