EXPLORING EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCES WITH LEADERS’ INFLUENCE ON AUTONOMOUS MOTIVATION: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

Abstract: Research and industry reports highlight a gap between existing human capital practices and employee readiness to meet the changing work environment (Clifton & Harter, 2023; Gallup, 2022; Hagel, 2019; Pendell, 2022; Rigby & Ryan, 2018; Volini, Schwartz, Eaton, Hauptmann, et al., 2021; Volini, Schwartz, Eaton, Mallon, et al., 2021; Workers Are Motivated by Different Drivers and Needs, 2022). Recent trends point to a future with systemic, political, and technological changes that leaders must address to prevent engagement declines (Gartner, 2022; Volini et al., 2020). Gallup’s 2023 state of the global workplace report indicates that global employee engagement levels remain around 23% (Gallup, 2023), which accounts for an estimated $7.8 trillion in annual productivity loss (Gallup, 2022).
Literature suggests that motivation drives employees to engage in the workplace (Boon et al., 2018; Clifton & Harter, 2023; Delaney & Royal, 2017) and that autonomous motivation outweighs controlled motivation in terms of persistence and quality of work (Ryan & Deci, 2017). However, studies and reports cite the difficulty leaders face in motivating employees (Delaney & Royal, 2017; Fischer et al., 2019; Fisher, 2009; Gallup, 2022; Jensen, 2018; Manganelli et al., 2018; Pappas, 2021; Webb, 2007; Workers Are Motivated by Different Drivers and Needs, 2022). While researchers continue to investigate motivation, it remains clear that motivation is a complex concept that evolves with human needs (Jensen, 2018; Ryan & Deci, 2017).
In ideal situations, leaders provide autonomy-supportive environments that satisfy employees’ basic psychological needs (Rigby & Ryan, 2018; Ryan & Deci, 2017; Shuck et al., 2018). Furthermore, leaders transfer the ownership of motivation from the organization to the employee, yielding higher-quality performance and engagement (Rigby & Ryan, 2018; Shuck et al., 2018; Zhang & Liu, 2022). However, in reality leaders rely on controlled motivation via extrinsic rewards to motivate employees (Clifton & Harter, 2023; Rigby & Ryan, 2018; Shuck et al., 2018). The current reality exists because leaders fail to understand the complexity of motivation orientations and how to elicit autonomous motivation (Delaney & Royal, 2017; Fisher, 2009; Jensen, 2018; Webb, 2007; Zareen et al., 2015). This situation creates a disconnect between leaders and employees, reducing employee motivation and well-being and affecting organizational performance and success (Delaney & Royal, 2017; Rigby & Ryan, 2018; Van den Broeck et al., 2021; Zhang & Liu, 2022).
The purpose of this study is to explore employees’ experiences with leaders’ influence on autonomous motivation to understand the existential experience and gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. The study uses a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design. The quantitative phase’s research question asks, what are the employees’ causality orientations? The qualitative phase’s research question asks, how do employees’ experiences with leaders influence autonomous motivation? The research objectives describe the participants’ demographics, describe employees’ causality orientations, and explore employee experiences with leaders influence on autonomous motivation, including the experiences that promote and thwart autonomous motivation.
The study’s theoretical foundation includes self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017), social capital theory (Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998), and human capital theory (Becker, 1962; Schultz, 1961). The literature review focuses on the importance of human capital from the psychological and systems lenses to improve economic returns (Heckman & Kautz, 2012; Kell et al., 2018; Nerdrum & Erikson, 2001; Ployhart, 2015; Ployhart et al., 2014; Wright & McMahan, 2011). The literature review also discusses the importance of human needs and relationships between leaders and employees to facilitate autonomous motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2017).
The quantitative phase employs a nonexperimental design to describe the participants’ causality orientations and drive purposive sampling for the primary qualitative phase. This phase uses an electronic survey for data collection. The survey includes the Center for Self-Determination Theory’s (n.d.) 17-vignette General Causality Orientations Scale. The qualitative phase uses phenomenology. The qualitative data collection uses interviews to explore employees’ experiences with leaders’ influence on autonomous motivation.
The study’s general population includes the global workforce, with an estimated 3.32 billion employees (Statista Research Department, 2023). The quantitative phase samples from federal civilian employees from five organizations in the United States. The qualitative phase samples from the autonomy-oriented participants identified in the quantitative phase. The study uses voluntary response sampling for both phases and includes purposive sampling for the qualitative phase.
This study addresses an important phenomenon associated with organizational performance and success. The study anticipates that the findings and recommendations will influence the future of organizational performance by identifying practices leaders can use to effectively motivate employees. Additionally, the study expects to describe environmental characteristics that leaders can establish to promote employee well-being and performance.