Jacques Forest

Université du Québec à Montréal | UQAM · Department of Organization and Human Resources

Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a broad theory of psychological growth and wellness that has revolutionized how we think about human motivation and the driving forces behind personality development. SDT focuses on people’s basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and how social environments that support these needs fos...

This research presents the conceptualization and validation of a new scale assessing a multidimensional perspective on well-being named “Optimal Functioning in Society” (OFIS; Vallerand, 2013). The concept of OFIS refers to high levels of psychological, physical, and relational well-being, high performance in one’s main field of endeavor, and contr...

Cet article présente le possible besoin de bienveillance en s'intéressant à ses implications dans le contexte du travail. Nous proposons que sa satisfaction favorise la motivation autonome, le bien-être et les comportements prosociaux, tandis que sa frustration augmente la détresse psychologique, la motivation contrôlée et les comportements déviant...

Background Long-term psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers remain unknown. We aimed to determine the one-year progression of burnout and mental health since pandemic onset, and verify if protective factors against psychological distress at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (Cyr et al. in Front Psychiatry; 2021) r...

This study sheds light on the strengths-based approach and the deficit correction approach regarding training and development at work. The former is operationalized by perceived organizational support for strength use (POSSU) and strengths use behaviors (SUB), and the latter through perceived organizational support for deficit correction (POSDC) an...

This study sheds light on the strengths-based approach and the deficit correction approach regarding training and development at work. The former is operationalized by perceived organizational support for strength use (POSSU) and strengths use behaviors (SUB), and the latter through perceived organizational support for deficit correction (POSDC) an...

Strength interventions at work have been shown to influence workers’ optimal functioning and well-being. To increase the accessibility of these interventions in the workplace, relying on digital platforms would be a realistic idea. Akin to the Character Strengths 360-degree feedback activity, a smartphone (and computer) application allows users to...

This study examined within-person and within-sample stability of need satisfaction profiles over a three-month period among a sample of 1319 nurses. This study also considered the implications of these profiles for employee functioning (vigor, need for recovery, and job satisfaction), as well as the role of perfectionism and job crafting in predict...

Significance Communicating in ways that motivate engagement in social distancing remains a critical global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study tested motivational qualities of messages about social distancing (those that promoted choice and agency vs. those that were forceful and shaming) in 25,718 people in 89 countries...

Research based on Self-determination theory suggests that the reasons that motivate people to spend money have an influence on psychological need satisfaction and well-being (e.g., Zhang, Howell & Caprariello, 2013). This article adds to this literature by identifying how a broader set of reasons for spending influence psychological health and expl...

The present paper describes a quasi-experimental research presenting a workplace training program aimed at helping managers to be more supportive of their employees’ autonomy. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, we built a pre/post questionnaire design measuring perceived autonomy support, need satisfaction, need frustration, autonomous motivatio...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to present validation evidence of a Portuguese version of the multidimensional work motivation scale, an instrument within the framework of the self-determination theory, suitable for both Brazil and Portugal. Design/methodology/approach The current study demonstrates the suitability of this version in both Por...

In the present research, we validated a new scale developed from Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to assess the functional meaning of cash rewards offered in the workplace. According to SDT, rewards can take on different meanings based on the way they are perceived by individuals. In a series of three studies in different socioeconomic contexts, we...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has put chronic pressure on worldwide healthcare systems. While the literature regarding the prevalence of psychological distress and associated risk factors among healthcare workers facing COVID-19 has exploded, biological variables have been mostly overlooked. Methods 467 healthcare workers from Quebec, Canada, a...

Objective: This study examined how best to identify modifiable protective and risk factors for burnout in healthcare workers in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual, occupational, organizational and social factors were investigated. The study also assessed the impact of these factors on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and d...

he objectives of this article were twofold: (1) understand what motivates people to make money and how this impacts well-being and (2) explore whether it is possible to encourage the adoption of healthy reasons for making money. Using confirmatory factor analysis (n = 633), Study 1 found support for three broad categories of reasons for making mone...

en Strengths use has been frequently associated with work performance. However, the psychological processes involved in this relation remain unclear. Drawing on the Broaden‐and‐Build theory of positive emotions and extending previous work on this topic, the objective of this study was to examine the mediator role of positive and negative emotions i...

The many theoretical and empirical studies of work motivation to date have not fully clarified how it develops and evolves over time. We therefore investigated profiles of employees to identify their self-determination trajectories, and we examined differences among these profiles with respect to diverse predictors and outcomes. We gathered data (a...

For decades, compensation management has advocated for the use of financial incentives, such as bonuses, merit increases and stock options. The reason for their use is that employees should be compensated based on, and commensurate with, their contribution to organizational success. Not only is compensation based on individual contributions deemed...

Le présent article se veut une contribution théorique à la documentation scientifique sur la satisfaction de trois besoins fondamentaux : la motivation au travail, le bien-être et la performance au travail. La théorie de l’autodétermination a fait l’objet de plusieurs études (en plus de 45 ans de recherche) et est l’une des théories les plus largem...

Grounded in self-determination theory and the dualistic model of passion, the present study tested whether a social media intervention could promote harmonious passion and positive emotions related to exercise activities. A 4-week intervention managed through an Instagram™ account was designed to promote more harmonious passion and less obsessive p...

Using self-determination theory, this research sheds light on the role of different subjective, or functional, meanings of cash rewards on employees’ functioning. Based on three samples of workers from across the world in a variety of industries, the current research provides empirical evidence that cash rewards perceived as having an informative m...

This study extends the research and theory on work motivation by examining temporal stability and change in employees’ self-determined work motivation profiles and their differential relations to various predictors and outcomes. We gathered data at two time points over a 24-month period from a sample of 438 newly registered public health care nurse...

We investigated, based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the impact of the functional meaning of monetary rewards on individuals’ motivation and performance and further tested the role of the psychological needs as the underlying mechanism. In two experimental studies, we show that when presented in an autonomy-supportive way, rewards lead partic...

Following self-determination theory, this paper investigates the relations of employees’ perceptions of supervisors’ autonomy-supportive or controlling environments to their intrinsic or extrinsic work goals using both a field study and a computational dynamics model (Vancouver and Weinhardt in Org Res Methods 15(4):602–623, 2012), which is a recen...

We aim to examine the negative (relationship conflict) and positive (in-role job performance) outcomes of employees’ innovative behavior, and explore the moderation effect of employees’ goal content and supervisors’ achievement goal orientation in these relationships. Data from 218 employees and their immediate supervisors were collected in compani...

The organizational environment is purported to have a profound impact on how employees behave at work. In particular, the extent to which the work environment can foster autonomy in employees has been shown to predict several positive outcomes for employees and organizations. This research explores the associations between employees’ experiences of...

This research draws on self-determination theory to investigate (a) the role of cooperative psychological climate in promoting harmonious work passion among employees with low intrinsic motivation; and (b) the mediating role of harmonious passion in linking cooperative psychological climate to behavioral outcomes. We propose that cooperative psycho...

As much debate exists concerning the beneficial effect of using financial incentives to motivate employees in the scientific and practitioner literature, the current research explored employees’ perceptions of the cash rewards they receive at work to better understand their motivational impact. A model based on Self-determination theory and its pos...

The Problem. Little is known about the psychological process employees’ experience when they interact in their workplace, evaluate its characteristics, and become passionate about their work. As a proposed psychological mechanism, Self-determination theory postulates that the satisfaction of the three basic psychological human needs is essential fo...

Problem: According to self-determination theory (SDT), employees can experience different types of motivation with respect to their work. The presence of the different types of motivation is important given that, compared to controlled regulation (introjected and extrinsic motivation), autonomous regulation (intrinsic and identified motivation) lea...

Objective: The present research investigated the role of two sources of psychological need satisfaction (inside and outside a passionate activity) as determinants of harmonious (HP) and obsessive (OP) passion. Method: Four studies were carried out with different samples of young and mid-aged adults (e.g., athletes, musicians; n = 648 in total)....

La compréhension des motivations à vouloir (re)travailler des personnes au chômage est un enjeu majeur pour les professionnels de l’insertion aussi bien que pour les chercheurs en psychologie. Cependant, il n’existe actuellement aucun outil permettant de mesurer ce type de motivation. Positionnant notre conception de la motivation dans la théorie d...

To this day, researchers are debating about the adequacy of using financial incentives to bolster performance in work settings. Our goal was to contribute to our current understanding by considering the moderating role of distributive justice in the relation between financial incentives, motivation, and performance. Based on self-determination theo...

The goal of the present study was to test the efficacy of a strengths-based intervention program delivered in the workplace and assess its impact on well-being, performance, harmonious passion, vitality and concentration of workers. The intervention program was conducted on a sample of 78 participants working in a physical readaptation center and c...

To this day, researchers are debating about the adequacy of using financial incentives to bolster performance in work settings. Our goal was to contribute to our current understanding by considering the moderating role of distributive justice in the relation between financial incentives, motivation, and performance. Based on self-determination theo...

en In line with self‐determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), this study aims to determine the influence of different contents and motives of career aspirations, together with objective career success, on subjective career success and well‐being. Moreover, it aims to verify if psychological need, satisfaction, and frustration play a mediating role...

This study investigated relations between pay-for-performance incentives designed to vary in instrumentality (annual pay-for-performance, quarterly pay-for-performance, and base pay level) and employee outcomes (self-reported work effort and turnover intention) in a longitudinal study spanning more than two years. After controlling for perceived in...

The dualistic model of passion was investigated in a work context. This model states that individuals may develop either a harmonious or obsessive passion for a valued activity. We hypothesized that harmonious passion for work would be positively related to job satisfaction through higher perceptions of belongingness at work. Results from a survey...

Researchers have debated for years whether money can lead to happiness. Indeed, the findings to date are contradictory in regard to the impact of individuals’ motives for making money on their psychological well-being. This study aimed to reconcile these findings and show that certain motives for making money can be beneficial to individuals’ psych...

This paper explores the nature of workplace motivation by testing the continuum structure of motivation proposed by self-determination theory through the application of relatively new and advanced methodological techniques. Specifically, we demonstrate the usefulness of the overarching bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling framework in...

The aim of this study was to provide insight into the differential relationships between job characteristics (job demands and resources) and employee functioning by examining the psychological and motivational processes involved. Drawing on self-determination theory, we tested a model in which job demands are positively related to negative manifest...

Using a multidimensional perspective, the Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Scale (P-PASS) assesses autonomy-supportive and controlling parenting (Grolnick & Pomerantz, 2009). Two studies document the instrument's psychometric properties (Study 1, N = 210, mean age = 18.8 years; Study 2, N = 315, mean age = 18.5 years). Exploratory factor analyse...

The purpose of the present research was twofold: 1) examine the mediating role of need satisfaction and need thwarting in the relationships of task variety, role conflict, and perceived leader support on affective commitment; and 2) examine whether affective commitment leads to positive affect, cynicism, and turnover intentions. We tested a model i...

Le bien-être des salariés est au coeur des préoccupations des chercheurs et des praticiens depuis une dizaine d’années, car la détérioration de celui-ci n’est pas sans conséquence, d’un point de vue économique, pour les organisations et la société dans son ensemble. À titre d’exemple, le coût total de la dépression psychologique dans l’Union europé...

The link between money and motivation has been a debated topic for decades, especially in work organizations. However, field studies investigating the amount of pay in relation to employee motivation is lacking and there have been calls for empirical studies addressing compensation systems and motivation in the work domain. The purpose of this stud...

This study aimed to deepen our understanding of the motivational mechanisms involved in the relationship between transformational leadership (TFL) and employee functioning. Drawing on the TFL literature, the job demands–resources model and self-determination theory, we propose an integrative model that relates TFL to employee psychological health (...

The link between money and motivation has been a debated topic for decades, especially so in organizations. However, field studies investigating the amount of pay in relation to employee motivation is lacking and there has been calls for empirical studies addressing compensation systems in the work domain. The purpose of this study was to address t...

Self-determination theory proposes a multidimensional conceptualization of motivation comprising autonomous and controlled forms. Whereas autonomous motivation relates positively to individuals’ optimal functioning (e.g., well-being, performance), controlled motivation is less beneficial. To be able to use self-determination theory in the field of...

Athletes that are happy in their sport participate more often, and for longer. Therefore, understanding the processes that give rise to positive emotions in recreational sport is important. Grounded in the dualistic model of passion, the present study tested a structural model in which harmonious and obsessive passion predict positive emotions in r...

This study examined the role of passion for work in the health impairment and motivational processes proposed by the job demands-resources model. Based on the dualistic model of passion, we proposed that harmonious and obsessive passion intervene simultaneously in the relationship between (1) job demands and burnout/engagement, and (2) job resource...

Vallerand et al. developed a dualistic model of passion where two types of passion are proposed: harmonious and obsessive passion. They generally predict adaptive and less adaptive outcomes, respectively. In this study, we examine whether the type of passion that employees hold toward work influences their evaluations of job demands and resources.W...

Research has shown that strengths use and development can foster individual performance and well-being at work. However, to date little is known about the underlying psychological processes that might be operating in this relation. The purpose of this study was first to confirm the strengths use to work performance association and, second, to asses...

Self-determination theory proposes a multidimensional conceptualization of motivation comprising autonomous and controlled forms. Whereas autonomous motivation relates positively to individuals’ optimal functioning (e.g., well-being, performance), controlled motivation is less beneficial. To be able to use self-determination theory in the field of...

Self-determination theory proposes a multidimensional conceptualization of motivation comprising autonomous and controlled forms. Whereas autonomous motivation relates positively to individuals’ optimal functioning (e.g., well-being, performance), controlled motivation is less beneficial. To be able to use self-determination theory in the field of...

Nous connaissons bien nos faiblesses, car nous avons appris à leur accorder une grande attention et à investir temps et énergie pour les corriger afin d'accroître notre performance. Cet article propose plutôt aux personnes d'optimiser l'utilisation de leurs forces au travail. Nous définissons d'abord le concept de «force» et précise les éléments qu...

Nurturing and fulfilling relationships in the workplace are a crucial ingredient for having a motivated and healthy workforce. Self-determination theory offers a relevant framework to understand the process leading to workers' optimal functioning in organizational settings. Based on this theory applied in work settings, this chapter reviews evidenc...

The purpose of the present research is to present a model pertaining to the mediating roles of rumination and recovery experiences in the relationship between a harmonious and an obsessive passion (Vallerand et al., 2003) for work and workers' emotional exhaustion. Two populations were measured in the present research: namely elite coaches and nurs...

Using signature strengths at work has been shown to influence workers' optimal functioning and well-being. However, little is known about the processes through which signature strengths lead to positive outcomes. The present research thus aimed at exploring the role of having a harmonious passion in the relation between using signature strengths an...

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the Basic Psychological Needs at Work Scale (BPNWS) in French, but items are also provided in English in the article. The BPNWS is a work-related self-report instrument designed to measure the degree to which the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as identified by Self-Determination...