Envisioning a “Dream Job” to Learn Self-Determination Theory

self-determination theory; intrinsic motivation; extrinsic motivation

Teaching the concept of motivation to business students can be challenging due to the number of theories and students’ limited work experience. I will lead an exercise that connects to self-determination theory. Attendees will be prompted to think of their dream job – one that would be the most rewarding – and to identify the extrinsic and intrinsic motivators for that job. Participants will leave the session with a tool to help their students achieve a better understanding of self-determination theory, and spur students to think about how to increase their intrinsic motivation in their own career.