Twentieth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

Individuals spend a majority of their time at the workplace, and as employees, are a company’s most valuable asset, influencing productivity, quality and costs. Employees require certain needs to be met in order to achieve positive perceptions on organizational culture. Fostering a strong and positive organizational culture is important for employees’ well-being and encourages them to remain with a company for a longer period of time, leading to higher retention rates. Using self-determination theory (SDT) as a lens on organizational culture provides insight on how entry-level employees to top-level management can influence motivation. According to SDT, every human has three basic psychological needs; relatedness, competency and autonomy, that need to be satisfied to achieve higher levels of intrinsic motivation. The effects of fulfilling or neglecting relatedness, competency and autonomy alter employees’ perceptions of organizational culture. Through a literature review, gaps to satisfying employee needs within a company’s organizational culture and suggestions for how to close these gaps were identified. Unfortunately, motivational theory knowledge is not readily available in a format that the average individual can access or comprehend. A series of short videos was developed and published on Dissen Media via YouTube to make this content more accessible. This allows companies and employees to learn about these concepts, and provides the opportunity to implement them into their work environments. This discussion involves conversation and viewing videos about how companies and employees have the power to influence the work environment to optimize motivation, improve well-being, and increase retention.