Self-determination theory (SDT) maintains that an understanding of human motivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. We discuss the SDT concept of needs as it relates to previous need theories, emphasizing that needs specify the necessary conditions for psychological growth, integrity, and well-being. This concept of needs leads to the hypotheses that different regulatory processes underlying goal pursuits are differentially associated with effective functioning and well-being and also that different goal contents have different relations to the quality of behavior and mental health, specifically because different regulatory processes and different goal contents are associated with differing degrees of need satisfaction. Social contexts and individual differences that support satisfaction of the basic needs facilitate natural growth processes including intrinsically motivated behavior and integration of extrinsic motivations, whereas those that forestall autonomy, competence, or relatedness are associated with poorer motivation, performance, and well-being. We also discuss the relation of the psychological needs to cultural values, evolutionary processes, and other contemporary motivation theories.

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The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior

https://www.selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/2000_RyanDeci_IntExtDefs.pdf

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions.

According to W. Edwards Deming, American companies require nothing less than a transformation of management style and of governmental relations with industry. In Out of the Crisis, originally published in 1982, Deming offers a theory of management based on his famous 14 Points for Management. Management's failure to plan for the future, he claims, brings about loss of market, which brings about loss of jobs. Management must be judged not only by the quarterly dividend, but by innovative plans to stay in business, protect investment, ensure future dividends, and provide more jobs through improved product and service. In simple, direct language, he explains the principles of management transformation and how to apply them.

Out of the Crisis

This paper comprehensively examined the linkages between systems of High Performance Work Practices and firm performance. Results based on a national sample of nearly one thousand firms indicate that these practices have an economically and statistically significant impact on both intermediate outcomes (turnover and productivity) and short- and long-term measures of corporate financial performance. Support for the predictions that the impact of High Performance Work Practices is in part contingent on their interrelationships and links with competitive strategy was limited.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID1803666_code1640113.pdf?abstractid=1803666&mirid=5&type=2

The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Turnover, Productivity, and Corporate Financial Performance

Cognitive evaluation theory, which explains the effects of extrinsic motivators on intrinsic motivation, received some initial attention in the organizational literature. However, the simple dichotomy between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation made the theory difficult to apply to work settings. Differentiating extrinsic motivation into types that differ in their degree of autonomy led to self-determination theory, which has received widespread attention in the education, health care, and sport domains. This article describes self-determination theory as a theory of work motivation and shows its relevance to theories of organizational behavior. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Self‐determination theory and work motivation

Utility of the assessment center as a selection device.

In this article the author examines methods which management professionals can use to excel in their given fields. He contrasts the academic study of human resource management with the practical ap...

Evidence-Based Management and The Marketplace for Ideas

Consider a recent quote from the Wall Street Journal (July 14, 2003): “It’s no longer about what you own or build; success is hinged to the resources and talent you can access.” Unfortunately, recent statistics indicate that American workplaces are not doing a very good job of managing the talent they currently have. Thus


Only 14 percent of American workers say they are very satisfied with their jobs.


Twenty-five percent say they “are just showing up to collect a paycheck” (The Stat 2005).


From January 2004, to January 2005, 24 percent of American workers voluntarily quit their jobs, a 13 percent rise since the previous year. That figure varies widely by industry, though, with relatively low rates in manufacturing and transportation (roughly 15 percent), and relatively high rates in leisure and hospitality, retail, and construction industries (ranging from about 25–45 percent) (Employment Policy Foundation 2005). To appreciate what that means for an individual firm, consider the number of people Wal-Mart employed at the end of 2004—1,600,000 people (Fortune 500, 2005). Its annual employee turnover rate is 44 percent—close to the retail industry average (Frontline 2005). Each year, therefore, Wal-Mart must recruit, hire, and train more than 700,000 new employees just to replace those who left.


Women now outnumber men in managerial and professional jobs, yet many leave even blue-chip employers because they do not feel valued, their companies do not offer flexible-employment policies, or their work is not intellectually challenging. Rather than leave the workforce, most resurface at companies that offer more progressive policies (Deutsch 2005).

The Economic Impact of Employee Behaviors on Organizational Performance

This article identifies five gaps between research and practice in the area of employment downsizing. Each area includes psychological research findings that should promote better management practices. Two organizations that successfully bridged the gap between research and practice are presented as examples of how to manage strategic and interpersonal processes effectively when there is pressure to downsize employees. One organization did downsize 8,000 employees as a last resort, while the other took creative steps to avoid any employment downsizing. The article concludes with suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness of downsizing efforts even further, and for evaluating the actions taken. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Managing a downsizing process

Cutoff scores are used in a variety of settings to help managers make personnel decisions. Although cutoff scores are used widely, information about their derivation and appropriate use is scattered in the legal, psychometric, and professional literatures. The purpose of this paper is to analyze critically and to integrate these diverse literatures, to summarize what is known and what is unknown about the use and misuse of cutoff scores. Alternative methods are examined in relation to legal precedents set by the courts, to psychometric principles, and to the various sets of professional guidelines. Directions for future research are suggested, and we conclude with a set of recommendations regarding acceptable professional practice in this area.

Wayne F. Cascio

Papers

Utility of the assessment center as a selection device.

Evidence-Based Management and The Marketplace for Ideas

The Economic Impact of Employee Behaviors on Organizational Performance

Managing a downsizing process

Setting cutoff scores: legal, psychometric, and professional issues and guidelines