Hoorcollege samenvatting: Motivation, Power & Leadership
Lecture 1: 12 September 2023
Motivation, power, and leadership – why?
- Current situations and societal issues
- MP&L are everywhere
- Motivation, power, and leadership are deeply connected to each other
- MP&L play a role on:
o Social level: in workgroups, within companies
o Global level: wars, protests
- Extinction rebellion: a protest group, more and more demonstrations occurring of people
who don’t put up with the current power structures
o Illustrates that people are unsatisfied
o Uneven distributions of resource and power (e.g., Boeren protest)
How to manage people?
- At work and beyond
- Why manage people?
o Be a sort of mediator between different parties → guide/overview of a group to get
the best possible outcome
o Avoid conflict between groups
Trainer/coach position who could also give feedback (on both group as individual
level)
- Do people want ‘management’?
o First ask this question (before asking how to manage people)
o Humans are autonomous beings, so why would we want others to tell us what we
should do
What’s up, doc? The problem
- Humans are group-living animals and, therefore, must cope with many coordination and
motivation challenges
- Coordination challenges (Schelling, 1960): people (when working in groups) may have to
coordinate their actions to attain goals
o Example: if you’re part of a sports team and you need to coordinate to attain a
certain (group) goal → example: wash the jerseys
▪ Who takes the lead in the action (e.g., will one person wash all the jerseys?
Will the team take turns washing?)
o Example: if you work in a group on a project, you also need to coordinate the tasks
▪ Who does what?
▪ How do you communicate?
▪ Do you share everything via an app?
o Within a team/group you need to coordinate certain tasks
- Motivation challenges: people may have to be motivated to attain particular goals
o Not every activity is motivating in itself, it could be boring → yet the task needs to be
done
o How to motivate both the individual as the group to obtain a certain goal →
management can be a solution
Motivation challenges
- In the attainment of goals
o Individual motives/on the individual level
o Framework: self-determination theory (Gagné & Deci, 2005)
1
,Hoorcollege samenvatting: Motivation, Power & Leadership
- In social interactions
o Social motives
o Framework: interdependence theory (Parks et al., 2013)
Motivation challenges in the attainment of goals
- Sources of (work) motivation
- No interest ≠ extrinsic interest ≠ intrinsic interest
o Motivated on the extrinsic level: rewards (e.g., rewarded with points for attending a
lecture) and (avoid) punishment
▪ Getting the knowledge for the course that can be used later on in the career
→ something external (the future) can motivate you to attend the lecture
o Motivated on the intrinsic level: you find something interesting, satisfying, fun which
motivates you to engage in that particular behaviour
- No interest at all: a-motivated, no attention to that behaviour
Self-determination theory
- Gagné & Deci, 2005
- Why would people strive to attain a particular goal?
- Self-determination theory: provide a more elaborate view on why people engage in certain
behaviours
o Make a distinction between amotivation, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic
motivation
- Example: Maarten van der Weijden (olympic champion long distance swimming) swimming
200km to raise money for cancer research
Amotivation: not present. He started the attempt
and showed the behaviour to swim the 200km
Extrinsic motivation: something within his extrinsic
motivation was the primarily source of his
motivation
Intrinsic motivation: not the underlying
process/motivation for the action, seeing as
200km is a lot (no one does that for fun)
SDT: makes a distinction between different kind of
extrinsic motivation based on differences in how
controlled vs. how autonomous they are.
- Accompanied by four different types of
regulatory processes underlying the motivation
External regulation: something outside the person
that regulates the behaviour/ the behaviour is
contingent of something outside the person (e.g.,
punishment and reward)
- Example: earn money for oneself (reward)
2
,Hoorcollege samenvatting: Motivation, Power & Leadership
Introjected, identified, and integrated regulation
differ from external regulation, because it is
something inside the person → internalized
(extrinsic) motivation
- They are different types of motivation, they are
not connected in the sense that you don’t have to
pass one stage to get to the other. They can all
individually be a motivation source for a particular
behaviour
- They differ in how controlled autonomous they
are
Introjected regulation: something inside of you but
very controlled, it presses you to do something
- Can be related to one’s self-esteem, self-worth,
ego-involvement → people strive for enough self-
esteem, which is a strong driving force for
behaviour
- More on the controlled side of the continuum
- Contingent on self-worth and ego-involvement
- Example: boost ego, could feel worthless if he
didn’t do it
Identified regulation: behaviour is contingent
(afhankelijk) on congruence (compatibility) with a
goal or value
- More autonomous form of extrinsic motivation
- It is important for your identity to perform this
type of behaviour
Example: valuable goal for Maarten to raise
money, he may identify himself as someone who
does his share to contribute, part of his identity
Integrated motivation: behaviour is contingent
- Most autonomous form of extrinsic motivation
- Behaviour is central to how you see yourself,
central to who you are as a person
Example: nurses do the dirty jobs (e.g., washing
people) because they care for others
Difference with intrinsic motivation: with
integrated motivation the activity itself could be
boring → you solely do the activity because it is
part of how you see yourself
- With intrinsic motivation then the
activity/task/behaviour is motivating enough →
interesting and fun and gives a sense of fulfilment
3
, Hoorcollege samenvatting: Motivation, Power & Leadership
The primarily source of motivation to swim the
200km (the one time):
- He used to have cancer/survived cancer →
survivors guilt → feel better about himself →
that’s why he swam 200km to raise money
- Not an intrinsic motivation because no one wants
to swim 200km
Type of motivation to do the Social &
Organisational Psychology master programme:
- external regulation: get a diploma which will help
get a job
- introjected regulation: get a better self-worth
feeling when following this master/obtaining the
diploma
- Intrinsic motivation and internalization require fulfilment of the personal need for (Necessary
in order to feel intrinsically motivated or have the most autonomous form of internalized
extrinsic motivation):
o Autonomy (agency): “I feel free to do this”
▪ Feel free to do/have chosen a certain type of behaviour
▪ If you feel that you are monitored/rewarded for a task, intrinsic motivation
can turn into extrinsic motivation → be careful how to sanction (reward or
punish) people to obtain a certain motivation
o Competence (self-efficacy): “I feel I can do this”
▪ If a person doesn’t feel like they are competent enough to complete a task
or express a certain type of behaviour, if you don’t feel that it becomes more
difficult to have the most autonomous form of internalized extrinsic
motivation
o Relatedness (belongingness): “I feel connected to others by doing this”
▪ Relatively new aspect
4
Lecture 1: 12 September 2023
Motivation, power, and leadership – why?
- Current situations and societal issues
- MP&L are everywhere
- Motivation, power, and leadership are deeply connected to each other
- MP&L play a role on:
o Social level: in workgroups, within companies
o Global level: wars, protests
- Extinction rebellion: a protest group, more and more demonstrations occurring of people
who don’t put up with the current power structures
o Illustrates that people are unsatisfied
o Uneven distributions of resource and power (e.g., Boeren protest)
How to manage people?
- At work and beyond
- Why manage people?
o Be a sort of mediator between different parties → guide/overview of a group to get
the best possible outcome
o Avoid conflict between groups
Trainer/coach position who could also give feedback (on both group as individual
level)
- Do people want ‘management’?
o First ask this question (before asking how to manage people)
o Humans are autonomous beings, so why would we want others to tell us what we
should do
What’s up, doc? The problem
- Humans are group-living animals and, therefore, must cope with many coordination and
motivation challenges
- Coordination challenges (Schelling, 1960): people (when working in groups) may have to
coordinate their actions to attain goals
o Example: if you’re part of a sports team and you need to coordinate to attain a
certain (group) goal → example: wash the jerseys
▪ Who takes the lead in the action (e.g., will one person wash all the jerseys?
Will the team take turns washing?)
o Example: if you work in a group on a project, you also need to coordinate the tasks
▪ Who does what?
▪ How do you communicate?
▪ Do you share everything via an app?
o Within a team/group you need to coordinate certain tasks
- Motivation challenges: people may have to be motivated to attain particular goals
o Not every activity is motivating in itself, it could be boring → yet the task needs to be
done
o How to motivate both the individual as the group to obtain a certain goal →
management can be a solution
Motivation challenges
- In the attainment of goals
o Individual motives/on the individual level
o Framework: self-determination theory (Gagné & Deci, 2005)
1
,Hoorcollege samenvatting: Motivation, Power & Leadership
- In social interactions
o Social motives
o Framework: interdependence theory (Parks et al., 2013)
Motivation challenges in the attainment of goals
- Sources of (work) motivation
- No interest ≠ extrinsic interest ≠ intrinsic interest
o Motivated on the extrinsic level: rewards (e.g., rewarded with points for attending a
lecture) and (avoid) punishment
▪ Getting the knowledge for the course that can be used later on in the career
→ something external (the future) can motivate you to attend the lecture
o Motivated on the intrinsic level: you find something interesting, satisfying, fun which
motivates you to engage in that particular behaviour
- No interest at all: a-motivated, no attention to that behaviour
Self-determination theory
- Gagné & Deci, 2005
- Why would people strive to attain a particular goal?
- Self-determination theory: provide a more elaborate view on why people engage in certain
behaviours
o Make a distinction between amotivation, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic
motivation
- Example: Maarten van der Weijden (olympic champion long distance swimming) swimming
200km to raise money for cancer research
Amotivation: not present. He started the attempt
and showed the behaviour to swim the 200km
Extrinsic motivation: something within his extrinsic
motivation was the primarily source of his
motivation
Intrinsic motivation: not the underlying
process/motivation for the action, seeing as
200km is a lot (no one does that for fun)
SDT: makes a distinction between different kind of
extrinsic motivation based on differences in how
controlled vs. how autonomous they are.
- Accompanied by four different types of
regulatory processes underlying the motivation
External regulation: something outside the person
that regulates the behaviour/ the behaviour is
contingent of something outside the person (e.g.,
punishment and reward)
- Example: earn money for oneself (reward)
2
,Hoorcollege samenvatting: Motivation, Power & Leadership
Introjected, identified, and integrated regulation
differ from external regulation, because it is
something inside the person → internalized
(extrinsic) motivation
- They are different types of motivation, they are
not connected in the sense that you don’t have to
pass one stage to get to the other. They can all
individually be a motivation source for a particular
behaviour
- They differ in how controlled autonomous they
are
Introjected regulation: something inside of you but
very controlled, it presses you to do something
- Can be related to one’s self-esteem, self-worth,
ego-involvement → people strive for enough self-
esteem, which is a strong driving force for
behaviour
- More on the controlled side of the continuum
- Contingent on self-worth and ego-involvement
- Example: boost ego, could feel worthless if he
didn’t do it
Identified regulation: behaviour is contingent
(afhankelijk) on congruence (compatibility) with a
goal or value
- More autonomous form of extrinsic motivation
- It is important for your identity to perform this
type of behaviour
Example: valuable goal for Maarten to raise
money, he may identify himself as someone who
does his share to contribute, part of his identity
Integrated motivation: behaviour is contingent
- Most autonomous form of extrinsic motivation
- Behaviour is central to how you see yourself,
central to who you are as a person
Example: nurses do the dirty jobs (e.g., washing
people) because they care for others
Difference with intrinsic motivation: with
integrated motivation the activity itself could be
boring → you solely do the activity because it is
part of how you see yourself
- With intrinsic motivation then the
activity/task/behaviour is motivating enough →
interesting and fun and gives a sense of fulfilment
3
, Hoorcollege samenvatting: Motivation, Power & Leadership
The primarily source of motivation to swim the
200km (the one time):
- He used to have cancer/survived cancer →
survivors guilt → feel better about himself →
that’s why he swam 200km to raise money
- Not an intrinsic motivation because no one wants
to swim 200km
Type of motivation to do the Social &
Organisational Psychology master programme:
- external regulation: get a diploma which will help
get a job
- introjected regulation: get a better self-worth
feeling when following this master/obtaining the
diploma
- Intrinsic motivation and internalization require fulfilment of the personal need for (Necessary
in order to feel intrinsically motivated or have the most autonomous form of internalized
extrinsic motivation):
o Autonomy (agency): “I feel free to do this”
▪ Feel free to do/have chosen a certain type of behaviour
▪ If you feel that you are monitored/rewarded for a task, intrinsic motivation
can turn into extrinsic motivation → be careful how to sanction (reward or
punish) people to obtain a certain motivation
o Competence (self-efficacy): “I feel I can do this”
▪ If a person doesn’t feel like they are competent enough to complete a task
or express a certain type of behaviour, if you don’t feel that it becomes more
difficult to have the most autonomous form of internalized extrinsic
motivation
o Relatedness (belongingness): “I feel connected to others by doing this”
▪ Relatively new aspect
4
