---
id: "concept-self-determination-upskilling"
type: "concept"
source_timestamps: ["¶43 (Daniela Seabrook)"]
tags: ["psychology", "upskilling", "employee-engagement"]
related: ["claim-role-specific-upskilling", "action-involve-employees-in-redesign", "entity-daniela-seabrook"]
speakers: ["Daniela Seabrook"]
definition: "The application of autonomy, competence, and belonging to ensure employees remain engaged and empowered during AI-driven role transformations."
sources: ["reskilling"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-reskilling"
originDay: 10
articleStem: "hbr-edu-43-leading-human-ai-organization"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/05/leading-the-human-ai-organization"
sourceTitle: "Leading the Human-AI Organization"
---
# Self-Determination in AI Upskilling

Applying **Self-Determination Theory (SDT)** to AI adoption is crucial for maintaining high employee engagement during periods of rapid technological disruption. [[entity-daniela-seabrook|Daniela Seabrook]] outlines three psychological pillars employees need to feel self-determined:

1. **Autonomy** — Employees must be actively involved in the redesign of their own jobs, rather than having changes dictated to them top-down. Currently, **only about a third of employees** are involved in these changes. The operational move is captured in [[action-involve-employees-in-redesign]].
2. **Competence** — Employees must feel that their existing skills are still valuable and that they are receiving meaningful, **role-specific upskilling** (see [[claim-role-specific-upskilling]]) that provides a clear path forward in their evolving roles.
3. **Belonging** — Employees must feel they remain an integral part of the company community despite the introduction of non-human agents.

When these three needs are met, organizations can **mitigate burnout and drive better business performance.**

**Enrichment note:** SDT (Deci & Ryan) is a well-established motivational theory; the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are empirically linked to engagement, performance, and reduced burnout at work. AI-transformation guidance independently stresses role-specific reskilling (competence), keeping employees involved in change (autonomy), and maintaining trust and inclusion (belonging). While not every AI paper uses SDT language, the three pillars match documented best practices — a theoretically grounded, plausible application.