Motivation theory: autonomy, competence, and relatedness as basic psychological needs.
Self-Determination Theory identifies three basic psychological needs that must be met for intrinsic motivation to emerge: autonomy (the feeling of being able to determine one’s own actions), competence (the feeling of mastering tasks and growing in them), and relatedness (the feeling of belonging to a group and having significance within it). If any of these three elements is missing, motivation declines — regardless of external incentives.
For team and organizational design, this has concrete consequences. Autonomy does not mean anarchy but decision-making latitude within clear boundaries — for example, when a team decides how to reach a goal but not which goal. Competence arises through appropriate challenges and honest feedback, not through overwhelm or routine tasks. Relatedness requires psychological safety, the certainty that one can make mistakes without being punished. Agile frameworks like Scrum implicitly map these three needs — which explains why they work under the right conditions.
The theory was developed in 1985 by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan and is one of the most empirically well-supported motivation theories. It provides the scientific foundation for much of what the agile movement considers experience-based insight.
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