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The concept of human motivation is at the core of any management-related discipline (e.g., human resource management, organization behavior, strategy, organization theory). The importance of this topic is attested to by the vast accumulation of research in this area. Fascination with the subject is based on the long-held assumption that more motivation leads to better performance, and, therefore, if we can understand what motivation is, how it is formed, and how to increase it, we can use that knowledge to enhance individual and firm performance (Lawler, 1973). Yet, despite decades of research and theorizing, the concept of motivation in the organization remains contested. Hundreds of definitions exist (Landy & Becker, 1987), numerous theories have been presented to explain motivation (Ambrose & Kulik, 1999), and consistent measurement of the construct has suffered as a result (Pinder, 1984). Indeed, Ambrose and Kulik (1999) suggested that researchers have shied away from trying to define motivation at all. Given the critical role motivation plays in organizational studies, and how important motivation is becoming today, we make one more attempt at re-evaluating the concept of motivation but from a somewhat different perspective. We hope our novel approach not only adds to what we currently know about motivation, but also helps bring the topic even further into the forefront of managing businesses.At the core of our argument is the assumption that motivation at work is really

BackgroundOver 100 trials show that patient decision aids effectively improve patients’ information comprehension and values-based decision making. However, gaps remain in our understanding of several fundamental and applied questions, particularly related to the design of interactive, personalized decision aids. This paper describes an interdisciplinary development process for, and early field testing of, a web-based patient decision support research platform, or virtual decision lab, to address these questions.MethodsAn interdisciplinary stakeholder panel designed the web-based research platform with three components: a) an introduction to shared decision making, b) a web-based patient decision aid, and c) interactive data collection items. Iterative focus groups provided feedback on paper drafts and online prototypes. A field test assessed a) feasibility for using the research platform, in terms of recruitment, usage, and acceptability; and b) feasibility of using the web-based decision aid component, compared to performance of a videobooklet decision aid in clinical care.ResultsThis interdisciplinary, theory-based, patient-centered design approach produced a prototype for field-testing in six months. Participants (n = 126) reported that: the decision aid component was easy to use (98%), information was clear (90%), the length was appropriate (100%), it was appropriately detailed (90%), and it held their interest (97%). They spent a mean of 36 minutes using the decision aid and 100% preferred using their home/library computer. Participants scored a mean of 75% correct on the Decision Quality, Knowledge Subscale, and 74 out of 100 on the Preparation for Decision Making Scale. Completing the web-based decision aid reduced mean Decisional Conflict scores from 31.1 to 19.5 (p < 0.01).ConclusionsCombining decision science and health informatics approaches facilitated rapid development of a web-based patient decision support research platform that was feasible for use in research studies in terms of recruitment, acceptability, and usage. Within this platform, the web-based decision aid component performed comparably with the videobooklet decision aid used in clinical practice. Future studies may use this interactive research platform to study patients’ decision making processes in real-time, explore interdisciplinary approaches to designing web-based decision aids, and test strategies for tailoring decision support to meet patients’ needs and preferences.

In supporting ongoing research efforts, an online decision support tool appears to be useful for individuals facing preference-sensitive decisions and an online designer tool allows for rapid deployment of these research sites to support ongoing research efforts in shared decision making.