Operationalizing SDT needs in AI-augmented work
| Need | Leader behaviors (LMX) | AI design features | Example measures | Proximal outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomy | Offers meaningful choice; provides rationales; invites voice on tools | Explainability views; reversible choices; user-set thresholds; human override | Work-related BNS autonomy subscale | Lower controlled motivation; stronger intrinsic motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2020) |
| Competence | Sets optimally challenging goals; coaches with taskspecific feedback | Calibrated feedback; confidence scores; error diagnostics; learning prompts | Work-related BNS competence; self-efficacy | Skill growth; efficiency gains (Ryan & Deci, 2020) |
| Relatedness | Regular one-to-ones; fair workload negotiation; recognition rituals | Transparent tradeoff views; respectful notifications; visibility of peer impacts | Work-related BNS relatedness; team climate | Belonging; lower withdrawal cognitions (Ryan & Deci, 2020; Van den Broeck et al., 2010) |