INTRODUCTION :

The Achievement Motivation theory Provides a final content

theory of motivation.

The Theory has been advocated by David C. Mcclelland and his

associates.

It was in the late 1940s that David C. Mcclelland and his friend
began to study three needs that human behaviour-power,
affiliation and achievement.

MCCLELLAND THEORY
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1. NEED FOR ACHIEVEMENT

Need For Achievement is the urge to excel, to accomplish in

relation to a set of standards, to struggle to achieve success.

Employees With a high need for achievement derive satisfaction

from achieving goals.

Succeeding a task is important to the higher achiever.

High achievers prefer immediate feedback on their performance,

and they generally undertake tasks of moderate difficulty rather than
those that are either very easy or very difficult.

2. NEED FOR POWER

Need for power is the desire to influence other
individuals behaviour as per your wish. In other words,
it is the desire to have control over others and to be
influential.
The employees exhibiting the needs for power derive
satisfaction from the ability to control others.
Actual achievement of goals is less important than the
means by which goals are achieved.
Satisfaction is derived from being in positions of
influences and control.
Individual with a high need for power derive satisfaction
from being in positions of influences and control.

Individuals exhibiting this need as a dominant motive

derive satisfaction from social and interpersonal
activities.

WORK PREFERENCES OF PERSONS HIGH IN NEED

FOR ACHIEVEMENT , AFFILIATION AND POWER
Individual Needs Work Preferences
High Need For
Achievement

High Need For

Affiliation

High Need For

Power

Example

Individual responsibility
Filed Sales Person
challenging but achievable
with challenging
goals feedback on performances quota and
opportunity to earn
individual bonus.
Interpersonal relationships
opportunities to communicate

Customer
services
representative
Member of work
groups subject to
group bonus plan.

Control Over Other Persons

Attention ; Recognition

Formal Positions of
supervisory
responsibility
appointment as head
of special task force