Motivation, Rewards, and Education: A Conversation with Edward L. Deci

The idea that we get more of a behavior when it is externally rewarded or reinforced is built into many organizational processes and educational institutions and is often treated as axiomatic, but studies going back to the early 1970s have firmly called this into question. Today, businesses and schools are reassessing many of their routine practices in the light of modern theories of intrinsic motivation and self-determination theory. In this episode, host Dave Goldberg interviews one of the pioneers of modern motivation theory, Edward L. Deci. His work on motivation spans 46 years, and he is author of ten books including the 1996 text, “Why We Do What We Do.” Join Ed and Dave for a lively discussion of important research results and their implications for business and education.