Need theory

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Need theory, also known as Three Needs Theory,[1] proposed by psychologist David
McClelland, is a motivational model that attempts to explain how the needs for achievement,
power, and affiliation affect the actions of people from a managerial context. This model was
developed in the 1960s soon after Maslow's hierarchy of needs in the 1940s. McClelland stated
that we all have these three types of motivation regardless of age, sex, race, or culture. The type
of motivation by which each individual is driven derives from their life experiences and the
opinions of their culture. This need theory is often taught in classes concerning management or
organizational behaviour.

Contents
1 Need for achievement

2 Need for affiliation

3 Need for power

4 Effect on management

5 References

Need for achievement

Main article: Need for achievement

They prefer working on tasks of moderate difficulty, prefer work in which the results are based
on their effort rather than on anything else, and prefer to receive feedback on their work.
Achievement based individuals tend to avoid both high-risk and low-risk situations. Low-risk
situations are seen as too easy to be valid and the high-risk situations are seen as based more on
the luck of the situation rather than the achievements that individual made.[2] This personality
type is motivated by accomplishment in the workplace and an employment hierarchy with
promotional positions.[3]

Need for affiliation

Main article: Need for affiliation
People who have a need for affiliation prefer to spend time creating and maintaining social
relationships, enjoy being a part of groups, and have a desire to feel loved and accepted. People
in this group tend to adhere to the norms of the culture in that workplace and typically do not
change the norms of the workplace for fear of rejection. This person favors collaboration over
competition and does not like situations with high risk or high uncertainty. People who have a
need for affiliation work well in areas based on social interactions like customer service or client
interaction positions.[2]

Need for power

Main article: Need for power

People in this category enjoy work and place a high value on discipline. The downside to this
motivational type is that group goals can become zero-sum in nature, that is, for one person to
win, another must lose. However, this can be positively applied to help accomplish group goals
and to help others in the group feel competent about their work. A person motivated by this need
enjoys status recognition, winning arguments, competition, and influencing others. With this
motivational type comes a need for personal prestige, and a constant need for a better personal
status.[3]

Effect on management
McClelland's research showed that 86% of the population are dominant in one, two, or all three
of these three types of motivation. His subsequent research, published in the 1977 Harvard
Business Review article "Power is the Great Motivator", found that those in top management
positions had a high need for power and a low need for affiliation. His research also found that
people with a high need for achievement will do best when given projects where they can
succeed through their own efforts. Although individuals with a strong need for achievement can
be successful lower-level managers, they are usually weeded out before reaching top
management positions. He also found that people with a high need for affiliation may not be
good top managers but are generally happier, and can be highly successful in non-leadership
roles such as the foreign service.[4][5]

Psychologist David McClelland developed Need Theory, a motivational model that

attempts to explain how the needs for achievement, power (authority), and
affiliation affect people's actions in a management context. Need Theory is
commonly often taught in management and organizational-behavior classes.

Achievement

People who are strongly achievement-motivated are driven by the desire for mastery. They prefer
working on tasks of moderate difficulty in which outcomes are the result of their effort rather
than of luck. They value receiving feedback on their work.
Affiliation

People who are strongly affiliation-motivated are driven by the desire to create and maintain
social relationships. They enjoy belonging to a group and want to feel loved and accepted. They
may not make effective managers because they may worry too much about how others will feel
about them.

Power

People who are strongly power-motivated are driven by the desire to influence, teach, or
encourage others. They enjoy work and place a high value on discipline. However, they may take
a zero-sum approach to group workfor one person to win, or succeed, another must lose, or
fail. If channeled appropriately, though, this can positively support group goals and help others in
the group feel competent about their work.

Application of Need Theory

Need Theory does not claim that people can be categorized into one of three types. Rather, it
asserts that all people are motivated by all of these needs in varying degrees and proportions. An
individual's balance of these needs forms a kind of profile that can be useful in determining a
motivational paradigm for them. It is important to note that needs do not necessarily correlate
with competencies; it is possible for an employee to be strongly affiliation-motivated, for
example, but to still be successful in a situation in which his affiliation needs are not met.

McClelland proposes that those in top management positions should have a high need for power
and a low need for affiliation. He also believes that although individuals with a need for
achievement can make good managers, they are not generally suited to being in top management
positions.

One of your team members recently created a report that was so thorough and well-written that
the board of directors asked you to make sure that she was praised for her efforts.

So, at your monthly staff meeting, you stood up in front of the group, and congratulated her on
her achievement, and for the good impression she made for the team. However, instead of
smiling and appreciating the attention, she looked embarrassed. She lowered her head, and as
soon as she could, she left and went to her office.

What did you do wrong?

Managing a group of people with different personalities is never easy. But if you're managing or
leading a team, it's essential to know what motivates your people, how they respond to feedback
and praise, and what tasks fit them well. David McClelland's Human Motivation Theory gives
you a way of identifying people's motivating drivers. This can then help you to give praise and
feedback effectively, assign them suitable tasks, and keep them motivated.

Using McClelland's theory in the example above would have helped you structure your feedback
for the person. You would have known that your team member's main motivational driver is
affiliation, which means that she never wants to stand out in a crowd. So, your feedback would
have been far more effective, and appreciated, if you had praised her in private.

In this article, we'll explore McClelland's Human Motivation Theory, and look at how you can
use it to manage and lead your team more effectively.

Note:
McClelland's Human Motivation Theory is also known as Three Needs Theory, Acquired Needs
Theory, Motivational Needs Theory, and Learned Needs Theory.

Understanding McClelland's Theory

In the early 1940s, Abraham Maslow created his theory of needs . This identified the basic
needs that human beings have, in order of their importance: physiological needs, safety needs,
and the needs for belonging, self-esteem and "self-actualization".

Later, David McClelland built on this work in his 1961 book, "The Achieving Society." He
identified three motivators that he believed we all have: a need for achievement, a need for
affiliation, and a need for power. People will have different characteristics depending on their
dominant motivator.

According to McClelland, these motivators are learned (which is why this theory is sometimes
called the Learned Needs Theory).

McClelland says that, regardless of our gender, culture, or age, we all have three motivating
drivers, and one of these will be our dominant motivating driver. This dominant motivator is
largely dependent on our culture and life experiences.

These characteristics are as follows:

Dominant
Characteristics of This Person
Motivator

Achievement
Has a strong need to set and accomplish challenging goals.
 Dominant
Characteristics of This Person
Motivator

Takes calculated risks to accomplish their goals.

Likes to receive regular feedback on their progress and

achievements.

Often likes to work alone.

Wants to belong to the group.

Wants to be liked, and will often go along with whatever the

Affiliation rest of the group wants to do.

Favors collaboration over competition.

Doesn't like high risk or uncertainty.

Wants to control and influence others.

Likes to win arguments.

Power
Enjoys competition and winning.

Enjoys status and recognition.

Note:
Those with a strong power motivator are often divided into two groups: personal and
institutional. People with a personal power drive want to control others, while people with an
institutional power drive like to organize the efforts of a team to further the company's goals. As
you can probably imagine, those with an institutional power need are usually more desirable as
team members!

Using the Theory

McClelland's theory can help you to identify the dominant motivators of people on your team.
You can then use this information to influence how you set goals and provide feedback , and
how you motivate and reward team members.
You can also use these motivators to craft, or design, the job around your team members,
ensuring a better fit.

Let's look at the steps for using McClelland's theory:

Step 1: Identify Drivers

Examine your team to determine which of the three motivators is dominant for each person. You
can probably identify drivers based on personality and past actions.

For instance, perhaps one of your team members always takes charge of the group when you
assign a project. He speaks up in meetings to persuade people, and he delegates responsibilities
to others to meet the goals of the group. He likes to be in control of the final deliverables. This
team member is likely primarily driven by the power.

You might have another team member who never speaks during meetings. She always agrees
with the group, works hard to manage conflict when it occurs, and visibly becomes
uncomfortable when you talk about doing high-risk, high-reward projects. This person is likely
to have a strong need for affiliation.

Step 2: Structure Your Approach

Based on the driving motivators of your workers, structure your leadership style and project
assignments around each individual team member. This will help ensure that they all stay
engaged , motivated, and happy with the work they're doing.

Examples of Using the Theory

Let's take a closer look at how to manage team members who are driven by each of McClelland's
three motivators:

Achievement
People motivated by achievement need challenging, but not impossible, projects. They thrive on
overcoming difficult problems or situations, so make sure you keep them engaged this way.
People motivated by achievement work very effectively either alone or with other high
achievers.

When providing feedback, give achievers a fair and balanced appraisal. They want to know what
they're doing right and wrong so that they can improve.

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Affiliation
People motivated by affiliation work best in a group environment, so try to integrate them with a
team (versus working alone) whenever possible. They also don't like uncertainty and risk.
Therefore, when assigning projects or tasks, save the risky ones for other people.

When providing feedback to these people, be personal. It's still important to give balanced
feedback, but if you start your appraisal by emphasizing their good working relationship and
your trust in them, they'll likely be more open to what you say. Remember that these people often
don't want to stand out, so it might be best to praise them in private rather than in front of others.

Power
Those with a high need for power work best when they're in charge. Because they enjoy
competition, they do well with goal-oriented projects or tasks. They may also be very effective in
negotiations or in situations in which another party must be convinced of an idea or goal.

When providing feedback, be direct with these team members. And keep them motivated by
helping them further their career goals .

Comparative Theories

McClelland's theory of needs is not the only theory about worker motivation. Sirota's Three-
Factor Theory also presents three motivating factors that workers need to stay motivated and
excited about what they're doing: equity/fairness, achievement, and camaraderie.

Sirota's theory states that we all start a new job with lots of enthusiasm and motivation to do
well. But over time, due to bad company policies and poor work conditions, many of us lose our
motivation and excitement.
This is different from McClelland's theory, which states that we all have one dominant motivator
that moves us forward, and this motivator is based on our culture and life experiences.

Use your best judgment when motivating and engaging your team. Understanding a variety of
motivational theories will help you decide which approach is best in any given situation.

Note:
You may also see these abbreviations for McClelland's three motivators: Achievement (nAch),
Affiliation (nAff), and Power (nPow).

Key Points

McClelland's Human Motivation Theory states that every person has one of three main driving
motivators: the needs for achievement, affiliation, or power. These motivators are not inherent;
we develop them through our culture and life experiences.

Achievers like to solve problems and achieve goals. Those with a strong need for affiliation don't
like to stand out or take risk, and they value relationships above anything else. Those with a
strong power motivator like to control others and be in charge.

You can use this information to lead, praise, and motivate your team more effectively, and to
better structure your team's roles.

David McClelland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the English soccer player, see David McClelland (footballer). For the Northern Irish unionist,
see David McClelland (politician). For the Physicist, see David McClelland (physicist).
David McClelland.

David Clarence McClelland (May 20, 1917 March 27, 1998) was an American psychologist,
noted for his work on motivation Need Theory. He published a number of works during the
1950s and the 1990s and developed new scoring systems for the Thematic Apperception Test
(TAT) and its descendants.[1] McClelland is credited with developing the Achievement
Motivation Theory commonly referred to as need achievement or n-achievement theory.[2] A
Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked McClelland as the 15th most
cited psychologist of the 20th century.[3]