45 / Motivation and Self-Determination Theory

Product Momentum Podcast

Scott Rigby, Ph.D.

Immersyve Inc.

45 / Motivation and Self-Determination Theory

Description

With so many touchpoints between Self-Determination Theory and software product development, it’s difficult to know where to begin. Perhaps with this: self-determination theory is fundamentally focused on answering two questions. First, what is it that brings us fulfillment in life?”; and second, what things will accrue to high-quality motivation – that is, doing things that I value, that have meaning, that I love?”

In this episode of the Product Momentum Podcast, Sean and Paul welcome Scott Rigby, Ph.D. to discuss the interplay between Self-Determination Theory and software product development. The fit is ideal. As product leaders strive to improve users’ lives, what better way to fulfill this mission than to embrace the needs that drive them. Scott guides us well beyond the theoretical, venturing deep into its application founded on two critical shifts since his work in this area began.

The first deals with motivation. Specifically, that motivation is ‘something I do to you’ and that ‘whatever I do to motivate you’ is good because the more I do, the more I’ll get. As it turns out, Scott says, that way of thinking is not only not correct, we just can’t get by with it anymore.

The second shift, closely related to the first, deals with empowerment. We once lived in a world in which companies and institutions held all the power and made all the rules. Consumers existed only in orbit around them, controlled and manipulated by the way they structured our existence. Not so these days, Scott offers.

“We call it the Copernican turn; we realized that who’s in orbit around what has completely changed.” Over the past 15 years or so, the gravitational pull that companies and institutions once relied on has waned. Now they say, ‘I’ve got to do the right things to have [consumers] select me…I have to understand the thing that drives them to be motivated to make that choice.’

Understanding these shifts introduces only a kernel of knowledge of Scott’s work over the past 30 years. But it’s fundamental to the real-world application of the vast theoretical issues that play out every day across on product development teams in our space.

Listen in to catch even more of Scott’s insights. Discover what he refers to as the continuum of motivation; see the distinction between motivation and manipulation; and grasp ways to put the theory into practice – not only by creating “a consensual language that everyone can understand, but also by providing a roadmap that invites customers and team members to follow the continuum of basic psychological needs.”

[04:35] The Copernican turn. We realized that who’s in orbit around what is completely changed.

[08:02] We humans have 3 basic psychological needs. Autonomy, Mastery, and Relatedness.

[08:12] Autonomy. I want to be the author of my life. It’s more than freedom. It’s about volition. It’s about engagement.

[09:23] Mastery. I need to feel a sense of growth in what I am doing.

[09:42] Relatedness. I don’t want to do this in isolation. I want what I do to matter to others.

[10:02] Self-determination theory – and people. We can quantifiably measure how autonomy, mastery, and relatedness are being experienced by employees in a company as they interact with managers and coworkers.

[10:12] Self-determination theory – and product. We can see how those things are being satisfied by how products are designed…the informational feedback from user interfaces…user progression paths…and by how they are implemented in our program.

[10:29] Self-determination theory – and marketing. How are communications telling a narrative that make me feel like those needs are being satisfied?

[11:38] Manipulation and control. If we’re manipulating and controlling, ultimately, we’re undermining the delivery of those needs.

[13:25] The continuum of motivation. High-quality and low-quality; intrinsic and extrinsic.

[17:29] The problem with gamification.

[21:59] When we satisfy those needs. The consumer value for products, value for services, the loyalty that comes from that is astounding.

[29:20] The product of creativity + motivation. Yields an environment where facilitating basic human needs gives us the energy to create one’s own narrative and the confidence to know that I can do it in a way that is competent and masterful.

[35:28] Innovation. Innovation is the emergence of a new idea that has the ability to fundamentally improve well-being. Innovation is very much tied to that sense of well-being.

Scott’s Recommended Reading

The Elegant Universe, by Brian Greene.

A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn.

Scott is also reading a lot of Thich Nhat Hanh, who is a Vietnamese monk. He is very much into Buddhism and The Art of Living.

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About Scott

Scott Rigby, Ph.D. is an author, behavioral scientist, and founder/CEO of Immersyve Inc., a company focusing on the application of behavioral science to organizations, products, and services. Scott and Immersyve work with both small and large companies on culture and the development of motivational best practices. He is a leading authority on predictive measurement of motivation and engagement, as well as on interventions to improve organizational culture. Clients include Prudential, Amazon, Warner Brothers, Johnson & Johnson, and Disney.

Scott has authored numerous publications, including the highly rated book Glued to Games: How Video Games Draw Us In and Hold Us Spellbound. He is the creator of the “Personal Experience of Need Satisfaction” (PENS) model, a widely used engagement model in interactive design. His work on understanding engagement and motivation has been featured by Wired, ABC News, BBC, National Public Radio, National Geographic, and Scientific American, among others. He is also the co-creator of motivationWorks, a platform that empowers organizations to build greater employee engagement and stronger cultures using motivational science. In addition to his commercial work, he has also served as the principal investigator on multiple grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health exploring the role of behavioral science to improve engagement and wellness.

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