The Power of Autonomy

Autonomy at first seems straightforward: don’t micro-manage people and provide choices. But the research suggests delivering autonomy – at work or in a game – is more complex.

First of all, not all choices are created equally. Research suggests that, in some situations, the more choices you provide someone, the less happy they are with the choices they make. (For scientific sources, please see “Choose From Three” in this list of scientific sources for Choose Happiness at Work.) So, limiting the choices you provide may result in more happiness for the chooser; you might give the people you work with three, two, or even just one option.

You might be thinking, “Wait, one option doesn’t deliver autonomy!” But the research behind autonomy suggests you don’t actually have to provide choices to have autonomy. If you want to be doing what you are doing, you have autonomy even if you have no choice. This makes getting buy-in crucial, whether in the office or a game. By explaining the why behind our request, we can deliver our colleagues autonomy even if they have no choice about whether to comply. As Italian diplomat Daniel Vare said, “Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way.”

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To learn more about mastery and relatedness, how game designers deliver those, and how you can, too, please stay tuned. Or play Choose Happiness at Work to experience mastery and relatedness while learning about both.

As always, we would love to hear from you! Do you get enough autonomy at work? What happens to your motivation when you get it or you don’t? How do you deliver autonomy to your colleagues at work? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this post, our blog, Facebook page, or by tweeting to @ScottCrab.