Here are 2 books on Motivation:
1) Self-Determination Theory (SDT), developed by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, highlights three central psychological needs: competence, autonomy, and relatedness.
If we think about work, these needs when satisfied can increase innovation and lead to better performance and well-being.
As a paper by Gagne (2022) on SDT shows, and as we have seen recently with AI - there are rapid technological advancements changing the nature of work, which means it’s crucial to understand how these shifts impact these essential psychological needs.
While technology offers benefits, its integration often neglects the role of motivation.
Let’s remember, for our motivation to be satisfied we need competence (mastery over one’s environment), autonomy (being an agent of one’s actions), and relatedness (forming meaningful connections).
Research consistently shows that when these needs are met, employees experience reduced burnout, increased commitment, and a myriad of other positive outcomes.
SDT also shows some motivation types: intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation.
The most beneficial motivation, intrinsic is strongly linked to job satisfaction, performance, and other positive work outcomes.
Hence, knowing and then designing for such motivation at work, is vital.
2) Motivation by Douglas G Mook: This is textbook on motivation for those who really want to delve deep into the subject (it’s hard to find - or very expensive these days from what I saw on Amazon)
It covers everything from motivation concepts, to motivation theories, human motivation, decision theory.
I have to read this from front to back, but use it more as a reference when I want to knlw more about a specific area of motivation.
And remember, motivation alome won’t drive a behaviour, you also need to be able to know how to do a behaviour and have the resources and environment to do it :)
Want to see more books I own, check out my books list in the comments