Perceived Inclusion of MANRRS Alumni in Agricultural Organizations: The Relationship Between Inclusion, Psychological Needs, and Intrinsic Motivation  

The goal of this sequential explanatory mixed methods research study was to advance the literature on organizational inclusivity for underrepresented minority groups working in professional agricultural careers. This study sought to understand the relationship between basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence and relatedness) and motivation amongst minorities that both did and did not participate in the co-educational national society MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences). Understanding this relationship, in turn, hoped to reveal what motivating factors work best to improve feelings of inclusivity within an organization. Deci and Ryan's Self-Determination theory was utilized to guide the development and organization of the research objectives for this study. The objectives of this study were to: 1) identify selected demographic characteristics based on MANRRS member and non-member status (e.g. gender, race/ethnicity, age, highest degree earned, current position in career, state of residence, years of involvement in MANRRS as an undergraduate student, frequency of interaction with other members of underrepresented minority groups within their current position, etc.); 2) determine levels of organizational inclusion based on MANRRS member and non-member status; 3) determine levels of intrinsic work motivation based on MANRRS member and non-member status; 4) determine levels of satisfaction in the areas of autonomy, relatedness, and competence based on MANRRS member and non-member status; 5) determine levels of self-efficacy based on MANRRS member and non-member status; and, 6) explain variance in levels of perceived inclusion by selected variables (e.g. age, highest degree earned, and frequency of interaction with other members of underrepresented minority groups within their current position). Additionally, key findings indicated that MANRRS participants were lower in their satisfaction of the need for competence in the workplace when compared against non-MANRRS participants.