Self-Determination Theory Perspectives on Leadership and Management

Abstract

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). SDT has informed research on leadership by showing that the effects of good and bad leadership on followers’ performance and well-being can be importantly attributable to their impact on the satisfaction of the psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness of followers (Hetland et al., 2011; Kovajnic et al., 2012, 2013) and their impact on followers’ work motivation (Bono & Judge, 2003; Eyal & Roth, 2011; Fernet et al., 2015; Gagné et al., 2020; Wang & Gagné, 2013). SDT has also informed research on knowledge sharing in organizations by showing that human resource practices that promote need satisfaction and autonomous types of motivation tend to promote knowledge sharing (Gagné, 2009; Gagné et al., 2019). To refine this knowledge further, the presenters will showcase new research on leadership and a literature review on algorithmic management informed by SDT. The first presentation addresses a gap in how leadership can have positive effects on follower well-being. Roche and colleagues present research, using data from New Zealand workers, examining whether and how leader’s own need satisfaction trickles down to followers and influences their well-being. Their results show that when leaders have satisfied psychological needs (particularly of their relatedness need) their followers tend to notice that they are more supportive in their leadership style, which helps satisfy the psychological needs of the followers. Follower need satisfaction in turn is positively associated with follower well-being. The second presentation addresses whether followers’ motivation influences the leadership behaviors of managers. There has not been much research on the possibility that autonomously motivated employees may trigger more transformational leadership behaviors in managers. Kanat-Maymon and colleagues present a longitudinal field study of Israeli workers that show multi-level cross-lagged associations between transformational and transactional leadership behaviors with autonomous and controlled work motivation. They found as usual that transformational leadership predicted change in autonomous motivation and that transactional leadership predicted changes in controlled motivation. More interesting is the finding that autonomous motivation predicted increases in transformational leadership, and that controlled motivation predicted changes in transactional leadership. The third presentation extends findings on the importance of need satisfaction, as well as the importance of attitudes and norms, to promote knowledge sharing (and discourage knowledge hiding) by examining the role of empowering leadership. Tian and colleagues, using prospective data from Australian workers, demonstrate that empowering leadership’s influence on employee need satisfaction, attitudes, and norms explains significant variance in knowledge sharing and hiding behavior. The fourth presentation reviews research on algorithmic management from the lens of SDT. Gagné and colleagues outline the effects that algorithmic management functions that are rapidly replacing human managers, including task assignment and scheduling, behavior and performance monitoring and management, and reward and termination management, have on the satisfaction of workers’ psychological needs, and what could be improved through future algorithmic system design and implementation. A Self-Determination Theory Model of Wellbeing at Work Presenter: Maree Roche; U. of Waikato Presenter: Jarrod Haar; Auckland U. of Technology Reversing the lens: How employees’ motivation summons transformational and transactional leadership Presenter: Yaniv Kanat-Maymon; Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya Presenter: Abira Reizer; Department of Social Sciences and Psychology, Ariel U. Presenter: Maor Elimelech; Ariel U. Empowering leadership, knowledge hiding and sharing: Integrating theories of motivation Presenter: Amy Wei Tian; Curtin Business School Presenter: Marylene Gagne; Curtin Uni Presenter: Christine Soo; U. of Western Australia Presenter: Bo Zhang; Beijing U. of Chemical Technology How Algorithmic Management Influences Worker Motivation: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective Presenter: Marylene Gagne; Curtin Uni Presenter: Marie-Claude Gaudet; HEC Montreal Presenter: Antoine Bujold; HEC Montreal Presenter: Pamela Lirio; U. of Montreal