McClelland's Theory of Needs

McClelland's Theory of Needs

Trio of Needs
Acquired-needs Theory
Human Motivation Theory
Learned Needs Theory
Motivational Needs Theory
McClelland's Theory of Needs

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:
A need for:
A need for:
A need for:
 McClelland's Theory of Needs

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.
Dominant Motivator Characteristics of This Person

Has a strong need to set and

accomplish challenging goals.
Takes calculated risks to
accomplish their goals

Achievement Likes to receive regular

feedback on their progress
and achievements.
Often likes to work alone.
Dominant Motivator Characteristics of This Person

Wants to belong to the group.

Affiliation Wants to be liked, and will often go along

with whatever the rest of the group wants
to do.
Favors collaboration over competition.
Doesn't like high risk or uncertainty.
 Dominant Motivator Characteristics of This Person

Power
**Those with a strong power motivator Wants to control and influence others.
are often divided into two groups:
personal and institutional. People with Likes to win arguments.
a personal power drive want to control
Enjoys competition and winning.
others, while people with an
institutional power drive like to Enjoys status and recognition.
organize the efforts of a team to
further the company's goals.
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.
 Example
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.
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT Test)

McClelland used the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) as a tool to measure

the individual needs of different people. The TAT is a test of imagination that
presents the subject with a series of ambiguous pictures, and the subject is
asked to develop a spontaneous story for each picture. The assumption is
that the subject will project his or her own needs into the story.
Psychologists have developed fairly reliable scoring techniques for the
Thematic Apperception Test. The test determines the individual's score for
each of the needs of achievement, affiliation, and power. This score can be
used to suggest the types of jobs for which the person might be well suited.
Porter and Lawler Extension
Actual performance in a job is primarily determined by the
effort spent. But it is also affected by the persons ability to
do the job and also by individuals perception of what the
required task is. So performance is the responsible factor
that leads to intrinsic as well as extrinsic rewards. These
rewards, along with the equity of individual leads to
satisfaction. Hence, satisfaction of the individual depends
upon the fairness of the reward.
Porter and Lawler Extension
Lyman Porter and Edward Lawler came up with a
comprehensive theory of motivation, though built in large
part on Vrooms expectancy model. Porter and Lawlers
model is a more complete model of motivation. This model
has been practically applied also in their study of
managers. This is a multi variate model which explains the
relationship that exists between job attitudes and job
performance.
Porter and Lawler Extension

The Various Elements of Porter and Lawler Model

1. Effort,
2. Performance and
3. Satisfaction.
Porter and Lawler Extension

Effort:
Effort refers to the amount of energy an
employee exerts on a given task. How much effort
an employee will put in a task is determined by two
factors: (1) value of reward and (2) perception of
effort-reward probability.
Porter and Lawler Extension
Performance:
One's effort leads to his/her performance. Both
may be equal or may not be. However, the amount of
performance is determined by the amount of labor and
the ability and role perception of the employee. Thus, if an
employee possesses less ability and/or makes wrong role
perception, his/her performance may be low in spite of his
great efforts.
Porter and Lawler Extension
Satisfaction:
Performance leads to satisfaction. The level
of satisfaction depends upon the amount of rewards
achieved. If the amount of actual rewards meet or
exceed perceived equitable rewards, the employee
will feel satisfied. On the contrary, if actual rewards fall
short of perceived ones, he/she will be dissatisfied.
Porter and Lawler Extension
Rewards may be of two kinds - intrinsic and extrinsic
rewards. Examples of intrinsic rewards are such as a
sense of accomplishment and self-actualization. Extrinsic
rewards may include working conditions and status. A
fair degree of research supports that the intrinsic
rewards are much more likely to produce attitudes
about satisfaction that are related to performance.