Are some people inherently “unignitable”? Exploring how to ignite talent through “Self-Determination Theory”
Self-Determination Theory, Autonomy Support, Learned Helplessness
There are three types of talents — self-igniting, ignitable, and non-ignitable
Said Kazuo Inamori (稲盛和夫), a great Japanese entrepreneur who led two of the Fortune Global 500 companies. And the managers should strive to become self-igniting ones.
I used to think that some people are naturally self-igniting, while others are just naturally unignitable.
Later, I discovered that this wasn’t the case. We can explain it through an experiment:
American psychologist Seligman conducted a famous experiment where a dog was placed in a cage divided into two halves, both of which could conduct electricity. The cruel experiment involved electrocuting the dog wherever it went in the cage. Initially, the poor dog would run back and forth between the two halves, but eventually, when it realized it would be shocked regardless of where it went, it simply stopped moving and endured the pain of the electric shock.
Psychologists call this observed phenomenon “learned helplessness,” which also occurs in human society.
Why are some people non-ignitable? In a nutshell:
They believe that nothing will change no matter what they do.
Self-Determination Theory — Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness
So, what do these people want? How can we “ignite” them again? To explore this important question, we need to borrow the shoulders of giants and use the “Self-Determination Theory (SDT)” perspective.
The main focus of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is to explore whether human motivation for doing something comes from “internal” or “external” sources. SDT states:
- Human motivation is like a spectrum (see the figure below), roughly divided into “autonomous motivation” (more internal, on the right) and “controlled motivation” (more external, on the left). The former is influenced by innate human needs, which are “autonomy,” “competence,” and “relatedness.” The latter is related to external rewards and punishments, such as bonuses, reprimands, and opinions of others.
- Autonomous motivation is more positive and helpful for humans and has many benefits. If the above-mentioned innate needs are met, it will bring about the greatest development, progress, and a sense of accomplishment (satisfaction) for individuals, resulting in good performance.
These three innate needs are crucial and can be briefly described as follows:
- Autonomy: The need to control one’s own behavior and goals.
- Competence: The need for growth and mastery of outcomes.
- Relatedness: The need to interact with others, establish connections, and care for others.
In simple terms, SDT asserts:
Humans are naturally inclined to pursue freedom, capability, and connection with others. These needs are the sources of intrinsic motivation.
Here, “freedom” refers to autonomy, the ability to decide what to do and how to do it. If people can make their own decisions, they are more likely to be motivated, fulfilled, and less concerned about working overtime. They also tend to face their mistakes (since they bear the consequences of their actions).
However, ideals are often abundant, while reality is harsh. Most of the time, we are influenced by our environment and forced to take certain actions based on non-autonomous factors. For example, adhering to a norm we don’t agree with to avoid punishment, or selling a product we don’t believe in for a bonus.
In many cases, we start with our ideals but end up losing sight of our initial intentions due to the environment. In professional terms, this is referred to as external motivation crowding out internal motivation.
There’s a story that illustrates this phenomenon:
An old man loved peace and quiet, but children often played nearby, creating a lot of noise. To get rid of these kids, he came up with an idea.
One day, he gathered the children and thanked them for making the place lively, giving each of them three candies. The children were happy and came to play every day.
After a few days, he gave them only two candies each, then one, and finally stopped giving them any. The children became angry and said they would never come back to make the place lively again.
The old man finally had his peace and quiet.
Initially, you may have willingly done something, but after external rewards and punishments are introduced, you may start focusing on money or performance evaluations and become more sensitive to criticism. This is an example of external motivation crowding out internal motivation.
This also explains the common situation of “becoming unhappy when a hobby turns into a job”.
Therefore, when you only talk to your team members about money, they will focus solely on money, and it’s difficult to reverse this situation. To put it bluntly, you may inadvertently obliterate other values your team members hold, such as morality, dignity, and honor.
However, you should know that many great achievements are not driven by money. If you can only use external rewards and punishments to drive your team members, it also means that a significant portion of their potential is being suppressed.
Autonomy Support — What Managers Should Do
Returning to the initial topic, as managers, how should we “ignite” our team members?
In the field of SDT, many scholars explore the theme of “how to support humans in generating these autonomous motivations,” also called “autonomy support”. The main purpose of autonomy support is to guide the other party to refocus on the sense of relatedness, competence, and autonomy mentioned above.
I have summarized the following three management principles for reference:
I. Make them aware that “someone is paying attention to their growth” (competence)
As mentioned earlier, the helpless learning of the non-flammable type comes from “no change even after trying”. But if this person can realize that their growth can lead to the recognition of their manager, or even a promotion, then a seemingly “Non-ignitable” person may return to a “ignitable” state.
Link job duties to personal growth and achievement, develop growth plans or tasks, and provide regular feedback.
II. Make them recognize the meaning and rationality of their duties and tasks (autonomy)
Sometimes, people become passive because they feel powerless, always feeling that the current task is meaningless, a waste of time, or even foolish. A common complaint is, “I’m just a small cog in a large machine”. At this time, what we need to do is to let them know the “contribution of this cog” and “why you are this cog”. That is, to let team members fully understand:
- The positioning of their duties (why there is this duty and what contribution this duty makes to the team)
- The context of the task (why do this thing or follow this rule)
In SDT theory, when a person identifies more with something or a value, it internalizes their motivation for the matter, turning “doing something for others” into “I need to do this,” naturally increasing their initiative. When they carry out duties and tasks based on “identification” rather than “authority,” this is an autonomous motivation.
III. Strengthen the connection between individual and the team (relatedness)
The relatedness comes from “being accepted by the group.” The key actions are “respect,” “listening,” and “support.” Managers need to create smooth communication channels and opportunities and create opportunities for members to see each other’s strengths and encourage them to learn from each other. These actions are more meaningful than simply going out and dining together.
In addition, in appropriate situations, you can publicly praise and showcase outstanding team members, such as the “Employee of the Month” (some might consider it cliché), which is commonly seen. When a company is willing to publicly declare “this is our excellent partner,” I think few people will not have a stronger relatedness to the company.
Honestly, these things are not easy to do and take a lot of time. If you are a manager with many team members, it is challenging to guide them so meticulously. Although I believe that most people have the opportunity to be ignited, business is business, some people may not have much output even when ignited. As a manager, you still need to consider the potential of your talents and not waste time igniting someone who is not worth it.
Conclusion
In short, according to Self-Determination Theory, people will have spontaneous motivations for things that are considered ‘autonomous,’ foster a sense of relatedness, and promote a feeling of competence. Therefore, as managers, what we need to do are:
- Let them fully identify with their current duties and tasks. (knowing why instead of obeying in doubt)
- Make sure the difficulty of the tasks is challenging but manageable for them.
- At the same time, create a sense of cohesion in the team through communication, praise, and other means.
Lastly, a cruel reminder:
Not everyone is worth igniting.
The reason may be that the person is too negative and pessimistic; it could also be because the person does not have much talent, and even if ignited, they don’t have much productivity; or it could be both.
Business is business, as a manager responsible for employing people, your time is also a significant cost, and it might even be the most crucial resource in your department. Please spend it on those who are worth igniting, that is, those who are worth “investing” in.
