McClelland’s theory of needs

McClelland’s needs theory is also known as three needs theory (acquired needs theory, motivational needs theory, and learned needs theory). Is about a motivational model that attempts to explain how needs for achievement, power, and affiliation affect people’s actions in the context of business management.

In the early 1940s, Abraham Maslow created his theory of needs. This theory identified the basic needs that human beings have, in order of their importance: physiological needs, security and belonging, recognition and self-realization needs.

Two decades later, David McClelland built on this work in his book The Achieving Society. In said publication, McClelland identified three motivators that he believed we all have: the need for achievement, the need for affiliation, and the need for power. People would have different characteristics depending on their dominant motivator. According to McClelland’s needs theory, these motivators are learned.

Dominant motivators

McClelland says that regardless of our gender, culture or age, We all have three motivators, where one of them will be the dominant one and it will depend largely from our culture and life experience. Likewise, the author states that motivations must be understood as unconscious processesin a similar way to psychoanalytic approaches.

Therefore, it recommends the use of Thematic Apperception Test by Henry A. Murray to assess such needs in an individual. This test is part of projective evaluations and consists of creating stories from images, in which the actions and emotions of the protagonist will be analyzed as an extension of those of the subject himself.

But let’s get to the point. The three dominant needs identified by McClelland are:

Need for achievement: People whose dominant motivator is achievement have a strong desire to set and achieve challenging goals. They are good at taking calculated risks to achieve their goals. Additionally, they like to receive regular feedback on their progress and achievements. They prefer to work alone.Membership need: People whose dominant motivator is the need for affiliation are characterized by wanting to belong to the group. For them, collaboration prevails over competition. Furthermore, they do not like challenges accompanied by high risk and in which uncertainty predominates. They are also people who want to be loved and tend to agree with what the rest of the group wants to do.Need for power: People whose dominant motivator is the need for power are characterized by wanting to control and influence others. These people like to win arguments. Additionally, they enjoy competition, status and recognition.

Now, let’s see how these needs apply to the business context. You can read it in the following paragraph.

Using McClelland’s theory of needs

From a business management point of view, McClelland’s needs theory can help identify the dominant motivators of the people who are part of the team and thus influence the goal and feedback decision processes, as well as management. incentives and rewards. These motivators can also be used to design work based on the characteristics of each team member to achieve greater effectiveness.

Need for achievement

The need for achievement is the need to fulfill a goal. It is necessity that drives a person to work and fight for the goal he wants to achieve. People who have high performance needs are people who always work to excel, particularly avoiding low-risk, low-reward situations, as well as those that are difficult to achieve and high risk.

Individuals motivated by achievement needs generally They have a strong desire to set difficult goals and meet them. His preference is to work in a results-oriented work environment and always appreciate any feedback on his work.

In addition, They take calculated risks to achieve their goals and may avoid situations, both high-risk and low-risk. They often prefer to work alone. This personality type believes in a hierarchical structure derived primarily from work-based achievements.

Regarding feedback, require a fair and balanced evaluation. They want to know what they are doing well and what they are not doing, to identify what they can improve.

Membership need

It refers to the need to have interpersonal and social relationships with other people or groups. In this way, they seek to work in groups, generating friendly and lasting relationships. Additionally, they want to feel loved by others, collaborate with others to compete with them, and generally avoid high-risk and uncertain situations.

In addition, They feel good when those around them return signs of belonging. They like to spend their time socializing and maintaining relationships and have a strong desire to be loved and accepted. These people stick to the basics and play with the books without feeling the need to change things, mainly due to the fear of being rejected.

These people too They tend to adhere to the cultural norms of their workplace and usually do not change them for fear of rejection. Collaboration is the way of working for them, competition remains secondary. Additionally, they work effectively in roles based on social interactions, such as in direct customer service positions.

By giving a feedback group, for its motivation it is important to include a personal, individual assessment. It is also pertinent to emphasize the way in which they have responded to the trust that has been placed in them. Keep in mind that these people often do not want to stand out, so it is best to talk to them privately.

Need for power

The need for power speaks of the degree of desire that a person may feel for maintain control and authority over other people and influence their decision according to one’s own needs or desires. The need to improve their self-esteem and reputation drives these people to have their ideas accepted and implemented before the points of view of others.

For its part, Yeah They have enough ability to satisfy their desire, which is why they usually become strong leaders.. Furthermore, they can belong to two groups: personal power motivators or institutional power motivators. If they belong to the personal power motivator, they will have the need to control others; On the other hand, an institutional power motivator will seek to lead and coordinate a team towards a goal.

In any case, competition motivates them and they enjoy winning debates. Status and recognition are something they aspire to, as is being the leader of the winning team. They are self-disciplined and expect the same from their teammates and teams.

Feedback for power-motivated people should be direct. Furthermore, their performance is enhanced in those companies that help them achieve their professional aspirations.

Comparative theories

Another model similar to McClelland’s needs theory is Sirota’s three-factor theory. This also proposes three motivating factors which are: equity/impartiality, achievements and camaraderie.

However, an important difference between the two is that, according to Sirota, everyone begins a new job with enthusiasm and motivation to do good; But over time, poor company policies or any other conditions cause employees to lose their motivation at work.

Finally, remember that each worker is different. No one will meet those profiles 100%, but will fit into them with certain fringes that extend to the others. Therefore, remember to do team management that encompasses all factors and where all people fit.

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