Advantages And Disadvantages Of Self-Determination Theory

INTRODUCTION Self-Determination Theory (SDT) was conceived by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan. This theory is concerned with human motivation, personality, and optimal functioning. For the purpose of SDT and work motivation, motivation is considered the core of biological, cognitive, and social regulation. Instead of just looking at the amount of motivation, self-determination theory focuses on different types of motivation. SDT focuses on people’s inner motivation. SDT assumes that people naturally self-motivate themselves and that success inherently is the greatest reward, not just external rewards or outcomes. The theory also recognizes that people can become stagnant and passive in their behavior. SDT accounts for this division by examining

For employees, things that aren’t intrinsically interesting requires extrinsic rewards to motivate. Employees can be motivated by extrinsic rewards such as additional monetary compensation, gifts, gift cards, or other monetary rewards. These types of rewards could lead to improved performance and higher motivation. It would also motivate a worker, but only satisfies the person’s lower-level needs. The flip side to this type of motivation stimuli, employees will want the same or better reward to maintain the same level of motivation and performance outcomes. In comparing and contrasting SDT with three other theories of work motivation described in Gagne and Deci (2005), they are similar in that they all involve motivation for action as a unitary concept, whereas, they are different in the amount of motivation a person needs for a task. Other work motivation theories to contrast with SDT are Goal-setting Theory, Action Regulation Theory, Kanfer’s Task-specific Motivation, Job Characteristics Theory, Needs and Motives: Maslow, Herzberg, and Alderfer, Kelman’s Theory of Internalization and the Concept of Identification, and Organizational

The theory was created in 1976 and Hackman and Oldham (1980) revised this theory again in 1980. In 1997, Faturochman defined job characteristic theory as the relationship between job characteristics and individual responses to work. The theory identifies specific task conditions where individuals are assumed to prosper in their work. Essentially, job characteristics can predict job satisfaction. SDT is in agreement with this theory that it promotes autonomous motivation. In contrast, SDT differs from job characteristic theory in three ways:

(a) SDT believes that interpersonal style of supervisors and managers is important in addition to job characteristics;

(b) SDT focuses on causality orientation and not need strength as the individual’s difference; and

(c) SDT also considers controlled motivation and not just internal motivation like job characteristic theory (Gagne and Deci, 2005).

CONCLUSION

Overall, organizations and their managers are understandably concerned about motivation. Motivated employees are pleased, valuable, trustworthy and dedicated, and that 's what companies want. Although motivating employees can be a challenge, a number of theories about motivation at work can be used as a basis for creating practices, procedures and processes to affect employee