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The ARC Framework is our practical model for human flourishing.
ARC comes out of Self-Determination Theory. It names three psychological needs that shape motivation, wellbeing and performance in almost any setting.
Learning, working, volunteering, playing sport: the needs stay surprisingly consistent across all of it.
Tap any circle, including the centre, to see what each need means and how organisations can support it.
Click any circle (including the centre) to explore it.
People do well when they have real choice and ownership. Autonomy gets mistaken for independence, but it isn't about going it alone. It's acting because you stand behind what you're doing, because it fits your own values and interests.
Organisations that support autonomy give people room to shape their experience rather than simply comply with it.
People do well when they feel connected and valued. Relationships are where belonging and trust come from, and they're the social foundation every healthy organisation rests on.
Relationships grow stronger through respect, inclusion, psychological safety and a real sense of community.
People do well when they can see themselves getting better. We're wired to learn and improve. Competence is that feeling of being effective, of handling real challenges and making progress on goals that matter.
Competence grows stronger through feedback, achievement and the steady build towards mastery.
At the centre of ARC is a simple idea: people flourish when Autonomy, Relationships and Competence are all supported at once. Get the three working together and the effects compound, better motivation and wellbeing, more resilience, stronger commitment, and a clearer sense that the work means something.
ARC gives organisations a way to build those conditions on purpose.
Autonomy gets mistaken for independence. It actually means acting with a sense of volition, standing behind what you do. People are more motivated when their work lines up with their own values and interests, and when they get to shape their experience instead of just complying with it.
Strengthened when people experience voice, choice, ownership, participation and influence.
People do well when they feel connected, valued and supported. Relationships are where belonging and trust come from, and they're the social foundation of any healthy organisation. Where they're built on purpose, people engage and contribute more.
Strengthened when people experience respect, inclusion, psychological safety, collaboration and community.
We're naturally driven to learn and improve. Competence is the experience of feeling effective, of handling challenges and making progress on goals that matter. Organisations that support it give people room to keep developing what they're good at.
Strengthened when people experience growth, achievement, feedback, learning and mastery.
At the centre of ARC is a simple belief: people flourish when Autonomy, Relationships and Competence are supported together.
When those conditions hold, the gains stack up: better-quality motivation, stronger wellbeing and resilience, better performance, and a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.
The ARC Framework helps organisations intentionally create these conditions.
Let's talk about what supporting Autonomy, Relationships and Competence could look like in your context.
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