The business landscape is transitioning towards a global economy and cheaper labor in other countries is depleting the capabilities for viable employment in the United States. The problem addressed was job losses in the United States due to higher domestic production costs and lower labor costs overseas. Productivity and compensation models that enhanced motivation were explored and trends became evident that intrinsic and extrinsic motivational balance may optimize performance, which are components of self-determination theory. Furthermore, the literature indicated that gainsharing programs may contain elements of this theory. The goal was to qualitatively explore the effects of gainsharing programs in three manufacturing firms within the context of the self-determination theory. The phenomenological approach was utilized via multiple facilities to collect data from the perceptions of 16 participants who have used gainsharing programs and were members from the operations, finance, and human resources departments.