Contents

American psychology professor, David McClelland, devoted twenty years to studying motivation and the human need for achievement before finally publishing his theory within Human Motivation in 1988.  The conclusions he presented suggest that people aren’t motivated by the concept of reward.  Rather, each person has three types of need that exist in differing degrees and it is the combination of these three factors that explains our individual levels of drive as well as our preferred sources of motivation.

The three needs are :

• Achievement Motivation             (n-ach)
• Authority or Power Motivation    (n-pow)
• Affiliation Motivation                 (n-affil).

Achievement Motivation

The need for achievement, written as n-ach, exists within us all but for some people, this need is dominant.  We therefore describe n-ach people as ‘achievement-motivated’ since their primary focus is usually winning or succeeding in some way, either through the attainment of challenging but achievable goals or by job advancement.  As well as achievement and progress, n-ach people have a strong need for feedback since it completes their sense of accomplishment.

McClelland argued that, with their strong motivation to achieve, n-ach people make the best leaders, both in terms of goal-setting and inspiring others with their own vision and determination.  However, these same qualities can bear an inherent weakness in that n-ach managers tend to demand too much of their staff, assuming their teams to be as highly goal-focussed and results-orientated as they are. 

Given that most people aren’t n-ach, such managers can appear out-of-step with their direct reports, who usually respond to very different motivational needs. 

Authority or Power Motivation

With n-pow people, their overwhelming need is for control so these ‘authority-motivated’ types are spurred on to direct or sway those around them.  As such, they are driven to become leaders, requiring high personal status, prestige and influence over others. 

While managers with this need will generate a determined work ethic and foster commitment to the company - in themselves as well as in those around them - leaders with an n-pow driver may lack the flexibility and people-skills to motivate their teams effectively.

Affiliation Motivation

In contrast, the n-affil person is 'affiliation-motivated' so their primary impetus is interaction with others in order to establish friendly relationships.  They need to be liked, to be popular and to be held in high regard so they’re driven to belong to teams or social groups for emotional sustenance and energy. 

As a result, managers whose need is n-affil may find their objectivity compromised by their desire to be liked since it affects both their judgment and decision-making ability.

As mentioned above, everyone has elements of all three needs though one or two are likely to be more pronounced, determining both our characters and the way we behave at work.  Our particular mix of needs will establish not only what motivates us but also how we inspire and manage others – hence management’s fascination with McClelland’s theory for the past twenty years. 

N-ach Characteristics

Of the three types of need, McClelland was particularly interested in the concept of achievement motivation and the consistent ways in which n-ach people behave.  Relatively few people possess strong achievement motivation although many will have minor n-ach tendencies…  Of those who can be classified as n-ach, McClelland found they consistently approach projects with a need for ‘balanced challenge’, regardless of the importance of the task itself.  They shy away from anything too easy or the flatly unattainable; instead, they create achievable tests for themselves that might exercise their abilities initially but which, eventually, they will master. 

This approach mimics the ‘overload principle’ in biology where, to develop strength or fitness, an exercise needs to be taxing enough to stretch someone’s current ability but not so demanding that it will result in injury.  N-ach people appear to have internalised the overload principle, as seen in their cognitive approach to life : by seeking or setting tasks that test their abilities, they derive achievement, pleasure and motivation once these have been successfully accomplished. 

Typically, they prefer challenges whose outcome they can influence and where the extent of their input is evident, approaching tasks in a determined, results-driven manner.  There is no wishful thinking or risk-taking involved; their actions are focused on achieving a specific conclusion and they pursue this doggedly – a characteristic shared by most successful entrepreneurs and businessmen the world over. 

Consequently, n-ach types are great at galvanising their staff into action : they make things happen and get results, skilfully extending their drive and influence to other areas of a business or to external resources, as required. 

However, often this is managed at the expense of their team, who can be seen as a means to an end.  Individual requirements are subsumed to the task at hand because the needs of an n-ach’s co-workers are rarely considered; for those who are achievement-motivated, the important thing is that a project succeeds.

McClelland observed several other characteristics that were particular to people of an n-ach disposition.  Namely, that :

• Achievement is more important to them than material or financial rewards.  Security, status and money aren’t motivators in themselves although financial reward is seen as a benchmark of success.
• Accomplishing a task gives the n-ach person more personal satisfaction than receiving praise or recognition.  However, feedback on each task is critical because it enables them to assess how well they’ve done – so they prefer factual data to support their achievement rather than praise or congratulations.
• Having completed something well, an achievement-motivated person will continually look for ways to improve the task so that each time a process is repeated, the job is being done better every time.
• N-ach individuals naturally select roles and responsibilities that satisfy their needs, namely flexibility and the chance to choose their goals - as well as the terms by which they will achieve them.  This way, they can create their own ‘balanced challenges’ at all times. 

 Create your own business wiki!HelpPublic, not yet premium Privacy Policy RSS