You Oughta Know Jacques Forest

In this episode, we are joined by Jacques Forest, an expert in applying SDT in the work environment. He is the co-author of THE ABC OF WORK MOTIVATION with Anja Van den Broeck, Hermina  Van Coillie, and Marcus B. Muller. You can buy the book wherever books are sold. You can also find it here: https://www.aup.nl/en/book/9789048562732/the-abc-of-work-motivation. The book is also available in French.

LDA is hosting a free MEET-THE-AUTHOR event on June 25, 2025 with Jacques, Anja, Hermina, and Marcus. It is open to the public and will be recorded for those who cannot make it. Learn more and register here:

https://members.ldaccelerator.com/c/upcoming-free-programs/meet-the-authors-of-the-abcs-of-work-motivation-6565600f-9d96-4dde-b42f-7d57a1182315

We discuss rewards and pay implications, the ROI of using SDT to foster a well-being-focused culture, and several practical tips. We deviate to talk about how fairness regarding money plays a role in how we perceive money motivationally.

Jacques mentions Maarten Vansteenkiste and Bart Soenens from UGent and their work on how needs satisfaction is universal, but not uniform. An example of their work is here:

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01HTM618TXZ27FFZ8W3NY97KE7.

Jacques references our friend, Marylene Gagne, whom we interviewed in an early episode of this podcast.

Jacques references a meta-analysis co-authored by Anya Van den Broeck about well-being. That article can be found here:

Van den Broeck, A., Howard, J. L., Van Vaerenbergh, Y., Leroy, H., & Gagné, M. (2021). Beyond intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: A meta-analysis on self-determination theory’s multidimensional conceptualization of work motivation. Organizational Psychology Review, 11(3), 240-273. https://doi.org/10.1177/20413866211006173  (Original work published 2021)

Anya also co-authored an excellent and related article with Maarten Vansteenkiste and others. You can find that here: 

Van den Broeck, Anja & Vansteenkiste, Maarten & De Witte, Hans & Lens, Willy. (2008). Explaining the relationships between job characteristics, burnout, and engagement: The role of basic psychological need satisfaction. Work & Stress. 22. 277-294. 10.1080/02678370802393672. 

Jacques is an Organizational Psychologist and Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP, Distinction Fellow) Full professor in the Department of Organization and Human Resources at UQAM Business School, Jacques Forest is a master in the art of building bridges between science and practice. His research focuses on self-determination theory (SDT) and the motivational factors needed to reconcile performance and well-being in a sustainable way. 

You can find Jacques at UQAM (https://professeurs.uqam.ca/professeur/forest.jacques/) or linkedin: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquesforest/)