According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT) there are three basic psychological needs - competence, relatedness and autonomy. Satisfying these needs allows us to experience wellbeing, achievement, motivation, and to thrive as human beings.
Consequently, these three psychological needs provide a useful framework with which to consider what a great workplace might look like.
We all like to feel competent in what we are doing and that we are able to increase our competence. So, in an ideal workplace we would be likely to see:
- Provision of support when learning new information or processes.
- Opportunities to increase our skills and knowledge at a pace that works for us.
- Providing positive and informative feedback which helps people improve their performance without giving them the perception that they are being controlled.
- Making sure tasks are not all too easy (which creates boredom) or that tasks are not beyond their current skill set (which creates frustration).
- Providing rewards that acknowledge improvements in competence.
Connecting with others is an important part of life, even for the shyest introvert. A good workplace can support relatedness by:
- Providing opportunities to engage professionally and socially in activities that are inclusive to all members of a team.
- Professional and supportive relationship between team members and their managers - relationships that are based on both trust and caring.
- Cultivating a supportive and collaborative work culture by acknowledging and rewarding supportive and collaborative behaviours.
- Creating a sense of belonging.
- Mentor or buddy systems, particularly for new people, can both create a sense of belonging and can support employee competence by giving them someone to learn from.
We all like to feel in control of our lives, having the ability to make our own decisions and choices, so in an ideal workplace we would see:
- Where possible giving team members the opportunity to choose what they do and how to do it (within the parameters of their role). This can reinforce competence when team members see they are trusted to do the right thing. (An example would be supporting team members to work from home where possible).
- Where particular tasks are not optional, it helps for team members to understand the reason for the task and its value. It also helps if the outcome of the task aligns with the team member's values and interests.
Viewing the workplace through the lens of satisfying (and not thwarting) these three basic psychological needs provides, in my mind, a valuable framework with which to consider various aspects of a workplace from recruitment and induction to performance management and promotion, and make sure they are happy and healthy places to work.
