Self-Determination Theory
"Among the most influential models in contemporary behavioral science, self-determination theory (SDT) offers a broad framework for understanding the factors that promote human motivation and psychological flourishing. In this authoritative work, SDT cofounders Richard M. Ryan andEdward L. Deci systematically review the theory's conceptual underpinnings, empirical evidence base, and practical applications across the lifespan. Ryan and Deci demonstrate that supporting people's basic needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy is critically important for virtually all aspects of individual and societal functioning." -- book flap.
Stats for nerds
2recommend
10mentions
5people
2009–2026years
30% recommend60% neutral10% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- > It's also engineers not understanding the purpose and goals of the business.
This is a oft-repeated canard which is untrue 99% of the time. By the very decision to join a company, the Engineer has signaled that he understands the business' purpose and goals. Only after joining a company does he come to see that the process of execution towards the said objectives is untenable.
The problem is almost always the enduring fiction in Management teaching that one can manage a business without knowing much about the domain in which the business operates. This false belief becomes fatal the more technical the domain is since the non-linearity of the effects due to events in the domain is what makes or breaks a business.
Relevant Reading:
1) A radical article from HBR, First, Let’s Fire All the Managers : https://hbr.org/2011/12/first-lets-fire-all-the-managers
2) Speech by Dave Packard to HP Managers (1960) - https://gizmodo.com/the-hp-way-how-bill-hewlett-and-i-built-... (this is one of my favourites)
3) Also see the book Why we do what we do: Understanding Self-motivation by Edward Deci and his Self-Determination Theory(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory) for insights.
- Thank you! I study SDT (Self-Determination Theory, the main theory of motivation authored by Deci) in a sports coaching context for a few years now. It's a life-changing theory.
The "seminal" books like Self-Determination Theory (Ryan&Deci, 2017) and new The Oxford Handbook of Self-Determination Theory (Ryan, 2023) are really deep, but might be a bit academic and aren't suitable as a good intro into SDT. I usually recommend free course on Coursera by Ryan. But if Deci's book is an approachable intro, that would be nice!
- - Self-Determination Theory (SDT) by Deci and Ryan - finish (and probably re-read). It's a major theory in psychology on human motivation, and it's one of the worldview-shifting reads for me. It's as nerdy and scientific as you can get to the motivation research, and it applies virtually every sphere of human interaction - work, parenting, sports, relationships, education etc.
- The Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) Principles for Sports Coaching and Practice Design - CLA is the the best sports coaching (and also quite nerdy) philosophy I've found so far. Unlike SDT it's mostly concerned about motor skill acquisition science.
- Collection of books on figure skating starting from 1880 - aside from purely historical value, they have incredible knowledge on how to perform figures (that's where name "figure skating" came from) - the art almost extinct nowadays. It's a foundation of this sport, but as international federation removed them from competitions, nobody learns or teaches it anymore, so we literally loosing the roots of the most important skill in figure skating (US and Canada are doing better than everyone else, you can still learn and pass tests in figures, but that's quite unique cases).
- Relevant:
Self-Determination Theory - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory
Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation by Edward Deci - https://thorprojects.com/2020/05/04/book-review-why-we-do-wh...
Over-Justification Effect - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overjustification_effect
Companies by emphasizing only on "extrinsic motivation" without understanding what drives a person, effectively kill "intrinsic motivation" and hence transform what was once enjoyable into a detestable chore.
- Yeah, PG's essays are rather simplistic and not that insightful.
A far better approach is to start with theories from Psychology and Sociology and use them effectively.
One relevant theory is Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory) which is about the intrinsic needs of an individual viz. 1) Autonomy 2) Competence 3) Relatedness. As long as an organization provides the individual with a position in which to express and exercise those needs, it does not matter whether it is a large/medium/small one. Since each individual has different combinations and intensities of the above three needs, their preferred environment will vary accordingly.
For an introduction to SDT see; Why we do What we do: Understanding Self-Motivation by Edward Deci. Highly recommended reading for everybody (especially managers/leaders). A review can be found at - https://thorprojects.com/2020/05/04/book-review-why-we-do-wh...
- Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness
By
Richard M. Ryan, Edward L. Deci
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30652098-self-determinat...
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