McClelland theory of motivation

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 Motivator	Characteristics of This Person
Achievement	·         Has a strong need to set and accomplish challenging goals. ·         Takes calculated risks to accomplish their goals. ·         Likes to receive regular feedback on their progress and achievements. ·         Often likes to work alone.
Affiliation	·         Wants to belong to the group. ·         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.
Power	·         Wants to control and influence others. ·         Likes to win arguments. ·         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!

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.

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.